Nutella Swirled Whole Grain Banana Bread

 Posted by spoon #3.

 

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I really like banana bread.  I like it because of the way that it tastes.  I also love Nutella.  When my mom said that we could put them together that made me awesome excited.  I like this recipe because it uses Nutella, and I really, really, really love that idea.  My mom loves this recipe because it is healthy for me.  

** Mom interjection:  Healthy.  Yup.  Love this recipe.  It is based on a Cooking Light recipe called BRANana Bread.  We make it with fresh ground whole wheat flour, ground flax seed, and oat bran.  It is also a winner because it is low fat and low sugar. . . or it was low sugar until the Nutella made an entrance. . .

So you start by gathering all of your ingredients.  There are a lot of ingredients.  That's ok.

 First you mix all the dry ingredients together and give it a big stir.  After that, dump all the wet ingredients into a smaller bowl.  Mix them all really well so there are no chunks.  I really like putting the eggs in.  I like doing it because they look like a giant explosion from above.

Next pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff and stir it all up.  Make sure that you don't leave any of the flour mixture on the bottom of the bowl.  Also, don't over-stir it or it will make the loaf of bread more tough. 

Then pour half of the batter into a greased loaf pan.  Take the Nutella and drop about 8 drops of it on top of the batter in the pan.  Then pour the rest of the batter in the pan, and drop more Nutella.  

Here comes my favorite part.  Take a butter knife and swirl it back and forth in a zig-zag pattern to make it all swirly.  That way you get a bite of Nutella in each mouthful.

Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.  While it is baking take the almost empty Nutella jar and clean it out with a rubber scraper and your tongue.  Don't do that if it is a full jar.  Even if you want to eat the whole jar, don't.  Your mom will get mad at you. 

I think I did a good job at cleaning it out.  Don't  you?

The top of our bread looked like this.  Awesome.

Deliciousness.

 

Nutella Swirled Whole Grain Banana Bread

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Recipe source: Cooking Light (based on BRANana Bread Recipe)
Serves: 12-16 servings
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• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup oat bran
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 3/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 tbsp Nutella
• 1 tsp canola oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Spray a 9x5 loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

Combine flour, oat bran, flaxseed, sugar, baking soda and powder, cinnamon, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together bananas, yogurt, eggs, canola oil, and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. 

Warm the Nutella in the microwave 10-15 seconds until it begins to soften.  Add 1 tsp canola oil and stir until it is pourable.  Warm longer in the microwave if needed.

Pour half the batter into the prepared pan.  Drop 8-10 spoonfuls of Nutella onto the batter.  Pour the remaining batter into the pan and repeat with the remaining Nutella.  Insert a butter knife, and swirl back and forth with a zig-zag motion across the pan.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the loaf comes out clean.  Cool loaf in the pan for ten minutes.  Remove loaf from pan and cool completely on a rack.  Slice and serve or wrap tightly with plastic wrap, or freeze immediately for future use.

Grilled Moroccan Chicken

Posted by Spoon #2

Ooh. Moroccan Chicken. Who doesn't love spicy chicken? The sharp flavor, served with with couscous is one of my favorites and is so tasty.  It is a simple and fast marinade that puts a zing in your mouth.  This is a meal we eat often, because it is super fast and easy, and makes everyone happy.

First you will need to gather up a few ingredients from your kitchen.  Give the cilantro and green a onions a good chopping, and then throw them along with everything else into your food processor.

Aren't those colors just beautiful? 

Spread it all over chicken (don't be shy!) and let it sit at least a half an hour for all the yumminess to penetrate into the meat.

Throw it on a hot grill and blast those babies with some heat!  Mmmm.  So simple, yet so delicious!

Grilled Moroccan Chicken
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Recipe source: Food.com
Serves: 4-6 servings
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• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (the best quality you can get)
• 1/4 cup chopped scallion (white part only)
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper(depending on how much heat you like)
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded flat

Combine oil, scallions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor. Process until smooth.

Rub the mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts and let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill to medium hot. Grill chicken breasts 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Inside Out Smores Brownies

Posted by Spoon #2

My favorite sweet treat is brownies.  I have a regular recipe that I make, but I wanted to try something different, so I dug through my mom's pile of clipped recipes and found S'Mores Brownies (oh, yum).  It  starts with the typical smores ingredients (marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate), flour, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and butter.

 First, I melted the chocolate, and then added the butter.

Beautiful, isn't it?

I then mixed in the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, then flour and ended up with a deep, chocolatey brown, batter.

Spread it in the pan . . .

. . . place the graham crackers on top of the batter . . .

. . .sprinkle the marshmallows and spread the remaining batter over the top...

Oooohhh yeah. Gooey deliciousness.

Inside-Out S'Mores Brownies

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Recipe source: Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

24 servings

serving size: 1 brownie

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• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 oz. unsweetened sugar, chopped
• 1 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 9 graham cracker squares (or enough to cover your pan)
• 1 cups mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 7x11-inch baking pan with parchment paper or PAM. Set aside. 

In a medium saucepan melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove from heat. Stir in sugar, eggs, and vanilla till combined. Stir in flour. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan. Top with graham crackers. Sprinkle marshmallows on the graham crackers, but do not let them touch the sides of the pan. Carefully spread the remaining batter on the marshmallows and graham crackers, covering them completely.  

Bake for 25 minuets or until set. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into rectangles.

Super Energy Balls

Posted by Spoon #3 

 

 Hi!  I am spoon #3, and today made Super Energy Balls with my mom.  I wanted to make these because I like to eat cookie dough.  We have made chocolate no bake cookies before, and I loved them.  I wanted to change them a bit and make them peanut butter, and make them a little bit better.  We followed the recipe, but we realized that there were too many Cheerios, so we changed the recipe below for you so it would work out right.

I don't like touching or measuring peanut butter.  It gets really messy.  A lot.  Really a lot.  

So my mom showed me a cool trick.  Instead of making a mess, I put a plastic sandwich baggie inside the measuring cup.  Then we sprayed it with cooking spray.

When you do this, the peanut butter just falls out.  Cool, eh?

Yeah.

Nice picture, huh.  My mom is good with a camera. :)

 Add all the ingredients and give it a good stir. 

 

Pay attention: it is hard to stir and can make a mess. I got cheerios everywhere.  We found them days later under the blender.  Don't give up.

 

 Finally, you form them into balls with your hands.  It gets messy, but it is worth it. 
One tip: do not put too much dry ingredients in.  If you do, add more peanut butter.

Yum.  All my brothers and sisters loved them.  We ate them after school for snacks.

Super Energy Balls
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12 servings
serving size: 2 balls
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• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup Cheeios
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup oat bran

Mix the peanut butter, honey, and nonfat dry milk powder together in a ball.  Stir until well combined.

Add in the remaining ingredients.  Mix until it forms an even mixture.  Form the dough into balls.  You can roll in flaked coconut, but I didn't because I don't like coconut.  Keep these chilled in the fridge until ready to serve.

Chicken Tacos with Kale and Salsa Verde

Posted by Spoon #1

I decided to do dinner tonight for my first post, so I found a dinner that I think is one of my favorites. I love this recipe because it is so tasty, with the kale and chicken, it just creates a magical combo which leaves a delightful taste in my mouth. Don't believe me? Why don't you make it and try it out?

It is a fast and easy taco recipe, and it has very few ingredients to hassle with, so it is much easier to create.

First, I removed the kale leaves from off of the stems, washing them as I go. Make sure you shake the water off the kale strongly (don't worry about breaking the stem from whiplash).  You don't want the residual water to steam the kale instead of sauteing them (yes, there's an accent, but I don't know how to make that).

Next, I put them in our wok (instead of a saucepan -- it was just easier), and let them saute with the minced garlic (garlic makes EVERYTHING better). If you don't know, sauteing kale makes it shrink ridiculously, so in the pictures, it may seem like I took out half of it. I didn't. 

While my mom was watching the kale, I cut the chicken (if you don't have an assistant, you should cut the chicken up in advance). Once the kale began to wilt, I dumped the chicken into the kale, along with the tomatillo salsa verde.

Once I felt that the kale had cooked enough, I was done! My mom prepared the corn tortillas by frying them in a bit of oil, and we ate!

Yum.

Chicken Tacos with Salsa Verde
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6 servings
serving size: 2 tacos
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• 1/2 cup tomatillo salsa verde
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• Salt
• 1 tbsp. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil-- for the wok)
• 2 bunches kale
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
• 12 corn tortillas
• 1/4 cup queso fresco
• Sour cream

In a medium skillet (I used a wok), heat the EVOO over medium heat. Add the kale, season with salt and add about 2 teaspoons of minced garlic; saute just until wilted. Stir in the diced chicken and salsa verde; cook to heat through. Lower the heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, preheat a griddle or large skillet. Fry the tortillas in a small amount of oil, flipping to cook both sides, until soft and warm.

Spoon a few heaping teaspoons of the chicken mixture onto each tortilla. Sprinkle with the queso fresco. Drizzle with the sour cream.

Asian Glazed Drumsticks

Posted by Spoon #2

I really love foreign food, especially Asian. My love of Asian food has flourished so much over the years that I wanted to master how to cook it. So my Mom gave me the recipe, and Voila! I cooked it, and my family enjoyed it. Because that's how it works right? I made couple mistakes along the way, so I apologize if you misunderstand how to cook it. It must seem terribly difficult, but it was surprisingly easy, for someone who'd never cooked Asian before.

Okay, so first I started with large drumsticks, ones with skin still on, and began to tug at the skin, attempting to pull it off. I tugged and I tugged, but eventually I had to give in and accept the pair of scissors so I could cut the skin free. It was so hard! I repeated this step with the other 5 drumsticks, and soon had 6 of them, skinned and all, on a plate.

After that, I browned them in a heavy saucepan on high for 3-4 minutes.

They turned out a nice golden color.

I then added water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, and sweet chili sauce.
I stirred, and cooked it on high until it boiled.

Yum!!

I then let it simmer while it was covered for about 20 minuets.
After that, I removed the lid and let the sauce reduce down and thicken.

While that was happening, I chopped up some scallions and gathered some sesame seeds to put on top. After the sauce was nice and thick, I then placed the drumsticks on a plate and poured the sauce over them and sprinkled the scallions and sesame seeds.

"I really made this?" I wondered.

My own mouth watered as I looked at the plate and smelled the wonderful aroma. My family really enjoyed it and so did I. Wish you luck!


Asian Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
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Recipe source: www.skinnytaste.com
4 servings
serving size: 2 drumsticks
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• 8 medium chicken drumsticks, skin removed*
• non stick spray (I used Pam)
• 1 cup water
• 1/2-1T. sweet chili sauce
• 1/2 cup balsamic vineger
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1T brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic crushed (or 2 t. minced garlic)
• 1 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp scallions (or chives), chopped
• 1 tsp sesame seeds

In a heavy saucepan, brown chicken on high for 3-4 minuets with a little spray oil. Add water, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, ginger, sweet chili sauce and cook on high until liquid comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered for about 20 minuets. Remove cover and bring heat to high, allowing sauce to reduce down, about 8-10 minuets, until it becomes a thick glaze,  turning chicken occasionally. (Keep an eye on glaze, you don't want it to burn when it becomes thick.) Transfer chicken to platter and pour glaze on top. Top with chives/scallions and sesame seeds and serve. I served it with rice . . . it was good!

*Note: As delicious as it was, I would have also loved it with chicken breasts.  It would have worked just as well.