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.