This is a very easy recipe to put together if you have some overripe bananas in the kitchen. I was trying to cut the fat down from my usual banana bread recipe that I adopted from the Better Homes and Garden cookbook circa 1999 and managed to only use 1/4 cup of vegetable oil, with some very moist and tasty results. I made one large loaf and two mini loaves for my neighbors and the initial report is that this is a damn fine banana bread.
Sunday Banana Bread
Ingredients:
3 overly ripe bananas
1 egg
1 egg white
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup yogurt
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup applesauce
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup oats (not instant)
To Do:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour a loaf pan. Beat the eggs and add the sugars, yogurt, oil and applesauce. Smush the bananas and mix with the wet ingredients and add vanilla. Sift the flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl and add slowly add to the wet mixture. mixing just a bit - over mixing makes the bread rubbery. Add oats and mix till incorporated.
Bake for about an hour - until the loaf is a golden brown. Test the center with a skewer to make sure it’s done. Let cool for 10 minutes in pan and then pop the bread out and cool completely on a baking rack.
After browsing through Mark Bittman’s “How to Cook Everything” at a friends apartment while job hunting in September, I fell in love with the man. Oh, I’ve been a fan of the Minimalist NYT’s column, but How to Cook Everything was thick tome full of delicious, yet easy, sounding recipes. Bittman recently came out with “How to Cook Everything Vegetarian” and after much deliberation (do I really need another cookbook), I bought it and I am really glad. The book is full of clever tips, excellent flavor combinations and a great section on legumes and grains. Last night I made potstickers using Bittman’s dumpling dough recipe and my own filling and they were fantastic. I also made the Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles recipe and really enjoyed the interesting flavor combo of green tea and starchy noodles. Very simple, very easy and very very good. I highly recommend giving this one a shot.
Green Tea Broth with Udon Noodles (adopted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian)
Ingredients:
water
1/4 cup green tea leaves (I used Japanese Sencha Green Tea - very hearty flavor)
8 oz. udon noodles
salt
freshly ground pepper
mirin, soy sauce or sugar (to taste)
To Do
Put 7 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a rolling boil. Let sit for a few minutes and then add 1/4 cup of the green tea leaves. Let steep for 5-10 minutes, until you have a golden and fragrant (broth) (I did it for about 12 minutes) and then strain the tea, throwing away the leaves. Bring to a rolling boil and throw in a couple of pinches of salt. Add the udon noodles and bring to a boil, then add 2 cups cold water and bring to a boil again. Cover and simmer until noodles are done, about 7-8 minutes. Grind some pepper, taste for salt and add the mirin, sugar or soy sauce if you want.
Bittman then goes on with a list of things you can add to the soup (just one example of how versatile this book is). I added some chopped up local tofu and scallions to the soup during the last 2 minutes of simmering and a couple of dashes of tamari and then a squirt of red chili paste for heat. Once again, a very simple and delicious recipe.
Lest you think there has been no cooking or baking in the place, I present you with this delicious photo and recipe (below). There has been bread baking, red velvet cake and cookie baking and some bi bim bop making. All delicious.
Indian Spiced Butternut Squash with Quinoa & Chickpeas
Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash
2.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion (sliced into crescents)
1 tsp. cardomom powder
2 tsp. red curry powder
1 tsp. coriander
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
bits of dried mango (optional)
1 can chickpeas
garam masala powder
salt
pepper
To Do
Preheat overn to 400F. Rinse and let chickpeas drain while you cook the other stuff. Put 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and sautee the onions for a few minutes. Add all of the spices and a bit of salt and pepper and let simmer while you tackle the squash.
I find that the best way to cut and cube a squash is to use a heavy duty Y-vegetable peeler and peel all of the skin off. Then, cut slices into the neck and cube those slices. Chop the bulb part in half, scoop out the seeds and string with a spoon. Slice and cube. Nice and easy.
Place the prepped squash in the frying pan and cover it with the onion and spice mixture. Place in an baking dish and cover with a lid (or tight fitting foil) and bake until squash is tender - about 30 to 40 minutes.
Remember the chickpeas? Pat them dry with a paper towel if they are still a bit moist. Place in a bowl and add the 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and the garam masala powder and mix well. Place on a lined cookie sheet and bake with the squash for about 30-40 minutes - bake longer if you want them crunchy.
The last bit is the quinoa. Rinse it under cold water and strain and then toast it in a dry skillet. Boil two cups of water, add a pinch of salt (the mango too!) and quinoa. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or until the water has been absorbed.
Everything should be finished around the same time! Place quinoa in a bowl, top with butternut squash and chickpeas. Enjoy!
I’m back. For real. Specifically, in a lovely apartment in Brooklyn with tons of light and a fantastic kitchen. After the bike trip and the ranch, Phil and I bravely attempted to survive living in the suburbs while we looked for jobs and an affordable apartment. For the record, I really hate commuting on Metro North and I am much happier to deal with NYC’s subways and buses. Regardless, I’m cooking/baking again and will be posting up pics and recipes soon. In the meantime, take a look at the new kitchen and examine the fliers for two upcoming MiG shows for this week. One is a crazy loft party (BYOB style) and the other is Stereoactive/Hot Rocks party with a ton of good bands and drink specials and free beer. Whoo!
