Banana Nut Oat Muffins Recipe

These Banana Nut Oat muffins are some of the best muffins I've ever made.I got out of the habit of baking when my stove was replaced. I use my bread machine and my Breville Smart Oven but it's too small for many things. Fortunately I have a muffin pan that makes 6 muffins that fits in it perfectly. And you know what? Making 6 muffins is much better than making a dozen! 

Muffins, like cupcakes are really good when they're fresh, but they get dry and stale quickly. So making smaller batches more frequently makes good sense. These muffins use lots of healthy ingredients like oatmeal, oat bran, bananas, walnuts and a little bit of olive oil so you can feel good about eating them. I used extra virgin olive oil because it's what I have on hand but you could use any olive oil you like. Olive oil is great for baking, especially in muffins and quick breads. The muffins are moist, with a little crunch from the nuts, a little chew from the oats, and have that buttery texture that comes from using bran, perfect to take when you're running out the door.

I adapted this recipe adding oat bran, increasing the amount of nuts and swapping out olive oil for melted butter but I'm not sure where the original recipe came from. It might seem like a lot of ingredients, but it comes together very quickly. The reason I used rolled oats, oat bran, bananas and walnuts is because they all contain magnesium. Many people are deficient in magnesium, over half the population in California according USDA research. But the combination is also really delicious, even if you don't need more magnesium in your diet. Just about everyone (unless those with nut allergies) can benefit from more nuts in their diet. Walnuts in particular have amazing heart healthy benefits.

Do you have a favorite walnut recipe? You could win fabulous prizes if your family recipe is chosen in the Gift of Gather contest. 

Banana Nut Oat Muffins

Makes 6 large muffins

Ingredients

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup oat bran

1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup mashed very ripe bananas (the skins should be brown)

1 egg

1/4 cup olive oil 

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a mixing bowl, stir together the flour, oat bran, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, eggs, oil and vanilla. Add the banana mixture and walnuts to the flour mixture, stirring with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. 

Spoon batter into a well greased or paper-lined muffin pan (grese the top of the pan to make removing the muffins easier). Bake for about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove muffins from the pan and let cool completely or better yet, eat warm.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Ricotta Waffles with Blueberry Sauce

Most little ones seem to have favorite toys or favorite stuffed animals.  And favorite colors.  But not our little guy Max.  He is rather fickle, dispensing his affection on whatever catches his fancy at the moment.  Or maybe he just kinda likes his toys, stuffed animals and colors equally.  But he does have a favorite letter.  Okay, 2 letters.  He loves both B and O.  And b is just so super awesome because it's also his word for berries.  And it doesn't hurt that b is the first letter of his very favorite thing in the entire world - buses.  Now, he loves all berries, but you never know what berry he will actually want to eat that day.  You see some raspberries on sale and pick up a few cartons, thinking, ohh Max will like this.  No, no, he will not.  He will want blackberries, not the raspberries sitting in the fridge.  But sometimes, sometimes, the stars align all beautifully straight in a row and the kiddie gods smile beatifically upon you and somehow you get the right berry (or B, as it is known) to make him happy.  And since it was his birthday the other day, I made him some waffles with B's.  And it must have been the right B, because he was shoveling the sauce into his mouth.  So thank you gods of toddler eating, we totally appreciate it.  And, I'd have to say these waffles are pretty great for full grown people as well.

Ingredients
Waffles:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup ricotta
1 cup buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated

Blueberry Sauce:
1 pound blueberries
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cinnamon stick
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground clove (depending on how much you adore clove)

Instructions
Blueberry Sauce:  Place all ingredients in a medium pot over medium-low heat and gently boil, stirring often.  Let it cook together for about 5 minutes, and remove the cinnamon stick.  Let cool.

Waffles:  Beat the egg whites with a mixer until they hold soft peaks.  Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.  In a large bowl, whisk ricota, buttermilk, butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolks.  Stir in the flour mixture. Gently fold in the egg whites.   Pour batter into preheated waffle iron and cook until waffles are crisp and golden.  I like keeping the oven hot at 350 and giving the waffles an extra round of crisping for a few minutes.  Pour sauce on top of waffles and serve.

Leftover Turkey

Here is a favorite post from a couple of years ago--what to do with all that leftover turkey...

Leftover turkey, even dry, overcooked turkey, is good in soups, salads, sandwiches, stews, smothered in sauce or topped with a poached or fried egg.

Here are some suggestions for how to use leftover turkey. I've linked to recipes, some I've tried others just look good to me, but feel free to use your own or your imagination!

Turkey Pot Pie

Turkey Mole

Turkey Enchiladas

Turkey Mushroom Crepes

Turkey Quesadillas

Turkey Barley Soup

Turkey Grilled Cheese & Pear Sandwich

Turkey Hash

Turkey Salad

Turkey Noodle Soup

Turkey Cobb Salad

Turkey Gumbo

Turkey Posole

If you have any favorite turkey leftover recipes, please share them by leaving a comment.

Easy Mushroom Stir-fry with Chinese 5-Spice

I think I am reaching a point at which I no longer understand what qualifies as typical breakfast food.  There was a time in my life when I was very regimented in my thinking.  Bagels, muffins, cereal, eggs, bacon, waffles, pancakes - those were breakfast foods.  Then college came and I was taught the wonders of pizza for breakfast.  Sometimes you feel like pizza for breakfast!  And also the joys of leftover Chinese food were revealed to me as delicious morning fare.  And from there, chaos ensued.  So while I originally intended this as a quick lunch or dinner, it became breakfast.  An umami, Chinese 5-spiced breakfast.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 teaspoon oyster sauce
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice powder
pinch white pepper
kosher salt, to taste
3 scallions, chopped
toasted sesame oil, for serving
rice, for serving

Instructions
Melt the butter and olive oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Once the butter has melted and the bubbles in the mixture have started to subside, add the chopped mushrooms. Stir continuously, allowing the mushrooms to absorb the butter and oil mixture. After a few minutes, the mushrooms will brown.  I actually did this step in two batches, as I didn't want to crowd the pan.  Once all the mushrooms have been browned, return to pan and deglaze the pan with rice wine (Pour the rice wine in and loosen up all the tasty stuff stuck to the pan.  The rice wine should cook down very quickly).  Mix in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and 5-spice powder.  Sprinkle with white pepper and kosher salt to taste.  Scatter the chopped scallions on top.  Serve with rice and toasted sesame oil.

Spiced Cranberry-Ginger Cider with All the Fixins'

From my perspective, the people who celebrate Christmas fall into two camps.  First, there are the ones who wait until December to decorate.  They let Thanksgiving shine all on its own, without Christmas trying to nudge its way into the spotlight.  And then there are the ones who start decking the halls well before Thanksgiving, letting all the holidays sort of blend together into two, big, rosy, festive months.  We fall into the latter camp.  We are just such big fans of Christmas lights.  They make everything so cozy! And the cats - well, they are definitely Christmas fans, as garland and the tree make for some super amazing toys.  So we like to extend this Christmas cheer as long as possible.  We decorated last weekend, and made this drink to kick off a season of baked goods, good cheer and festive lights.

Ingredients
2 cups cranberry juice
2 cups ginger ale
3 cups apple cider
12 whole cloves
3 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2-inch orange peel
2-inch chunk of ginger
1/2 cup cranberries
orange slices, for serving

Instructions
Put everything into a medium-sized pot over medium heat.  Once the mixture is nice and hot, and the aromatics are fragrant, ladle into mugs for serving.  It is also good served chilled. Serve with orange wedges and extra cinnamon sticks.

Thanksgiving Recipe Round-up!

I love a good list.  LOVE it.  Like really love it.  List making is so therapeutic, putting a bit of order and tidiness onto our messy and chaotic world.  So right now I am smack dab in Thanksgiving list mode - what to make, what groceries are needed, a master list of all the tasks to be done, and a schedule for said tasks to be accomplished.  And of course, this list - a list of possible foods to fill out the Thanksgiving menu.  Here we have some possible ideas for appetizers, side dishes, and some desserts (beyond the pumpkin pie) to round out your feast.


Appetizers

Butternut Squash Crostini

Mushroom Puffs

Herbed Goat Cheese Dip with Asparagus Spears

Side Dishes

Stuffing Pasta

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Butternut Squash and Apple Risotto

Scallion and Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Roasted Radishes with Vanilla Salt and Basil

Chantilly Potatoes

Desserts

Thick and Creamy, Earl Grey and Lavender Hot Chocolate

Baked Apples with Pine Nuts, Juniper Berries, and Orange

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream

Very Vanilla Egg-Free Ice Cream
We just love putting this stuff on our desserts instead of whipped cream!

Stuffing Pasta

Apparently, I've been born without the genes that makes one enjoy stuffing.  Or dressing, as the case may be.  I don't know why that happened in life.  But I just can't seem to like it.  No matter what wonderful things go into it.  Not even my gram's famous stuffing.  None of it.  But stuffing (or dressing) has been deemed a necessary component of the Thanksgiving feast.  And I can't bring myself to make it any more, to once again be disappointed that my genetic makeup prevents me from savoring each bite of this dish.  To once again, get my hopes up, to think that this one stuffing is the one I will like... then have those hopes dashed.  So instead of stuffing, I like doing a pasta dish that I like to think captures a bit of the essence of stuffing.  But not in stuffing form.  In pasta.  So here is a simple dish with brown butter, pancetta, fresh herbs, hazelnuts, and parmesan cheese.  Never disappoints.

Ingredients
2/3 pound farfalle pasta
4 ounces cubed pancetta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup torn sage leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme and/or rosemary leaves
pinch nutmeg
white pepper, to taste
kosher salt, to taste
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts, toasted
juice from 1/2 a lemon
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile,
heat olive oil over medium high heat in skillet and add the pancetta.  Cook until the pancetta has a nice golden brown color (about 5 minutes).  Take off heat and set aside.

In large sauté pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.  Add sage, thyme, and rosemary and let the butter brown, about two minutes.  You will see brown specks that have formed on the bottom of the pan.  Be careful to not burn the butter.  Add pepper, salt and nutmeg, as well as the reserved pancetta.  Sprinkle chopped and toasted hazelnuts.  Take off heat and add lemon juice.  Add pasta to the brown butter mixture and toss with cheese.  Adjust seasonings to taste.