A Lot About Nothing

I usually don’t like eating bananas when they are too ripe, so when I remembered I had a couple of ripe bananas in my kitchen the other day, I decided to make a batch of banana muffins from scratch. I also wanted to make this batch a little different so I added an apple to the recipe, used sour cream to make the muffins soft, along with a brown sugar topping and ended up with a dozen tasty treats! Since I added the apple, I was also able to cut down on the amount of sugar that’s usually called for in regular banana muffin recipes. Feel free to substitute the oats for granola for the crunch topping, or omit the nuts.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12 medium-large muffins

Ingredients:

Muffins:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup butter (melted, at room-tempurature)
2 large-sized bananas (ripe)
1 apple (peeled and diced)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup Quaker Oats
1 tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. butter (melted, at room-temperature)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. For the topping: in a small bowl mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, oats and melted butter with a spoon, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
3. For the muffins: In a medium-sized bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher.
4. Using a wooden spoon, mix in the diced apples to the bananas. Then add the melted butter, vanilla, beaten egg and sour cream to the banana-apple mixture until blended.
5. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
6. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined. Fold in chopped walnuts, being careful not to over-mix.
7. Pour batter into a lightly greased or lined 12-cup muffin pan, about 3/4 full.
8. Sprinkle a small amount of the the sugar-oat topping on top of each banana-apple muffin.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of a muffin comes out clean.
10. Cool in pan for 5-10 minutes before removing. Eat and enjoy!

I’m really lovin’ this Mexican food! I tried to make flan for the first time a couple Saturdays ago and it came out tasting delicious! There’s a bunch of different variations of flan recipes out there, but using my best judgment, I think the following ingredients make for a great-tasting, and low-fat-as possible flan dessert.

Ingredients:
2 whole eggs
4 egg whites
1 can (300mL) low-fat condensed milk
1 can (370mL) fat-free evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment:
1 8-inch round glass/silicone dish
1 roasting pan (large enough for the 8-inch dish to fit in)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pour sugar into a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir constantly to prevent burning until the sugar is liquefied and golden in colour. Quickly pour the caramelized sugar into the glass dish, swirling around the sides to coat the surface evenly. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat egg whites and egg yolks. Beat in the condensed milk, evaporated milk, vanilla and cinnamon until smooth. Pour egg mixture into the caramel-lined glass baking dish.
4. Place the baking dish in the roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with boiling water (enough to cover halfway up the sides of the glass dish). Bake for about 1 hour until the centre is just set. Cool for an hour on a wire rack, then chill in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
5. Run a knife around the edge of the glass dish and invert the flan onto a serving platter to unmold.

Wow. This has got to be one of the most delicious Mexican dishes I ever cooked up to date! I never made burritos this way before, but thought I’d give it a try last night and they came out tasting great. I tried to make this meal as healthy as I could by using extra-lean meat and fat-free refried beans.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 8 Burritos

Ingredients:

450g/1lb package of Extra Lean Ground Chicken
1 can of Refried Beans (approx. 400mL)
8 8″ Flour Tortillas
1 1/2 cups Shredded Cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, or mixture)
1 Onion (chopped)
1 Tomato (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon of Cajun Seasoning (or a blend of salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne pepper)
2 Cloves Garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon of hot sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large saucepan on medium heat, brown the ground chicken for about 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain off the excess liquid from the pan
3. Add the chopped onion and garlic to the ground chicken, then sprinkle in the Cajun seasoning and cook for another 5 minutes until the onions are soft.
4. To the chicken mixture gradually add the refried beans, chopped tomato, hot sauce and lemon juice, blending well with a large spoon. Cook on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While the chicken and bean mixture simmers, line a 9 x 13″ baking pan with parchment paper (or just lightly oil a casserole dish).
6. Line the center of each soft tortilla with a large spoonful of the chicken-bean mixture. Carefully fold up the sides into a roll and place in the baking pan. Continue until each tortilla is filled and lined up next to each other.
7. Sprinkle cheese on top of the rolled-up burritos, and bake uncovered in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is nicely melted.
8. Serve with chopped lettuce, salsa and sour cream.

Not only is this salad quick to put together, it also makes a great side to any meal, and works as a nice, healthy snack. Bocconcini is a smooth, round, mild-tasting cheese–soft, unripened mozzarella. I like to use the mini pearls, but you can use the regular sized bocconcini if you like.

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 200g tub of TreStelle Bocconcini cheese
1 pint container of Grape Tomatoes
1 large English Cucumber
3 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Club House Salad Herbs Seasoning or Mrs. Dash (more or less to taste)

Instructions:

1. Peel and chop the cucumber into bite-sized cubes and place into a large bowl.
2. Add the grape tomatoes and bocconcini cheese to the cucumbers and mix with a large spoon.
3. In an salad dressing bottle, or small bowl mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and seasoning to taste. Pour over the cucumber mixture, mixing and coating thoroughly.
4. Serve and enjoy.

I had a great BBQ last weekend. Here is a recipe for one of the tasty items I cooked on the grill.

Prep Time: 10 minutes + 1 hour of refrigeration
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2 pounds (2 frozen, 450g packages) of large, raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup of fresh, chopped basil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 small can of pineapple tidbits (drained)

wooden skewers

Directions:

1. If you’re using frozen shrimp, place them in a colander and run cold water over them for about 5 minutes, until defrosted. Peel and discard the shells.
2. With a spoon, mix the melted butter, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in a large bowl. Gradually stir in the basil.
3. Add the shrimp to the marinade, coating well. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.
4. Preheat your greased grill or barbecue to medium heat.
5. Thread about 3-5 shrimp on each skewer, alternating with pineapple tidbits.
6. Grill for approximately 5 minutes, turning once, until the shrimp turn pink.
7. Remove shrimp from the grill and place on a platter. You can garnish with lemon slices to squirt on the shrimp. Enjoy!