Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Sunflower Seeds!

Banana bread is always a classic, as a snack, desert, or breakfast!  However, this recipe has been update for the more health conscious.  Also- This recipe makes two to there loafs, as banana bread freezes fantastically well! I hope you enjoy this easy and tasty recipe :)

Ingredients:

3 very ripe bananas

1/3c melted butter

1c of white sugar 

(can easily use 3/4 cup, or drop it down to 1/2 cup if you want it less sweet)

2 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour

1c unsalted sunflower seeds, shelled

Time:

Make the dough   7min

Bake                  45-60 min

Total                 About an hour

Serves: Varies

Although I did make this recipe in a mixer, that is far from necessary with this recipe. However, if you do not have an electric mixer of some kind, hand held or otherwise, then you would want to pre mash, shift and melt ingredients.

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 350°F 

2) In a mixing bowl, add the ingredients, except the baking soda and the sunflower seeds.  You actually don't need to pre melt the butter, or smash the bananas, but you are welcome to.

3) Grease the baking dish.  I prefer more smaller loafs, but it is your personal preference. mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

4) Carefully add the baking soda to the mix, covering as much of the surface as possible with the baking soda. Mix into the dough.

5) Add about 3/4c of the shelled and unsalted sunflower seeds to the mix, and mix in as well.  Keep a 1/8c of sunflower seeds to the side to decorate the loafs. 

6) Fill baking dish 1/2 to 2/4 full of the dough and back for 45 min to an hour. Add the sunflower seeds to the top of the loafs-- Just for fun!

7)  Remove from the oven when the loaf is firm and a slightly darker brown, and let rest on it's side.  This will help with the removing of the bread later.

8) Once cool- remove the loafs.  Serve as is or warmed up!  Wrap whatever is left in aluminum foil before freezing.  I hope you enjoy!

Cost:
bananas              $0.60
flour&sugar         $1.00
butter                  $0.30
eggs                    $0.30
sunflower seeds  $0.70
baking soda        $0.10
vanilla                  $0.10
salt                      $0.01       
Total:                  $3.11
Makes three small loafs :)

Almond Stirr Fry

So the beauty of stir fry is its versatility.  Hence the million and one recipes on the internet... This is the ONLY recipe I know of that includes whole almonds as the major source or protein.  

(Broccoli is also a source of protein as well, and I did add one small chicken tender to make my husband happy :) )

Ingredients:

1/2c   chopped broccoli

1/4c   chopped carrots

1/2c   chopped celery 

3/4c   whole roasted almonds

2 tbs  sesame seeds

1 tbs  Sriracha

1 tsp  garlic powder

4tbs   oil

3-4c  cooked white rice

1/4c  flour (OR "flat" Bisquick! See prior post)

Serves: 3-4 people

Time: 15 min

Directions:

1) Add 2 tbs of the oil, (vegetable oil works best for most Asian food, at least in my opinion), to a large skillet and heat until the oil just starts to crackle. This should take about 2 min.

2) Add your chopped veggies and seasoning to hot pan.  Cover to let the veggies steam a little-- Like 5 min.

3) Add the almonds and keep the skillet uncovered from here forward to keep the almonds from getting too soft.

4) Turn over the ingredients on medium heat for another 5 minutes or so.

5) Make a roux, pronounce "rue," from the flour and about 1/2c of warm water.  You do this by mixing the flour with the warm water vigorously, so that when you add the flour to the dish it doesn't clump. (You could also do this with old Bisquick, as mentioned earlier... although add less rather than more, as you don't want to undercut the Asian flavors.)

6) Add this roux to the veggie mix to thicken the stir fry texture.

7) Once the veggies look just under cooked, (so the carrots can have a fork almost stuck in them with ease), add the rice and the rest of the oil.

8) Work the rice into the dish until each gain of rice looks like it has delicious flavors on it!  You definitely don't want any clumps of rice.

 9) Serve HOT!



Cost:
Veggies         $0.75
Almonds       $1.00
Rice              $0.30
Oil                $0.50
Seasonings    $0.30      
Total             $2.85
Per serving   $0.72

Quick, easy, cheap and beautiful: Roasted Cauliflower!!

Looking for an easy, cheap, and spectacular side dish: Roasted Cauliflower!!! 

No joke, this was the first time I made this, and it turned out fantastic!

Ingredients:

1      head of cauliflower

2tbs olive oil

That's it!!

Time: 45 min total

Serves: 2 as dinner, 6 for a side only

Directions:

1) Wash the head of cauliflower and remove excess steam so that the head will sit up on the baking sheet.

2) Place the head on the backing sheet and lightly coat the top with the olive oil.

3) Place in the oven at 425 degrees!  It's really this easy! Note: do not adjust the temperature for altitude.  

4) Place roasted head on a pretty plate and serve hot!  That's all there is to it!

Cost:

cauliflower     $1

olive oil          $.030           

Total               $1.30

Served as a side: 21 cents!

Shown here served with grilled Tri-Tip and oven roasted potatoes!

Pumpkin Ravioli in Home-Made Cheese-Potato Sauce with Broccoli Florets

 Just in time for fall! This is a quick and colorful meal that also happens to be well balanced :)

Ingredients:
1  package pumpkin ravioli (available at Costco)
1/2 bag frozen broccoli
1 cup hard white cheese of choice ( recommend: Jarlsberg) grated
3 red potatoes
2 tbs oil ( or bacon grease if so inclined)
1/4 cup milk (reduced milk works better than non-fat milk)

Estimated time: 30 min
Serves 4

So I'm going to make an effort to talk more about the food as there is clearly more to it than throwing some stuff you bought in a pot.  This meal is actually one of my favorite quick-and-easy dishes because 1) It's quick and easy, 2) It's reasonably healthy, 3) It's vegetarian friendly, 4) It stores super well!, and 5) It's easy to adjust to whatever you currently have in your fridge.

Also, my husband has recently quite smoking (YAY!) and broccoli is not only a great source of protein, calcium, and fiber-- Broccoli is also partially good at cleansing you of toxins, specifically including those from cigarette.

Directions:

1) Cook the potatoes.  I prefer boiling them in a pot of water, but that takes longer than microwaving them so it's up to your time schedule.  You will know when the potatoes are done because you will be able to easily stick a fork into them. At that point, let the potatoes cool to the point you can slice them up comfortably.

2) Boil water for the pasta.  Add at pinch of salt (to increase the temperature at which the water boils) and a dash of oil, any kind of oil but I use olive oil, (to help the pasta not stick to itself while it's cooking).

3) Place cooked and sliced potatoes into a bowl and pour the milk over the potatoes. This will keep the potatoes from browning AND will give the potatoes a creamy taste that is oh-so-good!  Let soak at least 7 minutes.

4) To a sauce pan, add the bacon grease to liberally coat the bottom of the pan.Then add the grated cheese. The harder the cheese the more time you will need to give the cheese alone to get "sweated."  Basically, you are just softening up the cheese, which you will know you have done by the limping texture of the cheese, or on thicker pieces, but the droplets of oil that are escaping from the cheese.

5) Add the butter soaked potatoes slices and broccoli to the sauce pan and stir well.  Keep an eye on your sauce pan and stir as needed, which will be often.

Note: If you are using fresh broccoli you may want to pre-steam if for 5-10 minutes.  You can do this in a third pan with some water and and a lid, already brought to boil before the broccoli is added OR in a bowl in the microwave with a WET paper towel placed on top.  Just remember, broccoli is one of those foods that looses it's victims when cooked throughly.

6) Add the pasta to the boiling water.  Let cook 10 min. With the Costco brand, I find the ravioli falls apart if you cook it longer than this...

7) Drain the pasta. Add your broccoli and cheesy potatoes to the pasta.  Mix well. Serve hot!

Definitely feel free to season to taste!  I usually ad basil (because it's my husband favorite), pepper, and cayenne pepper (because tis' mild for a pepper but makes everything look so tasty!).  An easy way to increase the serving size is to add more potatoes and broccoli.

Cost:

Package pumpkin ravioli   $4 (for one of the two jointed packages from Costco)

1/2 bag frozen broccoli      $1.50

hard white cheese              $1

3 red potatoes                    $0.50

oil                                      $0.10

milk                                   $0.15                                              

Total                                 $7.25

Per Serving                      $1.81

Ginger, Caramelized Onion (and Chicken) Quesadilla with Pineapple Salsa!

The definition of inexpensive gourmet food!

Ingredients:
6      Tortillas      
1      White onion  (large)
6 tbs Chopped ginger
2 tbs Rice vinegar
1 tbs Aged balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Steak seasoning
3 cups Jarlsberg grated cheese
1/2 jar Pineapple salsa
1 tbs Olive oil
(3 chicken breasts)

Total time: 20 min
Serves: 6 

Mixture of sweated onions, ginger,
balsamic vinegar and CHEESE!

Directions:
1) Chop whole white ion ion and ginger finally together.

2) Sweat onions and ginger in rice vinegar and olive oil. (Or Butter for the less health conscious.)

3) Season to taste with recommend 1/2 steak seasoning, and sweat 5 more minutes.

4) Drizzle aged balsamic vinegar over the sweated onions and ginger, and let cool. ( This is to soak up the delicious balsamic vinegar!)

5) Added cooled onions and ginger to large mixing bowl with grated cheese, ( and chicken cooked with 1/2 tbs steak seasoning, if desired.)

6) Add final mixture to tortillas. ( In the pictures the are done in halves only to maintain versatility for each person. This also makes it easier to flip.)

7) Brown quesadilla in heat pan with olive oil and serve warm!  Top with salsa of choice-- Pineapple Salsa pictured below is recommend ;)

The reason I will NEVER recommend microwaving
anything is pictured to the right--->

THIS is a properly brown quesadilla! 

If pineapple salsa is not available in your area, pick a mild salsa and and extra chopped canned pineapple chunks to it-- it's pretty much the same thing :)

Cost:

Tortillas                           $2

White onion  (large)        $1

Chopped ginger              $1

Rice vinegar                   $0.30

Aged balsamic vinegar   $0.25

Steak seasoning              $0.10

Jarlsberg grated cheese   $2

Pineapple salsa               $1

Olive oil                         $0.10

(3 chicken breasts)         $2            

Total                              $9.75

Per serving: $1.62, WITH chicken :)

Alternative "Gateway Sushi"!!!

To convert even the most resistant meat eaters to the way of bait!!

Warning: This post is for the adventurous!! 

 So making sushi itself is a lot easier than any recipe I've seen has made it look. This is assuming you are not interested in single handedly perfecting the true art of sushi.

1)Make a pot or rice, (doesn't really matter what kind).
2) Cut up veggies of choice into long slivers. Carrots, cucumber, even lemon peels work great!
3) Mix the rice with some salt, sugar, and rice vinegar so that is is malleable.  If you add to much-- just smush it in your hand to drain off extra liquid.  It really is that simple!
4) Keep a small bowl of rice vinegar and sugar to the side to "rinse" your ands with in-between rolls.
5) Lay out a small strip of rice onto sushi sea weed sheets. Lay on top of the desired ingredients.  Salmon (Sake) or meatloaf-- I'm a believer in happy customers of all kinds!
6) Roll up the rolls nice and tight.  Notice I have not given any proportions-- it really REALLY doesn't matter as long as you like it.
7) "Seal" your roll with just a touch of the vinegar mixture you have to the side.  Think of it like an envelope.
8) With a very sharp knife, cut the roll in to sushi size pieces.  Make presentable to serve!

 Green tea or Sake (the booze) will bring the experience together no matter what you've made.

 For homemade pickled ginger-- plan ahead-- that does take a good 24 hours to make right, and 4 hours at the minimum. Basically chop the ginger as thinly as possible and then soak it in a bowled (and now cooling) mixture of rice vinegar, a lot of sugar, a pinch of salt, and water.  Chill overnight in the fridge if you can.

This is the happiest first time sushi eater I have ever seen-- Otherwise known as my father.  After years of trying futilely to convince him to eat sushi-- Brown rice, low salt, and meatloaf sushi is the success story!

Hence I really truly believe in doing whatever works for you :)
I also really truly believe in buying the Wasabi...

Rice about         $1
Sushi sheets      $1-7 (depending on where you live)
filling                $1-20 (depending on your tastes)
Rice vinegar     $1.50-7.00 (depending on where you live)
sugar and salt    $1 or less                                                      
                         $5 to $$$... it's all up to you....

Bacon (and Sausage) Carbonara!!

Because who doesn't love food topped with a bacon heart <3

Thick cut bacon is the best!

Total time: 45 min
Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 package of pasta

1/2 lb of a hard cheese (recommend Jalsberg, as it's very affordable)

5 eggs
1 package of bacon

6 sausages (breakfast sausage works great!)

seasonings to taste: pepper, basil, rosemary, and thyme all work great

Directions:

This dish requires you move fluidly, partially regarding the egg mixture!  For that reason the steps aren't numbered.  Please read though the full recipe before you jump into the kitchen-- It will be worth it I promise!

Cook desired quantity of bacon.  A good rule of thumb is 4 slices.  (That way you have enough for the bacon heart and one to snack on while cooking the rest of the meal.)

While cooking the bacon, boil a pot of water with a dash of salt to get ready to cook the pasta.  Slice the cheese up, the thinner the better.  Combine the cheese with the 5 eggs and seasoning desired. Set aside for the very end.  Timing is crucial at the last step!

Well mixed cheese and egg mixture.
This will be cooked by heat of the pasta and bacon grease at the very end!

Cook the sausage in the bacon grease.  You can substitute in olive oil here, but considering the meal, I usual go with the classic bacon grease. 

Cook the pasta desired.  Drain the cooked pasta well before adding directly to the cooked sausage in bacon grease.  This works best in a large bowl.

Work quickly to mix the pasta and bacon grease and then IMMEDIATELY add the cheese and egg mixture.  Stirr quickly to cook the eggs.  The egg will cook directly onto the pasta, giving it an added texture with the cooked egg on it.  You will know when the eggs are cooked.  For the faint of heart- you can also always mic the mixture at the end, but this should not be necessary.

 Prep time: 50 min.  (Bacon just takes time.)
 Serves: 6 people.

 Cost:

 pasta          $2.00

 cheese       $1.50

 eggs           $1.20

 sausages   $2.99

 seasoning $0.20

 bacon        $3.00         

 total          $10.90

 So per meal: About $1.80

 I love this meal, so have I obviously ordered it in restaurants-- Never for less than $12 a plate, and it is SOOOO much better fresh.  Home cooked is the way to go on this one!

Pinterst: Inspiring (cheap) ways to keep life exciting!

$5 Party Winner:

So it's pot luck time but pre-pay check time...  I saw an image on Pinterst for what I have started calling "Muffin-Tacos."  And that is exactly what they are: Filling finger food with endless possibilities.  They are easy to make, easy to transport, easy to serve, and cheap.  This is otherwise known as PERFECT.  From several sample points I can also say with high confidence they are very popular.

Directions:
As evident by the backing sheet, the recipe makes 12.  This fills a large plate nicely, considering presentation matters.  Oven is set to 350 degrees and the whole process takes about 20 minutes!

1) Soak beans of choice over night (about 3/4 cup).  Or purchase a can of beans--Depending on how health conscious you are
2) Start by cutting a large tortillas into four smaller circles  (The top of a large yoga container works well as a 'cookie-cutter.' See the blog on Inventive Cooking Techniques for more details.)
3) Tuck the cut tortillas into the muffin tin to create a pocket
4) Spoon large dollop of beans into the bottom of the pocket
5) Add a couple slices of avocado (At this point it should look similar to the picture on the right.)
6) Immediate spoon large dollop of salsa on the avocado (If for some reason you are delayed/life happens-- make sure to squeeze some lemon on the avocado so it doesn't brown.)
7) Add cheese layer--- And back until the cheese is melted!

Sever hot, and toast to re-heat.  That's all there is to it!

As it turns out:

$0.75 one avocado

$0.50 less than half a bag of Pinto beans, etc.

$0.50 slices of hard cheese (preferably white)

$1.50 half a jar of spicy salsa (red or green)

$1.00 three large tortillas (soft)                                                        

$4.25 TOTAL 

~And let the party begin~

Costco Cooking: The Sour Cream

Buying in bulk saves you money... But only if it doesn't spoil before you eat it...

So how to keep life interested, and buy at discount while only feeding two people at a time?  Point and case, the sour cream container from Costco is THREE pounds.  Additionally, keeping life interesting means not having tacos every night.  As we are currently in the Olympics--I thought a sampling of cuisine was in order. And once the container is open, the clock is ticking, so:

1) White Beef Stroganoff  (Russian)

2) Fajitas!  (Mexican-ish... apparently it's more Tex-Mex)

3) Pumpkin Bolani (Afghan)

Image complements of Google

4) Panini with dipping sauce (Italian, mostly)

5) Red Beef Stroganoff!

...And with that, the THREE pounds of sour cream were actually gone... Incase you prefer a different variety of cultures, below are the remainder of the list as was planned:

6) Meatballs in Sour Cream Sauce (Swedish)

7) Corn Chowder (US, and because I love corn chowder)