Banana Nut Bread

I cannot say this is better than my moms famous banana bread, but it is a healthier version that stands up pretty well. You can really modify most recipes, and doing so to your favorite family favorites allows you enjoy them more often without the guilt.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 TBS ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 TBS organic milk
• 1 cup mashed ripe organic bananas
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

I used walnuts for this bread, but you can use any nut you prefer, or no nuts at all. And to be honest, I probably used more than 1/2 cup.

Preheat oven to 350. Stir flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.

In your mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light in color, scraping sides often. Add eggs, one at a time, then the milk, making sure the batter is smooth after each addition. Now add the flour and mashed bananas alternating 1/3 of each mixture until smooth and incorporated. Scrape down bowl one more time and mix again. Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into lightly greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 60-65 minutes. Make sure to check after 60 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the middle. If it comes out clean, remove from oven. If not, bake 5 more minutes and check again.

Let the loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes before cooling on rack.

Love,

Sam

Simple Garlic Hummus

Tonight I am cheating and using a pre-marinated curry chicken from Trader. I have never tried it before and am not sure how I feel about pre-marinated meats, but I will let you know.


So I have decided to make some simple homemade hummus to go along with it. Hummus is so quick and so simple to make at home if you have a blender. It is literally 4 ingredients, tastes better than anything you will buy, and is probably a lot cheaper too!

Ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2-4 cloves of garlic (depending how spicy you like it!)
• 2 TBS good olive oil, plus extra to drizzle on top

Blend all ingredients together, put into lovely little dish, drizzle with olive oil, and WA-LA! Your friends will be so impressed and you will love it.





Love,
Sam

Sundried Tomato Appetizer

This is an elegant and delicious and super easy appetizer to have out when your guests come over. It takes only a few minutes and whenever I make it, it never lasts long.

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz package of goat cheese
• 1 cup basil leaves
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• 1 jar olive oil marinated sun dried tomatoes

Preheat oven to 400. Combine basil, garlic, and the tomatoes (along with 1 TBS of that great olive oil they came in!) in a food processor until finely chopped. Place mixture over the goat cheese in a ceramic or glass baking dish and heat for 12-15 minutes. The goat cheese is great because will not lose its shape or melt, it just gets a little bubbly and the tomato mixture heats through.

Serve with a variety of crackers or bread.

Turkey Meatloaf

No offense to all the moms out there, but this is not your moms meatloaf. This delightful dinner is great anytime of year, but mostly this time of year with the weather starts to get cooler. And of course my recipe is modified to include more veggies, fiber, and less fat.

Ingredients:

• 1 large package lean ground turkey meat (about 1 lb)
• 1/4 lb ground pork (you can omit this but it does add flavor and keeps the loaf moist)
• 1 brown onion
• 1 (defrosted) box of spinach or one fresh bag of spinach
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup dry oats
• 2 TBS flax meal
• 1 egg
• 2 TBS olive oil
• 2 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1 jar Chili Sauce (see picture below for my preferred brand)
• salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Defrost the spinach if you are using frozen by running under warm water in a colander. Strain of all liquid (using a dish towel or just your hands) and set aside.

Brown the onion in the olive oil and vinegar until translucent over medium heat. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook 2 more minutes. Add the spinach and cook a few more minutes until combined.

Turn off heat and let cool, then add to a large bowl. Next, add the turkey, pork if you are using it, egg, oats, flax and about 1/3 of the jar of the chili sauce and combine with your clean hands.

Once the mixture is cohesive, form into 2 large loaves. I usually cook them side by side and often lay slided potatoes or sweet potatoes underneath. Form little gutters in the center of each loaf and slather with more of the sweet chili sauce. Bake Covered about 40 minutes, then take the foil off and bake another 10 minutes. Because "loaf" is not much a scientific measurement, be sure to cut into one of the loaves before deciding to stop cooking. If it still looks pink, give it 5-10 more minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest under foil for 10 minutes before serving.
I hope you love this! It is really an easy and delicious comfort meal. Slice up your leftovers to make meatloaf sandwiches the next day. Yum.

Amalfi Salad

This salad reminds me of the food we ate in Amalfi last summer. I saw Giada make this salad a couple of weeks ago and it screams summertime in Italy.

Ingredients:

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 small cantaloupe, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Bake the prosciutto on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven for about 12-14 minutes, until crispy. Grill the asparagus in a grill pan. While those two items are cooking, dice the melon and mozzarella. Make the vinaigrette by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper with a whisk.

Layer the salad with the grilled asparagus on the bottom, the cheese and melon in the middle, and sprinkle with the prosciutto by crumbling with your hands. Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and enjoy!

Love,

Sam

INMAN'S Pasta Salad

Most of my girlfriends are well aware of this colorful and easy side dish. Inman or her mom would make this for us growing up. It was usually in the fridge for a sleepover or any kind of party. I recently made it for Michael's big 31st birthday. This dish could not be easier and I made a couple of changes to the original recipe to make it healthier. I'm sure you can guess, I added fiber :) I swapped the tri-colored pasta for a whole wheat brand, and added the broccoli to replace some of that lost color.

Recipe:

• 1 pound of whole wheat fusilli pasta (original recipe calls for tri colored fusilli)
• 1 small container cherry tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 small container of feta cheese
• 2 heads of broccoli lightly blanched ( I just threw the broccoli in for the last 2 minutes with the pasta)
• 1 can black olives
• 1/2 to 1 full bottle Family Recipe Italian "Newmans Own" salad dressing

Combine all ingredients and toss with the salad dressing. Make this recipe the night before or a couple days before your party. It gets better the longer it marinades! Double or triple the recipe to easily feed a big crowd.Love,

Sam

Tomato Artichoke Chicken Deliousness

This was a last minute "what do I have in the kitchen" meal that actually turned out great! I also was able to use these bizarre huge beans from our garden that Michael has been asking me to cook with. They kind of look like lima beans, apparently they are called "pole beans." He got the seeds from one of his fellow gardening friends and we never established their official name or how to eat them. Anyway, I added them to this already healthy and fresh dish, and they were great. But, if you don't have a pole bean plant growing in your yard, or you cant find anything at the grocery store that looks the same, or the recipe is perfectly fine without them.

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Breasts
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 2 shallots
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/2 can of tomato puree or diced tomatoes or tomato sauce (either will do)
• 1 jar artichoke hearts, cut into quarters
• 8-10 fresh cherry tomatoes
• 1/2 jar marinaded sun dried tomatoes
• 10 pole beans (shells removed)
• 1/2 tablespoon chili flakes
• salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Brown on each side in 1 tablespoon olive oil, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the rest of the olive oil to the same pan along with the diced garlic and shallots. Saute until soft over medium heat. Turn heat to high and add the white wine, de-glaze the pan (meaning scrape the bits of of the chicken off the bottom) for about two minutes. Add the artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, chili flakes and tomato sauce and cook about 3 minutes. Add the chicken breasts back to the pan and cover. Let the dish cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat. The flavors will come together and the chicken will cook all the way through. I added the crazy pole beans last as they only took a few minute to cook. Serve with big green salad or with pasta.


Love,

Sam

Spicy Pesto

This is a pretty non-traditional pesto recipe, but it was so delicious. I saw it of course on Giada's show last week and since I have recently purchased a beautiful new food processor, it was really simple to make. There are so many variations of pestos, and once you see how truly quick and fresh it is, you will have fun experimenting with different ingredients. A traditional pesto usually is garlic, basil, pine nuts, and olive oil. This one uses walnuts instead of pine nuts and adds in the chili and arugula for the kick. If you don't like it spicy, then just leave the chili out. I think an added health benefit is the spinach. It really doesn't add flavor, but its an incredible way to get greens into this pasta dish.

• 1 cup raw walnuts


• 2 cloves of garlic


• 1 (2 inch long) pepper - I used one of Michael's black chilies from the garden but Giada originally used a jalapeno


• 1 cup Parmesan cheese (original recipe calls for 2 cups, but I thought it was delicious with just the 1 and that cut out a lot of calories)


• 2 tsp salt


• 1 tsp black pepper


• 3 cups baby spinach


• 2 cups arugula


• 1/4 cup olive oil

Look how gorgeous that green is! Toss 1 pound of warm pasta (I use whole wheat fusili) with the pesto. If it appears too thick, add a few spoonfuls of pasta water and mix to thin out the sauce. Garnish with a bit more of the Parmesan and serve. I think if you are going to eat pasta, this has to be one of the healthiest ways with the omegas of the olive oil, walnuts, and greens...plus plenty of fiber if you choose a great pasta! I hope you like it.

Love,

Sam

Soba Noondles with Shrimp, Vegetables, and dipping sauces

My husband has been out of town a lot recently so my diet has included a lot of spinach & rice, dinners with girlfriends, and my favorite turkey meatballs from Trader Joes. Obviously not much to food-blog about. But tonight, he was home early so after a long walk (insert romance music here) I cooked him a new dinner. I read this recipe earlier this week from a Martha Stewart cooking magazine. I was curious about the soba noodles. They are made with buckwheat and whole grain flour. Very healthy. This dinner is perfect for summer because its light, quick, yet has a lot of different flavors. And I loved both of the dipping sauces!

Start by buying your favorite veggies and protein. I used carrots, snap peas, broccoli, and bok choy, and shrimp. I steamed the veggies plain but a wok would have been perfect as well. I lightly grilled the shrimp with salt, pepper, and a bit of lime juice.

I was very surprised I could not find the soba noodles at Ralphs... so I had to buy them at Trader Joes. Look for them in the Asian section or pasta/rice section. Cook these according to package instructions, mine took 6 minutes in boiling water.

Peanut sauce:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 3 TBS soy sauce
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 TBS sugar
  
  

Chilli-Hoisin Sauce:

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 TBS chilli sauce
• 3 TBS white win vinegar
• 1 TBS hot water

Serve all items on a place and garnish with lime and cilantro. Keep both of the dipping sauces on the table.

Love,

Sam

Spring Pea Soup and New Salad

This week I made a very very spring inspired vegetarian dinner for my husband and myself. We had eaten terribly all weekend and he was about to leave for a 4 day business trip and asked for something healthy.

So I saw this wonderful fresh light soup on Barefoot Contessa this week and thought it would be perfect. The mint really made it refreshing and was a little surprise of flavor. And of course Michael loves when I use the herbs from the yard he so dearly loves. Ina's recipe:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 chopped leeks, white and light green parts
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (10-ounce) packages frozen peas
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, loosely packed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche - but I used 2% Greek yogurt instead

Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender. Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cook for 3 about minutes, until the peas are tender. Off the heat, add the mint, salt, and pepper. You can use a stick blender or regular blender to then puree the soup. I topped each bowl with a big scoop of the Greek yogurt. It adds the substance you need to make this a main course.

Our big green salad was fresh organic mixed greens, thinly slided fennel, toasted walnuts (10 minutes at 400) and blueberries. Instead of making a vinaigrette, I simply tossed it with this amazing orange infused olive oil (thanks mom!) and red white vinegar. I love flavored oils and vinegars. So much better than bottled salad dressing and so many ways to use them. If you have not used fennel before, it looks like this:

I sliced the bulb part, not the green part. Very thin, like you would slice an onion. It has this great fresh anise flavor. We both loved it and I was happy we started off the week right.

Love,

Sam

Beet Salad

Have you noticed beet salad popping up on every restaurant menu?! Remeber when it used to be the blue cheese and caramelized walnuts with cranberry combination? Well now beets are the new trendy salad star. I must say the best I have had was at Marche Moderne in Costa Mesa. It was served with this whipped goat cheese ice cream scoop creation. Sounds bizarre but it was light and delicious. I loved it. I have been ordering beet salad every time I see it on a menu, and finally decided I would try cooking them myself at home. It turned out to be pretty easy and was a Mothers Day brunch hit!

I found the recipe in one of my new cookbooks, Bouchon, by Thomas Keller. Another great wedding gift, thanks to Mr. Cameron Fine. I often read my cookbooks at night before bed. (WHAT?! That's not normal?) Anyway, don't be scared of roasting these delicious iron-rich treats.

Ingredients for the salad:

• Toasted walnuts (10 minutes on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven)


• 8 beets (I used both red and golden beets)


• goat cheese (I buy the log and then crumble myself)


• shallots


• Mache greens (sounds scary, but I am finding this salad green in most grocery stores now, even Trader Joes!)


• 1 tsp red wine vinegar

Cut off the greens of the beets and trim stems to about 1 inch. Toss them in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of water, salt and pepper. Roast in oven at 350, covered with foil, for about 50 minutes or until they can be easily pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and let cool. The recipe said to rub the warm beets with a paper towel to remove the skin but I found this advice confusing. It just didn't work for me. So I simply used a vegetable peeler, or you can use a small sharp knife.

Dice the beets and drizzle with a little olive oil and the red wine vinegar. Add the walnuts, shallots, and mache and toss in the vinaigrette below. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

Walnut Vinaigrette

• 1 tb Dijon mustard


• 1 tbs champagne vinegar


• 1/2 cup walnut oil


• 1tbs lemon juice


• 1 tsp honey (not in original recipe but I added it)


• salt and pepper

I don't have a picture of the final product because it was Mothers Day and I just plain forgot because we were all too excited to dig in. I think your family will love it too!

Love,

Sam

Where the Magic Happens

It may be small and crowded, but I am really making myself at home here. I love the open shelves and displaying all of my new fun wedding gifts. There is plenty of counter space and miraculously I have been able to fit everything. We also have a hutch in the living room holding my larger serving platters.

Some of my favorites things in this tiny culinary space:

• The light green kitchen aide. It is my grandmothers. She passed away while I was in college. My mom offered to buy me a new mixer as a wedding gift, but I think its so special to think about her every time I use it. A second copper bowl also came with it, but I am not sure of when to use the copper and when to use the metal. I need to do some research. And I love the color.
• Pasta maker (upper left shelf). I discovered this in the back of Michael's cabinets when I was cleaning them out to make room for me and all the new stuff. He thinks it is his friends, we haven't verified the owner, and so it sits on my shelf. I have only made pasta from scratch once, but I would love to give it a few more tries before it inevitably has to be returned.
• The (TWO!) french/dutch ovens. Obvi.
• The granite. It never looks dirty even when it is. Who wouldn't love that?
• The wide variety of vinegars and oils mostly purchased by my husband over the years. Why he has so many when he rarely cooks, I am not sure. I bet many of these were left from past roommates as well. I recently purchased a walnut oil and it is delicious. I used it in a vinaigrette for my beet salad on mothers day. (Post coming soon)

• The open spice rack. When I used to keep my spices in a cabinet, I would always forget about the items in the back. Now they are staring at me everyday and offer unexpected inspiration. (i.e. my addition of nutmeg to the creamed corn I made this week for my dads birthday).

Well, its cute and is mine and I am officially a nesting wife :)

I must also add a few pictures for my sweet husband, the household farmer. We are so lucky to have this little yard so close to the beach. He has planted a variety of herbs including oregano, parsley, mint, cilantro, and thyme. He also recently added raspberries, beans, beets, chard, and the latest addition was this little black chili plant that he bought at the Corona Del Mar farmers market this weekend.

Love,

Sam

Salmon

I generally prefer a sweeter marinade or glaze on my salmon, but I recently tried a new recipe with my sister and mom and it turned our pretty good. 3 simple ingredients in the marinade: fresh grated ginger, soy sauce, and chili sauce. I have tried the recipe with both a sweet or hot chili sauce, they both were great, but I prefer the spicier version. If you have never used fresh ginger before, do not be scared. Its in most grocery stores and it looks like a root. Peel the outside skin with a veggie peeler or knife, and grate like you would a carrot. Ginger is inexpensive and really adds a powerful flavor.

Marinade the fish for 30 minutes prior to baking. Reserve some of the sauce for serving. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 12-15 minutes depending on thickness of the fish. My mom taught be the best way to check if the fish is done it to gently twist a fork into the center of the fish, if the fish breaks apart, it is done. if its still mushy and pink, it needs to cook longer.

We served our salmon this night with stir-fried snap peas and asparagus. Healthy and easy!

Love,

Sam

Pancakes and Lattes

Ok so I am catching up on my blogging after some much needed time away to get married! But now I am officially a wife and have been cooking a lot since we got home from the honeymoon. I moved into Michael's house only a couple of days before the wedding and was feeling very much like a visitor until I rearranged the kitchen. I have been cooking almost every day and have even entertained a couple of times. I have been taking pictures and promise to catch up on recipes.

This post was actually from a few weeks before the wedding, but I have heard it is bad luck to use wedding gifts before you are married, so I delayed on publishing it. My secret is out, but the wedding was a success so I think its ok that we may have broken this rule.

People have been so generous with us and I am absolutely loving each and every one of our gifts, especially for the kitchen. Below I was able to use our new griddle and the NESPRESSO!

After some Saturday morning gym time, I love to start off the weekend with a simple but healthy breakfast. Blueberry pancakes (made with Fiber One pancake mix with added flax meal of course!) and side of sliced bananas. I think this brand of mix is great because its much lower in calories than most mixes you find in the grocery store and you only have to add water. The lovely added benefit of fiber also makes sure this comforting breakfast keeps you feeling full into the afternoon. And the added flax meal is not even noticeable. While I made the pancakes, my barista husband whipped up some perfect lattes.

Love,

Sam

Spinach and Rice with Spicy Peanut Sauce

My sister created this delicious easy dinner when she was living in New York and was getting serious about health and weight loss. She had been working with a trainer and had enrolled in an online nutrition tracker to monitor her calorie and vitamin intake. She said on the days when she made this for dinner, she would get all green check marks for her fiber and vitamins. Its fast, easy, low in calories, high in fiber, and full of flavor. It is a staple go-to dinner for me. I have even made it once for Michael and he has asked for a couple of times since then.


Cook a rice of your choice according to the package. I love this new brown rice I found at Mothers Market. Its more nutritionally complete than white or brown rice and contains a higher protein content.

While the rice cooks, combine about

• 1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce about
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon of hot water (to thin the peanut butter)
• a dash (or 2 or 3) of red chili flakes. I may use a bit more than most people, but i love spicy food. If you don't, just leave it out all together.

Wilt spinach with a little water in the bottom of a large pan. Add use more spinach than you think, it wilts down to nothing. I can easily use an entire bag of spinach for myself when I make it.

When the spinach is wilted, combine with the rice, pour the peanut sauce over everything and combine! Yum!


You can also use this quick sauce on chicken or meat.

Love,


Sam

French Oven

My French Oven has arrived!!! This was an item on my registry that made me smile ear to ear even as I put my scanner over her bar code in Williams Sonoma months ago. It is so beautiful! In case you are unaware, this is only the most amazing pot EVER. It holds heat and distributes it evenly to whatever you are cooking. It is great for risotto, soup, braises.. and it boils water quickly. You can fry, poach, boil, roast, bake -- it can really do everything, and do it well. It can be used on the stove top, or in the oven.

I picked Michael up from the airport last night (he obviously survived his bachelor party this weekend), and when I dropped him off at home we saw a few wedding presents had arrived over the weekend. We opened them up and when I saw my Le Cruset, I started jumping up and down and yelling "Its here! Its here!" He was really confused and wanted to know why I was acting like a lunatic. Is this not how everyone responds to this gift? You mean its only me??

Ah, she looks so beautiful sitting there on the stove. My love, we have many happy years in front of us. I have been away on business this week but have asked Michael multiple times how she is doing in his house without me there. He for sure thinks I am crazy. But he will not care once he sees the magic we will make together.

I promised Michael my first meal in the French Oven would be a pot roast. I have actually never made a pot roast before, and as you know I do not eat red meat, however I will be a good fiance this weekend, consult my girl Ina, and give it a go. Stay tuned...

Love,

Sam

Kale Chips

Yes, that's right. Chips... made from kale. Now before you go telling me I am ridiculous, just try it. I told my friend Jill that this idea was absurd, and I did not understand how a short 15 minutes in the oven would turn these antioxidant packed green leaves into delightful chips. But it did and they were.

We actually used Swiss Chard this time around, as kale was no where to be found in this Fresno grocery store. Jill says its better with kale, but the rest of us thought the chard worked great!

Rinse your kale and dry thoroughly. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil... or I think a spray version olive oil would be even better. I just bought a can at Trader Joe's, so useful. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic salt, or whatever you prefer.

Pop it in an oven at 350 for 15 minutes and I promise this will be a great alternative snack when you want something crunchy!

Love,

Sam

Healthy Guacamole

Summer is around the corner, and this weekend I learned a great new recipe for a healthy guacamole dip from my friend Christy. We made it twice during our girls weekend and felt pretty guiltless eating it and laying around the pool. Although avocados are a healthy form of fat, they are still high in fat and calories, and lets be serious - its pretty easy to mow through a bowl of guacamole without even noticing.

Replace some of the avocado with a white bean (we used butter beans but I think the original recipe called for cannelloni beans) and you have added protein and a fraction of the calories. It was delicious!

Rinse the beans under water. Using a pastry cutter (or food processor) combine 1-2 avocados with 2 cans of the beans.

Add your own choice of spices to make the guacamole how you prefer. We added the juice of 2 limes, garlic salt, cumin, chilli powder, and salsa. Serve with whole grain tortilla chips or vegetables. So easy and healthy!

We may have also enjoyed with "skinny girl" margaritas. Ingredients below and find the recipe here: http://www.bethenny.com/skinny_margarita.htm

Love,

Sam