No Butter Banana-Walnut Muffins

I was trolling the Internet to find a recipe for Banana muffins that are not loaded with butter/sugar. So after browsing through a few recipes from different sites, I came up with this one and the muffins turned out moist and yummy.

Prep Time: 40 mins (15 minutes prepping and 25 minutes baking)

Serves: 10 muffins

Ingredients:  Bananas - 3 overripe, Eggs - 1, Sugar - 1/3 cup, Applesauce - 1/4 cup, Vanilla extract - 1 tsp, All purpose flour - 1 cup, Baking soda - 1 tsp, Baking Powder - 2 Tbsps,  Walnuts - 1/4 cup, roughly chopped

Bake Away...
> Preheat the oven to 350 F
> In a bowl, mash the bananas and sugar until there are no big chunks. Add the egg and combine well
> Add applesauce and vanilla and fold into the banana mash
> In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and baking powder
> Add this to the banana mash and gently combine everything
>Fold in the walnuts
> Line the Muffin pan with paper liners and scoop in about 2 Tbsp of mix into each tin
> Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean

My Thoughts..
> You could add a little more sugar if you want, I found that this was just right but most may find that they want more sweetness

Enjoy the delicious and healthy muffins for Breakfast or as a dessert!

Whole Grain Spaghetti with Ginger-Peanut Sauce

Last night, I wanted something peanut-y for dinner. At the same time something not too heavy in the tummy. And something that's quick and easy to make. And healthy...somewhat..So I do a quick glance around the pantry and I see some Peanut Butter and whole grain spaghetti pasta. So I throw this quick pasta together in less than 10 minutes and it turned out quite yummy.

Prep Time: 10 minutes (includes pasta cook time)

Serves: 2

Ingredients: Spaghetti  - 1/2 package (so around 7 oz??), Peanut Butter - 1/3 cup, Soy sauce - 2-3 Tbsps, Honey - 1.5 Tbsp, Hot water - 1/2 cup, Ginger - 1/2 inch , Red chilli flakes - 1 tsp, Toasted Sesame seeds - 2 Tbsps

Cook Away..

> Cook the Spaghetti according to the instructions on the package (The whole grain variety takes about 7-8 minutes to al-dente, so it's more than enough time to make the sauce)

> In a mixing bowl, add the peanut butter, soy sauce and hot water and whisk thoroughly until all the ingredients combine into a smooth creamy paste

> Now add the honey, red chilli flakes and grate the ginger on top and whisk some more

> Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and fold gently until all the sauce sticks to the pasta

> Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve hot!

My Thoughts..

> I didn't have any green onions on hand, but adding sliced green onions or bean sprouts will add that crunch to this pasta

> You can skip the chilli flakes if you don't want any heat in the dish

Enjoy!

Cranberry Orange Pancakes

The inspiration to try out this recipe came from Denny's! Yes, the diner Denny's. The hubs, daughter and I went to Denny's for a Sunday brunch not too long ago and they had a new item on their menu..Cranberry Orange pancakes and it sounded yummy. So I went ahead and ordered it and loved it. So of course, it was time to try it out at home a week or two later. So here's what I came up with..

(Will post the picture as soon as I can upload )

Prep Time: 10 minutes (for about 7 pancakes)

Serves: 2.5 (the half for a toddler)

Ingredients: Pancake mix - 1 cup, Dried cranberries - 1/2 cup, Orange zest - 1 tsp, Orange Juice - 1 Tbsp, Butter - 1-2 tsp

Cook Away...

> Make the pancake batter from the mix according to the instructions on the package

> Add the zest of a fresh orange to the batter

> Add freshly squeezed orange juice

> Mix the batter so everything combines well

> Add the dried cranberries and fold in gently

> Heat a girdle or pan on stove top and add the butter

> Pour about 1/4 cup of batter for one pancake

> Enjoy it with some maple syrup (or even without the syrup...since there is so much flavor in the pancake you will not miss the syrup on this one!)

Yum-my!

Out of sight, not out of the Kitchen!

I've been a "slagger" (Slacking Blogger!) for the last few weeks. I apologize to my 5 or 6 loyal readers for that :) . I have my list of excuses, a couple of them being a sick toddler and lack of sleep (due to the sick toddler!). It's been a particularly brutal winter here in the Chicagoland so far and it's not even winter yet officially! Big Fat UGH...But I have been cooking and have been trying out some interesting recipes. I will post the recipes soon. What have I been cooking? Cranberry Orange Pancakes for breakfast (yum), Pumpkin pancakes, Spicy Tofu and Green Bell Pepper stir fry (double yum), Cranberry Dhal (Indian lentils cooked with Cranberries)..how's that for some fusion cooking?! Watch this space for details on all these yummy recipes.

Until then, stay warm!

Cranberry Relish

This is a quick and easy relish/salsa that you can pair with Chips or even with the Curried couscous from the previous recipe I posted. As easy as throwing a bunch of ingredients in the food processor and giving it a quick whirl!

Serves : 6

Prep Time: 5 minutes (or less!)

Ingredients: Cranberries 2 cups washed, Red onion 1 (medium), Scallions 1/4 cup chopped, Serrano pepper chopped 1/2 tsp, Cilantro 1 cup chopped, Sugar (to your liking)

Blend Away...

> Add all the ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times until everything is chopped but not a paste

> Transfer to serving bowl and serve with Chips or pair with any dish of your liking!

My Thoughts..

> Since cranberries are quite tart, I had to add about 1/2 a cup of sugar. You can adjust the sugar depending on how sweet or tart you want the relish

> Store it in the refrigerator right away if you are serving it later. It keeps nicely in the fridge for a few days

Enjoy!

Two Bean Chili With Curried Couscous

The inspiration for this recipe was a Vegetarian Chili recipe from Healthy Eats/Food Network by Robin Miller http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robin-miller/vegetarian-chili-recipe/index.html

and the suggested recipe on the Whole Wheat Couscous package that I purchased from Trader Joe's. It's amazing how most of the suggested recipes on anything I buy at Trader Joe's almost always works out great!

Anyways, since this was the main dish of my vegetarian thanksgiving menu, I decided that a combination of beans and couscous would make it hearty and filling, as there was going to be no Turkey for our thanksgiving :)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients: Soy beans 1 15 oz can, Dark Red Kidney Beans 1 15 oz can, Whole Wheat Couscous 1 cup, Olive oil 2 Tbsp, Red Onion 1 medium, Scallions chopped 1/2 cup, Coriander powder 2 Tsp, Red Chilli powder 1 Tsp, Serrano Pepper 1 chopped, Turmeric 1 pinch, Tomatoes Roma 2 medium, Cumin seeds 2 Tsp, Salt to taste, Parsley 1 Tbsp, Thyme - couple of sprigs

Cook Away...

> Put a saucepan on medium high heat on the stove and add the olive oil

> Add cumin seeds, thinly sliced red onions, scallions and serrano peppers and saute for a couple of minutes

> Add the tomatoes and saute for a few more minutes

> Now add the two beans (drained and rinsed)

> Add coriander powder, salt, turmeric and the red chilli powder and add about half a cup of water and let it all simmer for 5-7 minutes

>Now add about 11/2 - 2 cups of water and add the couscous in and stir frequently

> If needed, add a little more water and stir

> Add the parsley and thyme and turn off the heat once the couscous is completely cooked

> Serve hot!

My Thoughts..

> If you want this dish more Chili-like, reduce the couscous to about half a cup or so

> You can also cut back on the serrano pepper or the red chilli powder to reduce the spice level

Enjoy!

Butternut Squash soup

Another appetizer on my vegetarian Thanksgiving menu...Butternut squash soup. And I made it using this recipe from the Healthy Eats blog. It turned out delicious. I topped it with some scallions and toasted pine nuts as suggested by the recipe. Easy to make and yummy.

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2009/11/11/spotlight-recipe-butternut-squash-soup/#more-11270

**Picture from my Kitchen. Recipe Copyright Healthy Eats