Long Time, No See

I haven't been writing here much at all have I? Things in my life have been swirling along at a ridiculous clip and I find that this is the first evening where my errands (the really important ones that involve mechanics and buying tires,) are done. Even though my house is an absolute mess, I'm on the couch with the laptop and I'm typing away. How refreshing. The kitchen here got a little makeover in the time I've been away. Some lights and some paint on the cabinets, also a pot rack. Nothing glamorous, and yet it was just what I needed to get me back in the game. The kitchen isn't the only thing undergoing a makeover, as my diet is not so slowly leaving meat behind

Along with reducing meat in our diet we've also been trying to cut down on the extras but that doesnt mean we're leaving meat totally behind... Just tonight we sat down to roasted grape tomatoes with sicilian green and kalamata olives, topped with a roasted peice of steelhead trout. Cooking here is happening fairly frequently, but its taking alot of effort to find something that feels worth writing about. Dont ask me why, I'm sure it has nothing to do with anything...just a phase or whatever it is that they call it.

We did get a teaser or warm weather the other day and it inspired me to start our seedlings (lemon cucumbers! heirloom tomatoes! you will be mine!!) and plan out a summer garden. Hopefully as the light extends into the evenings, and the temperatures rise, I'll feel a bit more inspired to share whats been going on around here. In the meantime, since were trying to eat a little...lower fat, without turning to processed 'fat free' foods, I've been reformatting some of the favorites Ive shared here before.

Remember the banana bread? Well its gotten of makeover as whole wheat banana muffins. We can't even taste the difference between the old and the new, since instead of all that butter we're using greek yogurt, the muffins stay incredibly moist. If you're feeling decadent, a handful of chocolate chips takes these from breakfast to dessert...and thats made them quite popular around here.

Whole Wheat Bana Muffins

1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup low-fat greek yogurt
1/4 cup rapeseed oil
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a muffin tin with paper cups or parchment.

In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Meanwhile, whisk in the oil, egg whites, vanilla and sugar.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, ground cinnamon and salt.

Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture. Stir until just combined, careful; not to over mix, because the wheat flour can get tough if you overdo it. Pour into the prepared pan and Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes,
Remove from oven and pan then place on a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 12 muffins
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Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

My brother, (he of the Doritos, and beans cooked in their can) recently got a job in Massachusetts that requires him to be on-site at 6am. He's been staying with us during the week to cut down his commute time, and when he can't sneak down the road to our grandmother's house he's been sharing meals with us. In the last week he has subsisted on peanut butter and jelly (on white), s'mores poptarts, lemonade, and a box of rice-a-roni that he brought with him because things like rice-a-roni just don't live in our kitchen. This week when I did my Saturday tour of the markets, along with the local vegetables, and the peanut butter ice cream (we all have vices) I picked up some things that I thought would be appealing to his, shall we say, discerning palate. Later while mulling over the contents of our freezer and pantry, I thought I should make another treat to keep him sated during his long day. Banana bread, specifically the kind made by our grandmother, is one of the only 'whole' foods I have seen him eat with a fervor usually reserved for Doritos ('pizza cravers', if you have them). In an effort to put something other than a sandwich in his lunch box I thought I'd make some banana bread of my own.

Whenever a banana goes past its prime on me, I pop it in the freezer. This Sunday four, brown, speckled fellows were waiting for me. Since I hadn't planned to make this bread when I was out buying more poptarts and doritos, I wanted to use what was on-hand. Brother doesn't like nuts, and he wasn't crazy about the ginger in my zucchini bread (no accounting for taste there) but I can't eat plain banana bread all week long without something in it to give it a kick. Chocolate, was my answer (and it so often is). I also keep a large bar of dark chocolate in the freezer...in case of emergencies... Cut up into chunks and shards it gives a delicious depth to banana bread that makes it interchangeable for breakfast or dessert.

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
(Makes one loaf)
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 ripe medium bananas, mashed well (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4.25 oz dark chocolate, chopped

Butter the loaf pan, and line with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
In a medium bowl mash bananas and combine with beaten eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract, make sure your butter is cooled, you dont want to start cooking the eggs.
Add the wet ingrdients to the dry and fold gently - you don't want to make the bread tough- until combined.
Transfer dough to parchment paper lined  loaf pan and bake 45- 55 minutes, a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. More...