Banana Bread/Muffin Make-Ahead Mix

 I don't love to bake, and I mostly don't love having baked goods on hand, as they tend to be a lot of carbs and sugar, which don't really work for my dietary needs.  Banana Bread has always been the exception.  My great-aunt Alice made the best banana nut bread.  She used buttermilk, and it was always moist and delicious.  With all of my family's food allergies, buttermilk and walnuts don't always make it into my mix.  Trader Joe's sells a great box mix that I can use to make it with extra-creamy oatmilk, but I have to remember to buy it, and I don't always have it on hand when the bananas go ripe.  So then I put the bananas into the freezer and try to remember to use them. I have decided to try making ahead my own dry mix, and maybe that will make it easier to keep the muffins my family (and I) love on hand.  I kind of use the banana bread mix as a base for other muffin mix-ins.  A cup of blueberries is a favorite, but other fruit works too, and a crumb topping is often a nice addition (kind of makes up for no nuts).  So here is the recipe I found and am going to try.

Making the Dry Mix in Advance

Dry Ingredients: Whisk together 6 cups of all-purpose flour, 1.5 cups of sugar (white or brown sugar works), 1 tablespoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon.
Storage: Store this bulk dry mix in an airtight container or a large glass jar in a cool, dark pantry for up to 2 to 3 months. [1]

Using the Mix Later

When you are ready to make a batch of roughly 12 muffins, measure out the wet and dry components:

Dry Portion: Measure out about 2.5 cups of your pre-made dry mix.
Wet Ingredients: Mash 2 ripe, overripe bananas with a fork, then whisk them together with 1 large egg, 1/3 cup of melted butter or oil, 1/3 cup of milk or water, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. [1, 2, 3]
Combine: Pour the wet banana mixture into your dry mix. Fold gently with a spatula until just moistened; do not overmix or the muffins will become dense. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Bake: Divide into a lined muffin tin and bake at 350°F to 375°F for 18 to 22 minutes

Potsticker Noodle Bowl

Original Recipe by Kristin Porter posted on Iowa Girl Eats  https://iowagirleats.com

Iowa Girl Eats is a recipe blogspot that often fills out my weekly menu plans.  If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend it.  If I find a recipe my family loves and asks for again, for convenience, I add it to my recipe blogspot, but I want to always give credit where credit is due.

Prep:  30 minutes  Cook: 10 minutes  Total:  40 minutes

Servings:  5

Potsticker Noodle Bowls taste just like potstickers without the tedious filling and sealing. This simple skillet recipe is ready in just 30 minutes!

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground meat (turkey or pork)

• Pinch of pepper (white or black) 

• ½ cup + an additional 1 T. of soy sauce or soy free Tamari sauce

• ¼ cup chicken broth

• 1 Tablesppon rice vinegar

• 1 tsp. Ground ginger

• 2 tsp. Sesame oil

• Pinch of red pepper flakes

• 8 oz rice stir fry noodles

• 14 oz. bag coleslaw mix

• 1 bunch green onions chopped

• 4 tsp. Minced garlic

Directions

• In a bowl, combine the ground meat with pepper and 1 tablespoon of the Tamari; mix manually and set aside.

• Whisk together the remaining Tamari, broth, vinegar, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes in a separate small container.

• Cook the rice noodles as indicated on the packaging, boiling for several minutes until they reach an al dente texture before rinsing with cold water.

• While boiling noodles, brown the meat in a large skillet over high heat. Incorporate the coleslaw and scallions, stir-frying until softened, then add garlic for an additional minute.

• Toss the noodles and sauce into the pan; continue stir-frying until the noodles are tender, adding a splash of broth or covering with a lid if extra moisture is needed.

• Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes before serving, as the flavors are more pronounced when the temperature is slightly cooled.

Mango Jicama Slaw

 I loved the Mango Jicama Slaw from Trader Joes with taco meat mixed in.  Sadly, it was discontinued this season and when I found out today while shopping, I quickly looked up a recipe and found this one on Caroline's Cooking page.  I shopped the ingredients while at Trader Joes for a few shortcuts, like bagged shredded cabbage and jicama sticks.  For a family salad bowl sized helping, I made 1.5 of this recipe.  My mango cutting is made easier by using the Pampered Chef tool that looks like an apple slicer, but is made for the core of mangoes and avocados  My jicama shredding was made easier by putting the precut jicama sticks from Trader Joes into my mixmaster with the shredding tool attached.  The entire process only took about 20 minutes to make this slaw.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cabbage shredded, approx
• 1 cup jicama peeled and julienned, approx (I shredded mine)
• 1 cup mango small, thinly sliced (approx 1 mango)
• 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro roughly chopped

Place all of these ingredients into a big bowl and mix together.

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoon lime juice 
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola
• 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon grated garlic (optional)
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• Directions

• Finely shred the cabbage (I bought a bag of pre-shredded cabbage)  and julienne the peeled jicama (I bought peeled jicama sticks and shredded them) and mango(I just thinly sliced the mango, then cut the slices into small strips).  Roughly chop the cilantro.  Place all ingredients in a bowl
• Add the lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, garlic, salt, and pepper to a small jar. Cover with a lid and shake to blend well. Alternatively, you can put all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk them together.
• Pour the dressing over the slaw ingredients and toss to combine well

Grilled Lemon Grass Chicken Thighs

 

• This recipe was from Bon Appetit magazine. It was super yummy.

Suggestions: Mix 1/2 cup Fish Sauce w/ 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 
  

• Total Time

  • 40 minutes

  • Yield

  • 6 servings

  Ingredients

  4

  lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, cut into 1" pieces

  4

  garlic cloves

  ⅔

  cup distilled white vinegar

  ⅓

  cup fish sauce (such as Red Boat)

  1–2

  serrano chiles

  2

  lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs

  1

  Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt

  Vegetable oil (for grill)

  Zest and juice of 2 large limes

  1

  Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. (or more) sugar

  1

  mini seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks

  ½

  bunch cilantro, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped

  Cooked rice noodles, steamed rice, or grilled bread (for serving; optional)

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  Preparation

  • Step 1

  • Blend 4 lemongrass stalks, bottom third only, tough outer layers removed, cut into 1" pieces, 4 garlic cloves, ⅔ cup distilled white vinegar, ⅓ cup fish sauce, and 1–2 serrano chiles, depending on their spiciness and your heat preference, in a blender until a fine purée forms, about 1 minute. Strain lemongrass purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Transfer ¼ cup to a small bowl and set aside (this will be used as the base for making the dressing later).

  • Step 2

  • Add 2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs and 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt to lemongrass purée in large bowl and massage until salt is dissolved. Cover and let chicken sit at least 20 minutes and up to 12 hours (chill if marinating longer than 30 minutes; no need to bring to room temperature before grilling).

  • Step 3

  • Prepare a grill for high indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off); oil grate with vegetable oil. Remove chicken thighs from marinade and grill over direct heat, moving to indirect heat as needed if browning too quickly, and turn halfway through, until grill marks appear and chicken is browned on both sides and cooked through, 8–12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet and let sit 10 minutes.

  • Step 4

  • Arrange chicken thighs on a platter. Whisk zest and juice of 2 large limes and 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar into reserved lemongrass purée. Taste dressing and add more sugar if needed. Pour over chicken and scatter 1 mini seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks, and ½ bunch cilantro, tough stems removed, coarsely chopped, on top. Serve with cooked rice noodles, steamed rice, or grilled bread if desired.

  
  

Kielbasa Crockpot Soup

 

Crock Pot Kielbasa Soup Recipe

Arlene Mobley - Flour On My Face

Ingredients   Serves 12

• ▢2 lb smoked kielbasa sausage (cut into rounds)
• ▢2 lb potatoes (peeled, rinsed and diced)
• ▢2 large carrot (peeled, rinsed and sliced)
• ▢2 small onion (diced) or 6 Tablespoons dried 
• ▢6 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢30 oz can cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
• ▢29 oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 large bay leaves
• ▢2 teaspoon salt
• ▢2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢6 cups chicken broth

• Instructions 

  • Slice the kielbasa sausage and put it into the crock pot.
  • Peel and cube the potatoes and slice the carrot before adding them to the crock pot.
  • Chop the onion and mince the garlic then add to the crock pot.
  • Add the remaining soup ingredients into a 6 or 7-quart crock pot.
  • Place the lid on and cook for 4 hours on high or 6 to 8 hours on low.

Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

 

 Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

By Ana Frias

A delicious recipe for High Protein Shrimp Lettuce Wraps. So easy to make and ready in about 20 minutes. Say goodbye to take-out!

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time: 10minutes mins

Cook: 10minutes mins

Total Time: 20minutes mins

 

Serves: 6 serving

 

Author: Ana Frias

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Ingredients 

• ▢3 head butter lettuce or romaine lettuce hearts
• ▢1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• ▢6 Tablespoon hoisin sauce (This has soy, so I'll do 9T of soy free soy sauce)
• ▢3 Tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• ▢6 teaspoon  rice vinegar
• ▢1 1/2 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• ▢9 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• ▢3 Tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢6 Tablespoon canola  - divided
• ▢1/2 cupcashews- coarsely chopped (I will eliminate due to a nut allergy in the family)
• ▢36 oz raw shrimp - deveined & cut into small cubes
• ▢6 large garlic clove - minced
• ▢2 large red bell pepper - seeded and diced
• ▢9 green onions, the white and green parts - sliced
• ▢6 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
• ▢3 carrot - shredded or cut into thin strips.

Instructions

• Divide the lettuce into leaves and set aside.
• Make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken broth, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, chili garlic sauce, and cornstarch. Set aside.
• In a medium skillet, heat ½ tablespoon canola or avocado oil over medium-high heat until almost smoking.
• Add the shrimp and stir-fry until browned. About 2 minutes. Transfer the shrimp to a plate and discard any juices from the pan.
• In the same skillet, heat the other ½ tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.
• Add the garlic, bell pepper, green onions, and carrots. Stir fry until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
• Return the shrimp to the pan and add the cashews and cilantro. Add the soy-sauce mixture and stir-fry until the shrimp is throughly cooked. About 3 minutes.
• Spoon the shrimp mixture evenly onto lettuce leaves.