Banana Chocolate Muffins

I've adapted this recipe from this one.  I was a little unsure how it would taste, bananas and chocolate? Either way I had some cocoa powder in the cupboard I wanted to use so I gave it a shot.   

I loved them! I think next time I'll be extra sinful and add some chocolate chips ( I think it will pretty well copy one of those chocolate Costco muffins, yum!)

Banana Chocolate Muffins

Ingredients

• 1 cup smashed ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup pumpkin, pureed (or sub more smashed banana)
• 1/3 cup  plain yogurt
• 5 T coconut oil or butter, melted
• 2 large organic eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed 
• 1/4 almond meal (or sub more flour)
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 
  

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. 

Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. 

Pour batter into greased muffin tin. 

Bake at 350° for 15-18 minutes until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Remove from oven and cool muffins on wire rack.

Very Homemade Pizza

I need to start off this post by saying I love my Mom, and I love that she always made dinner for us.  But oh man, I hated when she said she was making pizza for dinner.  Because it meant she got out the Boboli crust and sauce pouch (pizza in a bag I guess). 

I don't know how many of you have experienced that Boboli crust before... it has such a weird taste! I'm not sure what it is but thinking about it makes my nose hurt. 

Here are the listed ingredients for the Boboli crust: Unbleached enriched wheat flour, water, palm oil, yeast, salt, milk casein, sugar, mozzarella cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes), preservatives (calcium propionate, sorbic acid ), fumaric acid, modified food starch, sodium phosphate, whey, monoglycerides, lactic acid, natural flavor, garlic, artificial color. 

I don't know about you but fumaric acid, "natural flavor" and artificial color aren't things I want in my pizza.  I just looked up 'fumaric acid' apparently it's "used mainly in resins, paints, varnishes, and inks"(source) ...yum.  

Let's make pizza a better way! 

Making pizza dough is so easy, and takes so little time that I don't see why anyone wouldn't do it. 

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill) 

1 package (2 tsp) active dry yeast

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup hot water 

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp honey

1. I don't even bother proofing the yeast for this recipe. Just add the flour, yeast, and salt to your mixing bowl and give it a stir.  Then blend in the water, oil, and honey.  I use my kitchenaid mixer with the dough hook attached, but doing this by hand would be just as easy.  I let it mix until it has cleaned the sides of the bowl and then another minute or two just to develop the gluten a little more.  

2. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place.  

Now don't get scared off by the "let rise" part.  I only let it rise for the amount of time that I'm preparing the other ingredients. Not an hour and a half like regular bread making (I can't emphasize enough how easy this is!)

While the dough is rising let's talk about that Boboli sauce.  Here's the ingredients listed on their site: "Water, tomato paste, high fructose corn syrup, salt, garlic powder, modified food starch, onion powder, citric acid, spices." 


We can do better. 


And this is also the easiest thing in the world. 


My pizza sauce recipe: 

Ingredients: 

1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
pepper to taste

This costs me about $1 to make, and it's enough for 2 pizzas! I prepare it right in a tupperware container. I use half immediately, then put the lid on and store the other half in the freezer for next time.
  

I'm sure there are better sauce recipes out there.  This is the one I got over ten years ago from my high school home economics class. 

Now toppings! Pizza is fun because you can get really creative. Our favorites are olives, pineapple, tomatoes (that I successfully grew outside!) and jalapenos.  

Deflate your dough, and roll out on a floured surface.  Dust your baking sheet with flour or cornmeal.  Add dough, sauce, and toppings. Bake your pizza at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

And voila! You're done!

Black Bean Chili

I'm always on the lookout for good hearty vegetarian recipes.  I'm not sure how happy my husband is about this, but I do have quite a few meatless recipes that don't get any complaints.  I especially love this one because I can cram lots of different vegetables into it, it's very filling, and oh so satisfying. Warning: if you don't like chopping vegetables you will not like this recipe! I find all the slicing and dicing to be kind of soothing, it's also made me a better chopper :) 

Black Bean Chili (serves 6)

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil 

1 onion

2 red bell peppers

1 jalapeno pepper

10 mushrooms

6 roma tomatoes 

1 cup corn kernels

1 tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained and rinsed 

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth or whatever you have on hand) 

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat.  Saute the onion, bell peppers, jalapeno, mushrooms, tomatoes and corn for 10 minutes or until the onions are translucent. 

2. Season with black pepper, cumin and chili powder. Stir in black beans and broth, bring to a boil.

3. Reduce heat and let simmer 5-10 minutes. 

4. Remove from heat.  Blend to desired consistency using a stick blender. 

(This is my favorite part because of this awesome kitchen tool I got for Christmas last year.)

I heart you hand blender

If you don't have a stick blender, you can remove about 2 1/2 cups of the soup to a blender or food processor instead. 

5. I usually serve with a dollop of sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt in this case) and some avocado slices.

Enjoy! 

Garlic Knots Recipe

My husband and I used to go to this little pizza place after church sometimes when we lived in Denver.  The pizza was only ok.  Really we were just going so we could get an order of garlic knots.  Oh.  So. Good.

We've been missing those knots since we moved, they seemed way too hard to try to make at home.  But it turns out it's not too bad! Especially if you're already used to making things like pizza dough.

Ingredients: 

Makes about 24

(for the dough) 

4 cups flour, I use only half whole wheat on this one (since it's a treat) 

1 3/4 cup warm water

1 envelope yeast (2 tsp) 

2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons salt

(for the breadsticks)

1 stick salted butter, softened

1/4 cup fresh parmesan, grated

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

2-4 large garlic cloves (depending on how much you like garlic, I like it a lot!) minced

glorious butter

very garlic-y knots!

Putting it together:

To make the dough: Add yeast to mixing bowl, add warm water and honey, give it a stir and wait about 5 minutes for the yeast to get all bubbly.  Add olive oil and stir. 

Start adding the flour 1 cup at a time (I use my stand mixer with the dough hook but you can easily do  this by hand).  Stir on the lowest setting. Keep adding flour and mixing.  Make sure you keep testing the dough's firmness, it's quite possible you won't need all 4 cups of flour, it all depends on what type of flour you're using.  I let the mixer run for about 5 minutes or so to get the dough well kneaded.  Then cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place, like in the oven with the light on (or on a heating pad if you're making this in winter).  Let rise for about 30 or 40 minutes. 

While the dough is rising you can make your herb mixture.  Add the softened butter, herbs, garlic, and parmesan into a small bowl.

I just use a fork to cream everything together.

When your dough if finished rising, gently deflate and remove from bowl.   Roll the dough into a large rectangle.  Spread about 3/4 of the butter mixture on top.

Using a pizza cutter, slice the dough into sections, about 5 or 6 inches long and an inch and a half wide.

Tie the strips into knots or twists.  I made this with a friend the first time, I was determined to make knots, but she made twists, which not only looked prettier but also somehow tasted better! ...I can't seem to make them like she did though.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. When your knots are done (your house should be smelling heavenly by then!) melt the remaining herb mixture in a saucepan (or the microwave) and brush the tops of your glorious creation.

Enjoy!

DIY Vanilla Extract

Who knew?

Making your own vanilla extract is pretty much the easiest thing in the world. And it's SOOO much cheaper buying from the store (even from Trader Joe's!).  

All you need is: 

• Vanilla Beans (about 3-6 beans per 8 ounces of extract)
• Vodka
• Glass Jars

The first place I looked for vanilla beans was the supermarket.  The only thing I found was a Spice Islands jar for $8.99, with only ONE bean in it.  What the what?

I found a much better deal online.  And I found these perfect glass jars when I was ordering some herbs from this awesome site. 

The best smelling package I've ever received.

Using a sharp knife, slice the beans open. The insides look like wet coffee grounds, and the actual beans don't actually smell too great close up (color me disappointed).

Slide your beans into your bottle (I had to bend mine in half), fill with vodka, recap and you're good to go!
I've even seen people make the extract right inside the bottle of vodka, clever, but a little too bulky for me.

Let the bottles sit in a dark place for about 2-3 months, and give them an occasional shake to keep things going.

And that's it! Soon I'll have an abundance of vanilla, which I add to SO many things, including my favorite granola.

I considered making cutesy labels for these, but didn't (I know what they are:)).  But I think if I did they would make a great addition to a gift basket or something... I feel like I might get crafty this Christmas. 

My Favorite Granola Recipe

This is our new favorite breakfast cereal.  And considering that Zach's previous favorite cereal was Quaker Oatmeal Squares ($5.99 for a surprisingly small box) this is a much cheaper (and healthier) option.  I've adapted this recipe from the one listed on this site.

For any of you that have never made granola before, let me tell you, this is one of the easiest things in the world.  And this recipe makes so much that it's well worth the effort. 

Ingredients:

5 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw sliced almonds (so glad I have a Trader Joe's!)
1 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut.  I don't always include this, but it gives it a nice texture when I do.
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons salted butter

3 tablespoons coconut oil (you can adjust the butter and oil ratio, I don't really measure anymore, but this is what I think I'm using)
1/3 cup honey (or less depending on how sweet you want it)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
parchment paper (not wax paper, that was a nightmare)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. 

Cover a rectangular baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the dry oats, almonds, cashews, coconut, seeds and spices together in a large mixing bowl.
Heat the butter, coconut oil, and honey together in a small saucepan over low heat. Once the butter melts stir in the vanilla.

Mix the liquids in with the oats, stir using a spatula until everything gets even looking.
Spread mixture evenly onto prepared pan. Bake for 75 minutes.

I've heard of some people accidentally burning granola.  I've never had that happen and I set my oven to a little over 250 since it seems to run cool.  My last oven ran hot, chances are you know your oven, so adjust accordingly. 

Let the granola cool (it will crisp as it does).  Once it has cooled completely transfer to an airtight container.  I've heard that it will last for 2 weeks...but that doesn't happen in our house, it's eaten way before then.