Banana Walnut Pancakes

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It's the weekend and time for breakfast!

Let's make pancakes!  I have a craving for a nice homey breakfast and that would include sweet, fluffy pancakes.  But let's not make any old regular pancakes, let's make them special.

With over ripened bananas always hanging around they are a great ingredient that will make any pancake moist and delicious.  I also have some walnuts leftover from a Mediterranean snack board we had last night.  Those go perfectly with bananas and will lend the pancakes a little crunch.

These are easy to throw together.  You have your basic pancake recipe with a few add-ins to make that perfect breakfast dish!  Who doesn't love bananas and walnuts?  With a few pantry items you will have a scrumptious breakfast on the table in no time and one that the whole family will devour.

Light fluffy steaming hot pancakes laced with bananas and walnuts are doused in warm maple syrup.  What breakfast could be better than that.  Oh my these are good!  Make some this weekend and treat yourself and your family to a special breakfast...or dinner!

Enjoy!

Banana Walnut Pancakes

makes 4 pancakes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp each baking powder

1/2 tsp salt
¾ cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2)
¼ cup milk
¼ cup sugar
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
½ tsp. vanilla extract
Sliced bananas
1/3 walnuts, toasted and chopped

Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, milk, sugar, butter, egg, and vanilla. Add wet mixture to dry mixture; stir just until combined.  Fold in walnuts.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low; coat with nonstick spray or butter. Drop batter by 1/4 cup portions onto skillet and cook until bubbles appear and bottoms are brown, 2-3 minutes. Flip pancakes and cook until brown, 1 minute more. Serve pancakes with warm syrup and sliced bananas.  

Pesto Cucumber Wraps

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A flavorful vegetarian wrap that's simple to make and fun to eat!

Here's the 3rd item in the series of vegetarian dishes I've brought to you this week.

Please check out my previous 2 items, Orzo Black Bean Salad, and the Feta Chopped Salad.  Both are amazing and go together so well.  

The dishes are all vegetarian and they are all from a new book I got called, "Forest Feast Gatherings: Simple Vegetarian Menus for Hosting Friends & Family", by Erin Gleeson.  What a fabulous book!

She has colorful illustrations throughout the book accompanied by simple vegetarian recipes that anyone can make.  I truly love the layout of this book.  Her recipes are simple and easy to follow and the food is fabulous.  

You don't have to be a vegetarian to eat these dishes.  They are wonderful, filling, and will be enjoyed by all!

Today's dish ties the other two together.  It's a wonderful wrap!

PESTO CUCUMBER WRAPS

Crisp, cooling cucumber spears are wrapped in a pesto, cream cheese dressed spinach wrap.  Oh man is this good!  It's a veggie sandwich that's light, yet filling and it goes perfectly with the two salads.  

What fun is it to eat a wrap!  Kids love them, and you will too. They are the perfect lunch, dinner, or treat.  This can be made slightly ahead of time and wrapped up, kept in the refrigerator until served.  

These are super easy to pull together.  No special equipment is necessary.  Just make, grab and go!  Don't forget the two salads up above that go perfectly and make an entire meal.

I hope you enjoyed these vegetarian dishes, and decide to make them yourself.  

Enjoy!

Pesto Cucumber Wraps

6 spinach tortillas
8 oz cream cheese, (room temp)
2 cucumbers, cut into ling spears. no need to peel
3/4 c pesto

Spread cream cheese & pesto on each tortilla, then add 3 long cucumber spears and roll up like a burrito. Wrap a piece of parchment around the middle and tie with twine. Can be made several hours in advance.

This post contains affiliate links to items you can purchase, in which I get a small amount of compensation for at no cost to you. I bring you items that I actually use that are of great quality that I can pass along suggestions to you.

Farmstyle Pumpkin French Toast

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The most amazing winter morning breakfast! Perfectly sweet and spicy using leftover canned pumpkin that will melt in your mouth!

Welcome to Part II of my leftover canned pumpkin recipes.  Last week we made my delectable Small Batch Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins and today we are going to use up the remaining pumpkin in my recipe for:

FARMSTYLE PUMPKIN FRENCH TOAST

A lot of times I struggle between choosing French toast and pancakes.  My mom made both all the time growing up and I think I lean toward pancakes, but every now and then I get a hankering for luscious, decadent French toast.

So I pulled out my mom's old recipe for French toast that she got from her Aunt Grace and tweaked it a bit to create a pumpkin version.  Wonderfully pumpkin pie spiced bread that's dripping with warm cinnamon syrup will make your breakfast irresistible.  You'll have this pile of deliciousness on the table in the time it takes you to say "I'm hungry"!

My great aunt lived on a farm in Oklahoma and she came up with some great homestyle recipes.  I treasure those dearly.  To keep in that tradition use a good country bread that's on the thick side.  It's preferable if the bread is slightly stale as it will soak up all that deliscious custard better.  

Enjoy a great winter breakfast this season using leftover canned pumpkin.  It's a great staple to have in your house, and one the whole family (especially the kids) will enjoy!






Farmstyle Pumpkin French Toast

Yield: 2- 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Ingredients:


2 large eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 loaf Country bread, thick sliced 

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided 

Syrup:

1/2 cup maple syrup 

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla. Dip bread slices into the egg mixture, allowing to soak for at least 20 seconds and coating both sides.

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bread slices to the skillet, working in batches, and cook until evenly golden brown, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Use additional butter and repeat with remaining bread.

Meanwhile in a small pan add maple syrup and cinnamon and simmer over low until heated through but not bubbling.  Stir to combine.  

Serve immediately with maple syrup, garnished with powdered sugar, if desired.

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

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I'm still on my quest to cook from my gazillion cookbooks in my collection.  The other day I brought you a wonderful side dish of Cajun Roasted Potatoes which were a major hit!

Today, to go with those potatoes, I've served up a main dish of Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken.  I found this recipe in the cookbook by Mary Younkin, The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook.  This sounded like the perfect dinner to serve on a weeknight.  Something quick and light, but slightly different than your usual chicken dish.

This recipe has the option of frying or baking the chicken.  I chose to bake them for a healthier meal.  The recipe also uses chicken tenders for ease of preparation and I chose to use chicken breasts that I cut into strips as I prefer them over tenders.

The dish has the perfect pop of flavors.  Tender juicy baked chicken strips drizzled with honey and lime make the perfect weeknight dinner.  Make sure and don't skip the honey or the lime as they make this dish a winner!

What do I need to make this?  Good baking sheets are a must.  I love these.  You want ones that are sturdy and hold up well to high oven temperatures.  A good cooling rack that fits the baking sheet is a plus.  I use these.  They fit perfectly on a half sheet pan and they elevate the chicken so that air can flow above and below to ensure a crispy crust all around.  No soggy bottoms!  Some items like these breading trays, and tongs  are nice to haves but very handy 

All in all we just loved both the Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken and the Cajun Roasted Potatoes together.  This was the perfect combo we needed for a quick yet tasty weeknight dinner.  Plus, any leftovers taste just as good the next day for lunch!

Enjoy!

Crunchy Honey Lime Chicken

slightly adapted from The Weeknight Dinner Cookbook
serves 4

1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
2 tbsp. milk
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs, toasted if desired
cooking spray
2 large limes, cut into wedges
1/4 cup honey

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees.  Set a wire cooling rack over a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, chili powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a medium-size bowl.  Add the egg and milk and whisk until smooth.  Place the panko in a medium-size bowl.  Cut the chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch strips.  Add the chicken strips to the flour mixture turning to coat both sides.  Shake off excess.  Place the coated chicken strips in the panko and press into the mixture, turning to coat both sides.  Place the strips on the wire rack on top of the baking sheet.  Repeat until all chicken is coated.

Spray the tops of the chicken with cooking spray.  Place in the oven and cook 10-15 minutes until chicken is golden brown and cooked through.  Remove from the oven and place chicken on a platter.  Drizzle with honey and squeeze lime juice over the chicken.  Serve with the remaining lime wedges.

Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza

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The last day of summer is here and we're celebrating in style with grilled pizza!

We love pizza and have it often.  I've used so many different bases for pizzas such as Zucchini and Sausage Flatbread Pizza, The BEST Pizza Dough, and this French Bread Pizza..but today we are going to use Naan bread, AND we are going to fire up the grill while we still can!

Naan is an Indian style flatbread and is the perfect base for a quick pizza.  It's sturdy enough to hold up against hearty toppings yet soft enough for a nice bite.

It's all about the GRILLED VEGGIES!  Yes, today's pizza is bursting with flavors from the addition of grilled vegetables for the toppings.  Just forage in your frig for your favorite veggies that will hold up on the grill and get going.  We used red onion, zucchini, tomatoes, and summer squash.

Grilling brings on the FLAVOR!  When grilling vegetables make sure to douse them in oil and season them with a little Italian herbs for extra flavor.  Get some good grill marks on your veggies too, cause that's where the flavor is!

Show your pizza a little love!  Top your naan bread with your favorite pizza sauce, then sprinkle on a seasoning mix to give it some more flavor.  Pile on the grilled and chopped veggies then add a little Parmesan cheese.  Pop it back on the grill to heat it all up then add a sprinkle of fresh basil and a douse of good olive oil!

Try this recipe out this weekend while the weather still allow for grilling.  You will be surprised by how easy this is to make, but you won't be surprised at how GOOD it tastes!

Enjoy!





Grilled Veggie Naan Pizza

serves 1

1 medium sized Naan flatbread (I used Stonefire's)
1 zucchini, sliced into planks
1 summer squash, sliced into planks
1 tomato sliced
1 red onion, sliced and left in whole slices
olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
pizza sauce
pizza seasoning
shaved Parmesan cheese
basil, chopped

Preheat your grill over medium heat.  Drizzle olive oil on the sliced vegetables, both sides, and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.  Place on grill and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.  Turning when necessary.

Remove vegetables to a cutting board and chop into bite sized pieces.  Set aside.

To assemble pizza take your Naan flatbread and add some pizza sauce to the bottom.  Sprinkle with some pizza seasoning.  Add your grilled, chopped vegetables and place back on the grill.  Cook, covered, for about 7-8 minutes until warmed through.  Remove and sprinkle with Parmesan, douse with a little olive oil, and sprinkle chopped basil on top.  Cut and serve.

It's Time for Labor Day: Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream

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Summer lasts well in to October in Southern California.  But I do have to say that there has been a slight change in the weather lately that hints that fall is coming.  The evenings are getting shorter and are definitely a lot cooler than usual.

So we are celebrate the last few precious evenings of summer and are planning our Labor Day weekend with the theme "The Bounty of Summer"!.  This will include a backyard BBQ, some spectacular pasta salads, easy in-season vegetable side dishes and for dessert a no churn ice cream.

This is the first time I've ventured into the "no churn" ice cream realm.  Being a lover of old fashioned goodness I was hesitant to try this.  Boy was I pleasantly surprised and wish I had joined the fun ages ago!  I decided to go with a basic vanilla recipe that could be used for a base in an ice cream bar that I'll be setting up.  We'll have a variety of different fruits, chocolate, nuts, and candy to top your sundae to your hearts desire.

Is it really no churn?  Yes, you actually can make ice cream without churning it!  As amazing as it sounds it's true, and it tastes just as amazing!  It only takes 3 ingredients to make this wonderful ice cream:  whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and vanilla.  I actually used a vanilla bean pastes which infused the ice cream with flavorful flecks of vanilla bean seeds.  I just love the looks of vanilla flecks running through my ice cream!  You can purchase this here.  Of course, you can always use pure vanilla extract.  Since you are only using 3 ingredients make sure to use ones that are top quality so your ice cream comes out top notch!

Does it taste like ice cream?  It actually does!  I was skeptical since I've made homemade churned iced cream all my life and I'm partial to it.  But after trying this I found that this is a great quick and easy substitute.  Lots of ice cream uses eggs that you cook into a custard base, but there are those that are just cream, half and half, and sugar.  The ingredients are similar in the no churn version and the fact that you whip the cream you are creating that air infused base which simulates churned ice cream.

What tools do I need? To make this ice cream you will need a stand or hand mixer such as this one, or this one.  You will need a rubber spatula such as this one.  Good vanilla bean paste.  Plus a freezer safe container to hold your ice cream.  I'm partial to this one because it's easy to scoop from!

This Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream is the perfect, quick, dessert to whip up for your Labor Day festivities.  As it takes time to set up in the freezer it's perfect for making the day before.  Dress it up or keep it simple, any way you top it you're gonna love this ice cream!

Enjoy!






More Labor Day recipes:
Butter Burgers
Quick and Easy Strawberry Lemonade
The BEST Broccoli Pasta Salad
Indian Summer Fresh Corn Salad
Cast Iron Summer Berry Cobbler










Vanilla No Churn Ice Cream

Yield: 1 1/2 pints

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste

Using a stand or hand mixer, whip whipping cream until stiff peaks form, about 3 minutes.  Pour in condensed milk and vanilla bean paste and gently fold into the whipped cream until combined.  Pour into a freezer safe container and place in the freezer to set 3-4 hours or overnight.

This post contains affiliate links for items you may purchase and I am paid a small compensation fee at no cost to you.

Lemon Dill Rice

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Everyone needs a good side dish in their repertoire!  Living with a Persian means we end up eating a lot of rice.  It's a staple in MGG diet even though we've tried to curb that carb craving many times, we still crave it.

MGG typically wants rice as a side dish when we grill chicken, whether it be kabobs, breasts, drumsticks...whatever, rice is always foremost in his mind.  So last week we decided to grill some Latin Grilled Chicken (soooo yum!) and with that we needed a quick and easy side dish.  So I knew he was leaning toward rice along with some veggies, and I don't mind his cravings because truth be told, I love it too.

Let's talk about rice!  There are so many varieties of rice out there which one to choose?  Basmati, a white long grained rice that is aromatic is the choice of Persians and many other cultures.  But there are others that are wonderful as well such as Jasmine, brown, mixed with wild rice, red rice...and the list goes on and on.  So one consideration I had was that I didn't want to spend 20 minutes on a weeknight cooking rice, so I chose a converted rice that cooks in minutes.  No shame here.  You can use what you want but this turned out beautifully and it is a real time savor during the week.

Rice is boring!  True, rice tends to be bland, but there are ways you can jazz it up. I wanted a rice that mirrored the flavors in my Latin Grilled Chicken so I added aromatics.  Swapping out chicken broth for the water gives rice a nice flavor boost.  Some simple touches to finish the rice also add some pep to it.  I added lemon zest, lemon juice, and fresh chopped dill to give it tons of flavor. 

So there you have it, Lemon Dill Rice!  It's the perfect side dish for chicken, fish, pork, and beef, and works well with most Latin, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern dishes.  Make sure to try this simple side dish this week.  It's one the whole family will love.

Enjoy!








Lemon Dill Rice

serves 3-4


1 cup minute rice
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 lemon, lemon juice
2 Tbls. fresh dill, chopped

Place chicken broth and water in a saucepan.  Turn on heat to high and boil water.  Add rice to boiling water, turn off heat and cover.  Wait 5 minutes.  Add lemon zest, and juice of 1/2 of a lemon, plus the chopped dill.  Stir to combine and serve hot.

Homestyle Banana Blueberry Muffins

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I would say that my Mom passed on her love of baking muffins to me.  She used an old recipe from a book that is completely falling apart from usage.  This recipe is the base for a homestyle muffin that's made with love.  It's an adaptable basic recipe that I still use today.

We are going to change up that basic recipe and make some exciting muffins this morning.  I always have an overripe banana in our house, just waiting for me to make a smoothie, banana bread, or as in today, a muffin. 

Since it's summertime we always have an abundance of fruit around as well.  Sometimes MGG goes way overboard with the fruit buying (that's another story!) which leaves us with bits and pieces of leftover various fruit.  Today I found a scant 1 cup of blueberries hidden in the frig that were just calling my name.

Blueberries and Bananas?  Yes ma'am!  The flavor of tart blueberries and sweet bananas pair so well together.  You are gonna love this flavor combination.  The banana lends a sweetness and makes a really moist muffin and there's nothing better than biting into a hot juicy blueberry.  What's better than a piping hot muffin spilling with berries fresh from the oven, made with love?  Nothing!


Enjoy!









Homestyle Banana Blueberry Muffins

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1 large egg
1/2 c 2% milk
1/4 c canola oil
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl mash the banana.  Add the egg, milk, and oil.  Mix together using a whisk to completely incorporate.

Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt to the egg mixture.  Stir just until combined.  Do not over mix.  Fold in the blueberries.

Using a cookie scoop, add batter to the prepared muffin tins. Bake 18-20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool 5-10 minutes in the tin.  Serve warm or at room temperature.