Banana Bread

 

Ingredients

• ▢1 Stick (1/2 Cup) Butter
• ▢3 Large Ripe Bananas
• ▢2 Large Eggs
• ▢1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• ▢2 Cups All Purpose Flour
• ▢1 Cup Granulated Sugar
• ▢1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• ▢1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside.
• Add the stick of butter to a large bowl and microwave for 1 minute, or until melted.
• Add the bananas to the same bowl and mash with a fork.
• Add the vanilla extract and egg to the bowl and use the same fork to mash and stir until no yellow streaks of egg remain.
• In a second large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together with a spatula just until combined.
• Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean.

Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts work well) (You'll need about 4 cups)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup seedless grapes, halved (red and green varieties are great)
• 1 cup almonds, thinly sliced
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Kosher salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon, then add more, to taste)
• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 350°F
• Rub the olive oil all over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool.  Remove the skin then pull the meat from the bones and roughly chop.
• In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, scallions, dll, & parsley.
• In a small-medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper. 
• Add the mayo/mustard mixture to the chicken mixture and gently stir until well mixed.
• Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  
• Serve on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes and avocado.  Or, serve on bread with green leaf lettuce.  Add more toppings to your taste!

Panang Curry

INGREDIENTS

• Optional: 1 batch crispy baked tofu
• Optional: 1 ¼ cups brown jasmine rice or long-grain brown rice, rinsed
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
• 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• Pinch of salt, more to taste
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin (¼” wide) strips
• 1 yellow, orange or green bell pepper, sliced into thin (¼” wide) strips
• 3 carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into ¼” thick rounds (about 1 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons panang curry paste* (use 1 for mild or 2 for spicy)
• 1 or 1.5 can (14 ounces) regular coconut milk 
• ½ cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce**
• 2 tablespoons coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice, to taste
• Ginger, to taste. (1-2 tsp)
• Optional garnishes: fresh Thai basil or regular basil, sriracha or chili garlic sauce for extra spice

INSTRUCTIONS

1. If you’d like to serve rice with your curry (optional): Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add the rinsed rice and continue boiling for 30 minutes, reducing heat as necessary to prevent overflow. Remove from heat, drain the rice and return the rice to pot. Cover and let the rice rest for 10 minutes or longer, until you’re ready to serve. Just before serving, season the rice to taste with salt and fluff it with a fork.
2. To make the curry, warm a large skillet with deep sides over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the oil. Add the onion and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and is turning translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the bell peppers and carrots. Cook until the bell peppers are easily pierced through by a fork, 3 to 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook, while stirring, for 1 minute.
4. Add the coconut milk and water, and stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the peppers and carrots have softened to your liking, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If you’re adding crispy tofu, stir it in now.
5. Remove the pot from the heat. Stir in the peanut butter, tamari, sugar and lime juice. Add salt, to taste (I usually add a pinch or two). If the curry needs a little more punch, add ½ teaspoon more tamari, or for more acidity, add ½ teaspoon more lime juice.
6. Divide rice and curry into bowls and garnish with fresh basil, if using. If you love spicy curries, serve with sriracha or chili garlic sauce on the side.

100 Foodies

If you know anything about me, you'd know that my absence is due to the studio and my senior year. I have one more semester but this is my last semester in the major so I'm dedicating all my time to the studio (not like I don't usually do anyway).

So... quick thoughts; a list of 100 things you should eat before you die.

1. Abalone

2. Absinthe

3. Alligator

4. Baba Ghanoush

5. Bagel & Lox

6. Baklava

7. BBQ Ribs

8. Bellini

9. Birds Nest Soup

10. Biscuits & Gravy

11. Black Pudding

12. Black Truffle

13. Borscht

14. Calamari

15. Carp

16. Caviar

17. Cheese Fondue

18. Chicken & Waffles

19. Chicken Tikka Masala

20. Chile Relleno

21. Chitlins

22. Churros

23. Clam Chowder

24. Cognac

25. Crab Cakes

26. Crickets

27. Currywurst

28. Dandelion Wine

29. Dulce De Leche

30. Durian

31. Eel

32. Eggs Benedict

33. Fish Tacos

34. Foie Gras

35. Fresh Spring Rolls

36. Fried Catfish

37. Fried Green Tomatoes

38. Fried Plantain

39. Frito Pie

40. Frogs' Legs

41. Fugu

42. Funnel Cake

43. Gazpacho

44. Goat

45. Goat's Milk

46. Goulash

47. Gumbo

48. Haggis

49. Head Cheese

50. Heirloom Tomatoes

51. Honeycomb

52. Hostess Fruit Pie

53. Huevos Rancheros

54. Jerk Chicken

55. Kangaroo

56. Key Lime Pie

57. Kobe Beef

58. Lassi

59. Lobster

60. Mimosa

61. Moon Pie

62. Morel Mushrooms

63. Nettle Tea

64. Octopus

65. Oxtail Soup

66. Paella

67. Paneer

68. Pastrami on Rye

69. Pavlova

70. Phaal

71. Philly Cheese Steak (right in Philly of course)

72. Pho

73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese

74. Pistachio Ice Cream

75. Po' Boy

76. Pocky

77. Polenta

78. Prickly Pear

79. Rabbit Stew

80. Raw Oysters

81. Root Beer Float

82. S'mores

83. Sauerkraut

84. Sea Urchin

85. Shark

86. Snail

87. Snake

88. Soft Shell Crab

89. Som Tam

90. Spaetzle

91. Spam

92. Squirrel

93. Steak Tartare

94. Sweet Potato Fries

95. Sweetbreads

96. Tom Yum

97. Umeboshi

98. Venison

99. Wasabi Peas

100. Zucchini Flowers

Green ravioli stuffed with vegetables and tomato sauce

This recipe was actually from my cooking class in Italy a year ago (March). It's a VERY basic recipe but still delish, and the green pasta dough you can get is absolutely BEAUTIFUl especially in contrast with the red sauce. It's light and delish!

Thank you Tomasso! :)

Ravioli Verdi Di Verdure Con Salsa Di Pomodoro

(Green ravioli stuffed with vegetables and tomato sauce)

Serves 8

Green Pasta:

400 gr flour

4 eggs

300 gr cooked spinach

To cook spinach:

1. Cook and cover with a minimal amount of water under medium heat for about two minutes.
2. Drain, rinse with fresh cold water to stop the heat. Squeeze out water to avoid extra moisture and having pasta fall apart later. Purée.

To make pasta:

1. Make a well with the flour, break the eggs into the center. Add the puréed spinach to the eggs and blend with fork.
2. Then beat egg mixture while slowly incorporating flour. Knead dough to obtain a consistent green color and homogeneous texture.
3. Wrap/cover dough and let it rest.
4. After rest, cover with semolina or flour. Little by litte, roll out through the pasta machine.

Filling:

2 leeks fresh basil leaves

2 zucchini 100 gr grated parmesan cheese

1 carrot extra virgin olive oil

1 celery stalk salt & pepper to taste

1. Finely chop vegetables and lightly sauté until a little crispy and transparent with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Add finely chopped basil leaves and a spoonful of grated parmesan cheese.
3. Place small amount of filling on top of pasta sheets.
4. Cover with another past sheet, seal edges around filling with water and press out the air. Cut edges.

Dressing:

1 eggplant 2 minced garlic cloves

500 gr fresh tomatoes salt to taste

extra virgin olive oil grated parmesan cheese

fresh basil leaves

1. Blanch fresh tomatoes, peeling and deseeding. (Or use chopped chunks of tomatoes with canned tomato sauce.)
2. Purée the tomato pulp with a vegetable mill and add already-sautéed garlic cloves.
3. Add salt to taste and cook for only 15-20 minutes. Add fresh basil leaves before serving.

Boil the ravioli in salted water; drain and serve with sauce.