Favorite Recipes

The snow continued yesterday here in the Utah Valley until late last night. My son had to head out about 8 pm last night to snow blow with hopes it wouldn’t have to be done early in the morning. I think we ended up with 12-15 inches total.

So the snow had me thinking about what to post today and I immediately thought of this tasty Instant Pot Clam Chowder that is now one of my favorite Instant Pot recipes. We have made it several times. The first time we had it, my son actually made it. He was wanting to make clam chowder and I said “Oooooh, list figure out a way to make it in the Instant Pot”.

This version is very similar to our standard clam chowder I make but with the addition of bacon. My son was all on board when I told him this. This is tasty and simple. I make it in my 6 qt Instant pot, but if you have an 8 qt you can actually fit double this recipe in it. I borrowed one from a friend and it worked great!

Moist, tender and fluffy gluten free banana muffins in the classic style, made with plenty of mashed ripe bananas and buttermilk for the perfect texture.

Banana muffins and banana bread

Banana bread is not banana muffins. Either that sounds completely crazy to you, or you’re rolling your eyes �because it’s so obvious. Either way, allow me to explain why I have separate recipes for each, and consider each essential.

My recipe for gluten free banana bread calls for sour cream in the batter. It’s a lovely recipe, perfect in its simplicity. I’ve been making it, in one version or another, with nearly-overripe bananas for over a decade. I highly recommend your giving it a try. But a few things have changed in this perfect gluten free banana muffin recipe.

This recipe for gluten free banana muffins calls for buttermilk, which is considerably thinner than sour cream, of course. Both buttermilk and sour cream will tenderize the heck out your baked goods, but buttermilk has more liquid.

If you tried to make my already-tender banana bread recipe with buttermilk, it would sort of cave in on itself during baking, and be rather difficult to slice. But muffins, being the miniature quickbreads they are, can handle that extra moisture.

Sometimes when I bake banana muffins, I even place a thin slice of banana baked right on the top of the batter in each well. It adds some extra moisture, so plan to bake the muffins for another couple of minutes. But these little workhorses can handle it!

How to make banana muffins

When I shared my recipe for easy mix-in gluten free muffins, we talked about how that’s the perfect “plain” muffin recipe. It can easily handle mix-ins that don’t add extra moisture, like raisins and chocolate chips—or even a crumble topping (the best!).

But recipes like this for banana muffins or a blueberry muffin recipe are different, and need their own special recipe. Adding bananas or blueberries just changes the moisture balance a ton.

This recipe is easily made in one bowl, which is part of the reason that it specifies butter that’s been melted and cooled, rather than at room temperature. That allows the wet ingredients to be added one at a time into the dry ingredients, rather than being mixed separately first.

All this simple recipe takes is to place the dry and granulated ingredients (flours, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and granulated sugar) in a large bowl. Whisk to combine them. Take a spoon and create a well in the center so that the wet ingredients don’t just sit on top when they’re added.

Then, add the wet ingredients (butter, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla and mashed bananas) one on top of the other in the center of the well you created. Mix the batter until it’s just combined. It will be thick, but soft.

You can bake these muffins in a tin that is simply greased, or one that is lined with muffin liners. The top photo in this post is of the muffins when made without a liner. They bake into a slightly higher dome shape when you use a liner.

Temperature is everything

As with all baking, the temperature of your ingredients makes all the difference when making banana muffins. All of your ingredients in this recipe should be at room temperature, or they won’t combine properly.

I’ve only specified the temperature of the wet ingredients like butter, eggs, and buttermilk since those are the ingredients that are stored in the refrigerator to prevent spoiling. The butter in this recipe is melted and then cooled to prevent cooking the eggs.

If you’ve forgotten to leave your eggs out on the counter to warm to room temperature, there’s an easy fix. Just place them in a bowl of warm (not hot) water and allow them to sit for about 15 minutes.

If your buttermilk is cold, try microwaving it in 15-second intervals in the microwave, stirring in between to prevent overheating. If you do overheat the buttermilk, just allow it to cool on the counter for a few minutes until it’s no longer hot to the touch.

A few general banana notes

As long as you have a freezer, never worry about buying too many bananas. Like avocados, bananas ripen and demand to be eaten or they’ll go bad.

But unlike avocados, they can be peeled, sliced and frozen, then stored until you need them. I freeze bananas in a single layer on a lined baking sheet, then pile them into a zip-top bag and return them to the freezer.

Frozen banana chunks are perfect for defrosting to make gluten free banana muffins like these and banana bread. Defrost them on the counter, or in the microwave at 50% power. They’ll seem to have a lot more liquid than fresh, mashed bananas, but don’t drain them! Just bake with them as is.

Frozen banana chunks make lovely n’ice cream. Don’t have any proper, ripe bananas? You can ripen them in a hurry, like this.

Ingredients and substitutions

I’ve made these muffins dairy-free and corn-free, but never egg-free. Here are my notes and best guesses to help you bake along if you have these other dietary restrictions.

Dairy-free: To make this recipe dairy-free, you have to replace both the butter and the buttermilk. For the butter, my favorite substitute in this recipe is virgin coconut oil, melted and cooled. I like the triple-filtered kind (I buy mine at Trader Joe’s) because it doesn’t have any coconut flavor. I love coconut, but that’s not the flavor we’re going for in this recipe.

For the buttermilk, my favorite way to substitute it is by mixing 1/2 cup (about 130 grams) dairy-free plain yogurt with 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) nondairy milk. In fact, when I don’t have buttermilk on hand, that’s the dairy sustitute I use and it works great.

Corn-free: The cornstarch in this recipe is added, rather than just adding more all purpose gluten free flour, because it adds tenderness and lightness to the recipe. It helps keep the muffins tender and not heavy, even though there are 4 mashed bananas in the batter.

You can easily replace the cornstarch with an equal amount of arrowroot. I’ve also made it with potato starch in place of cornstarch, in a pinch, and had no issues. If you’re using a higher starch flour blend like Cup4Cup, replace the cornstarch with more Cup4Cup.

Egg-free: Making this recipe egg-free is a tough one, as there are 3 whole eggs in the recipe. Once a recipe has more than 2 eggs in it, my confidence in the likely success of using an egg replacer decreases!

You can try using one “chia egg” (1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 1 tablespoon lukewarm water, mixed and allowed to gel) in place of each egg. I’m honestly just not that optimistic that it will work that well.

A quick and easy chocolate dessert recipe, dark chocolate is melted then sprinkled with chopped walnuts, dried cherries and sea salt. Your family will love this dark chocolate bark recipe!

If you love the combination of dark chocolate and sea salt as much as I do, look no further than this quick and easy chocolate bark recipe!  It literally takes minutes to make and the end result is an absolute show stopper.

To start, you’ll want to melt your favorite dark chocolate over a double boiler. Don’t be intimidated by the technique. It simply means you’re going to simmer a couple inches of water in a pot then place a metal or glass bowl on top to gently melt the chocolate without burning it.

Once the chocolate is smooth and creamy you simply pour it on top of a large sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

Next, chop up a bunch of walnuts and dried cherries to sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate. Not a fan or dried cherries? Try dried apricots instead. Prefer almonds or cashews? Go right ahead.

Want to add a pinch of cinnamon or cayenne? Be my guest.  As always, this is just a method, not a specific science or formula.

The best part? This tasty little treat is loaded in antioxidants, vitamins, protein and fiber.  You’ll notice there is no corn syrup, butter or refined sugar in sight.

Your friends are waiting.

One of my favorite things, or some of my favorite things, I should say, are Concord grapes. I grew up eating them as a snack, as well as in jams, jellies, and even desserts. And if anyone else is old enough, raise your hand if you remember the Welch’s Concord grape juice stand at the original Disneyland in Anaheim. Who cared about those chirpy wooden kids singing about how small the world was? That grape juice was my E ticket.

Concord grapes were prolific when I was a youngster in New England, and every time I go back in the Fall, I try to find a basket of them, to remind me of how good they are.

Recently I was at the excellent greenmarket in New York City and saw tables loaded up with Concord grapes, and bought a few baskets. As usual, I ended up with way too much fruit (I can never help myself, whether I’m at home or on the road), and needed to do something with my overload. It was tough figuring out what to make with them in a compact New York City kitchen, until I remembered shrubs.

When I shared my basket (of grapes!) online, a few readers noted that it was hard to find Concord grapes nowadays. I suspect that’s because they have seeds, and few want to fuss with plucking, or spitting, them out. It’s a tedious project for sure, but the great thing about making a shrub, like making Grape Sorbet, is that you don’t need to remove the seeds.

I trick I learned a few years ago to remove the stems is to put the bunches of grapes in a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook, and turning it on low speed. The hook will remove the stems for you, although this recipe only uses a pound of grapes, so if you don’t have a stand mixer – or if you don’t want another dish to wash – you can use your hands. The seeds get strained out later, using your trusty food mill or with a mesh strainer.

I have seen seedless varieties of Concord grapes, including ones crossed with Thompson seedless grapes, but it’s hard to replicate the flavor of full-flavored Concord grapes, which has been described as “foxy.”

Concords are a native American grape and while the French did use American grape rootstock after the phylloxera infestation in the mid-19th century, to rebuild their devastated vineyards, Concord grapes aren’t available in France. You could make this shrub with another flavorful purple grape, such as Muscat or a wine grape if you live near a wine-growing region.

Speaking of being inventive, like the French got their vineyards back on track, shrubs are vinegar-based and were originally devised as a way to preserve fruit. I’ve made them with cranberries, a fruit that appears fleetingly in France, for a price, usually around Thanksgiving (for les Américains), which was great to have as a base for a non-alcoholic drink, as well as a cocktail, for those who imbibe. It’s a good way to use, and preserve, something precious, like cranberries or Concords.

If you’re fortunate enough to get Concord grapes, you’ll just new a few bunches of them for this lively, and flavorful shrub. I’ve given instructions and recipes for the shrub, and a cocktail that you can toast your liquid purple bounty with. À votre santé!

What is the healthiest coffee creamer? A reader sent me this question and I had no idea how to answer it.

I drink my coffee either black or with a little bit of milk so the world of coffee creamer is a new one. I had walked past a cooler with many different types in my supermarket but I had never stopped to take a look.

What did I find? There are some crazy products out there! Check this out:

Strawberry cheesecake in your coffee! Who thought of that? I am thinking that someone was noticing how well strawberry cheesecake goes with coffee and thought - hey! Let’s do this!

But, is it a good idea? I did not buy it because I was looking for healthy coffee creamer and the sugar content in this product seemed high to me. One tablespoon is three teaspoons and this product included one teaspoon of sugar in every tablespoon (1/3 sugar per serving). To me, that seems like a lot to put in a cup of coffee but I hate sugar in my coffee.

My guess is that strawberry cheesecake is better on the side than in the coffee.

There was also this:

Notice how it says “Himalayan”? Wow! I suppose that makes this super sugary creamer better but I would still avoid this. Or you could climb in the Himalayas and burn so many calories that this might be a good choice.

Since I ruled out these fun options - I was left with coconut milk creamer and almond and coconut milk creamer. Neither of these products had added sugar which was important for the “healthy” rating.

Both of these products will have less sugar than cow’s milk or cream and are only 10 calories for a tablespoon.

First, I gave this coconut milk creamer a try.

This So Delicious Coconut Creamer did taste like coconut (not like milk) so it is important that you like the flavor of coconut in your coffee (which I did not). This had a wee bit (less than 1 gram per tablespoon) of added sugar but I could taste the sweetness.

Overall, I did not like it. Just like I am not sure you should put Himalayan sea salt in your coffee - I don’t think coconut is a good choice either. Perhaps I like the flavor of coffee more than other people.

But as far as health goes this is a good choice. Here is the nutritional information.:

For one tablespoon = 10 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, <1 g carbohydrates, <1 g sugar, 0 g protein, 0 g fiber, 0 mg sodium, 0 Freestyle Pts

The second choice is my favorite. This one has a very cute bottle:

This is Califia Farms Almondmilk Creamer and it is made with almond milk and coconut cream. It did not taste like coconut! It did have a nutty flavor that complemented my coffee well.

I would say that if you are trying to avoid animal fats (cows milk) and are looking for a creamy replacement - this is a very good choice. It was not cheap ($4.69) but it will keep in the fridge much longer than milk.

Here are the nutrition facts:

For one tablespoon = 10 calories, 0.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 g carbohydrates, 0 g sugar, 0 g protein,0 g fiber, 15 mg sodium, 0 Freestyle Pts

Please share your healthiest coffee creamer! I couldn’t find many but I bet you all know of ones that I should try.

Vegan Cornbread

This post is sponsored by Mirum.

I’m excited to share this recipe with you for vegan cornbread made with Pure Blends Coconut Oil Plant-Based Butter! I bought the buttery spread at Publix and was able to find all of the ingredients for this recipe there!

The cornbread is light and fluffy and a little sweet, just how I like cornbread! You can serve it with jam and/or with some more of the Pure Blends Buttery Spread!

You can also make corn muffins if you choose!

I made both!

I’m loving these spreads, they bake really well and they are spreadable right out of the refrigerator.

First prep, your pans. If you’re making muffins, spray the muffin cups with a generous amount of nonstick baking spray.

Or line a 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper. I create a sling by lining it with two sheets. I also sprayed the parchment paper.

Measure out the dry ingredients.

And whisk together.

Measure out the buttery spread.

And melt in the microwave.

Grate an orange with a microplane zester.

Whisk the almond milk, Pure Blends Coconut Oil Plant-Based Butter, egg replacer mixture and orange peel.

Then, add the dry ingredients and blend with a rubber spatula.

Now it’s ready for the pan!

I use a cookie scoop to transfer to the muffin pan.

Look how pretty they look!

Or pour into the prepared baking dish.

I let it cool on the baking rack.

Cut into neat squares.

And serve with the plant-based buttery spread and your favorite jam! I love that you can make this ahead of time too!

Be sure to check out your local Publix for these wonderful Pure Blends Coconut Oil Plant-Based Butter spreads!

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Mirum. I always share with you my own opinions.

Posted on November 26, 2018

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Source: https://www.thelittlekitchen.net/vegan-cornbread/

Today I have a secret recipe from Panda Express.  This tasty Chinese dish is a delicate combination of chicken, mushrooms and zucchini that’s wok-tossed with a light ginger-soy sauce.  Serve this dish with steamed white or brown rice.

Enjoy!

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New Secret Recipe  
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Panda Express(™) Mushroom Chicken
Like this recipe? Get our secret recipe cookbooks on sale – Go Here

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts , cut into thin bite sized slices
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
8 ounces crimini mushrooms , sliced (white mushrooms are authentic to the recipe, but I love crimini)
1 medium zucchini , cut in half lengthwise, then in 1/2 inch slices
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
3 garlic cloves , minced
2 teaspoons minced ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Toss the chicken with cornstarch.

Heat the canola and sesame oil in the pan.

Add chicken and cook on medium-high until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Remove chicken from the pan, and turn the heat up to high.

Add in the mushrooms and zucchini and cook until they start to brown.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook/stir for 30 seconds.

Cook for another 2-3 minutes as vegetables soften a little.

Add the chicken back in and stir to coat.

Add in the soy sauce, sugar and rice wine vinegar and stir to coat.

Serve with rice.

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Until Next Time… Be Well!

Kind Regards,

Ron

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The Recipe Secrets Newsletter (RSN)

This pasta. This is last-meal kind of pasta. This is the kind of pasta you eat when you don’t just want any old variety of carbs and cheese — you want grown-up, legit, every-bite-is-a-flavor-explosion kind of pasta. This is it.

I happened upon this recipe for creamy rigatoni with sausage and fennel (oooo, even sounds fancy) about a month or so ago when I was tired of our run-of-the-mill spaghetti night. Don’t get me wrong — homegirl loves her classic old school marinara sauce and long noodles that wrap around a fork combo, with an extra sprinkling or five of grated Parmesan. I’m not above it. But sometimes it just doesn’t hit the pasta spot.

This pasta? With its creamy tomato sauce that hugs every bite of al dente rigatoni paired with sweet Italian sausage and hints of crunchy veg all topped with a waterfall of fresh-grated salty Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley? THIS pasta hits every spot, and then some.

The first time I made this pasta, I made it just for me and my husband, and there were no leftovers. The second time I made this pasta, I made it for my dinner club, and we finished the meal eating the pasta remnants straight out of the serving bowl with a fork — no leftovers. The third time I made this pasta, I had a small bowl of it for lunch and left the rest of it for my husband for dinner as I was going out with friends that night, and when I came home? No leftovers. So, there are two points to glean from this: One, that if you intend to have leftovers of this pasta, you’d better make a double batch. And two, that my husband is a liar when he says he wants his last meal to be McDonald’s sausage burritos and frozen pizzas — it’s clear that this pasta is what he’d really want.

A few notes to mention about this dish: One, it’s a recipe adapted from queen Ina Garten, so you know it’s good. Two, the recipe calls for fresh fennel bulb but every single time I’ve made it, I swapped the fennel for celery (because that’s all that was available at my grocery store and I was too lazy to go fennel hunting around town) and have never felt it lacking in anything, as the celery delivers the same level of crunch and spring-like taste, leaving the fennel seeds and Italian sausage to bring in the truer fennel-y flavors. Three, you can make it ahead of time! Just put it in an oven-safe dish, sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese, cover and refrigerate for up to a day/overnight. Uncover and heat in the oven at 375 degrees F for 20 minutes or so, and dinner is served.

Four, don’t feel bad about eating this straight out of the serving bowl with a fork, as you won’t have been the first. And likely not the last. No need to waste your time transferring food to your plate when the pasta — THIS pasta — is this good.

Unless you live under a rock, you know what a Girl Scout cookie is. Every year, the cutest teensy-weensy troops set up shop at grocery stores and knock on doors to sell the most addicting baked goods to ever grace this Earth. Although Thin Mints are the organization’s best seller, the most delicious of them all is the Samoa. Doesn’t ring a bell? That’s because it’s also sold under the alias Caramel deLite.

The Best Girl Scout Cookies Ever

W-w-w-what?! Be still your beating heart. Indeed, Girl Scout cookies have different names depending on your region. And it's not just regional slang!

The Girl Scouts of America employ two different companies to make their famous cookies: ABC Bakers and Little Brownie Bakers. Depending on where you purchase your precious cargo, things could look and taste different. This doesn’t differ by state, but by region. Dallas and Fort Worth don’t even enjoy the exact same cookies, and they share an airport.

So let’s get into this. The Samoa that half the country knows and loves has a heavy layer of caramel, dark chocolate coating and a liberal amount of toasted coconut. The Caramel deLite has milk chocolate, a vanilla-flavored cookie and less caramel. Are you familiar with Trefoils? They’re called Shortbreads elsewhere. Do-si-dos? More like Peanut Butter Sandwiches. Tagalongs? Nope. Try Peanut Butter Patties.

Even Thin Mints have been compromised. They have the same name everywhere, but like the others, the recipe varies by location. ABC Bakers’ version is crunchier with more mint than chocolate, and Little Brownie Bakers’ is richer with a smoother chocolate coating and stronger peppermint taste. The LA Times compares each company’s cookies in a side-by-side chart on its site, which also shows which regions sell which versions. Girl Scout Cookies aren't the only ones two-timing us, though. These 10 food and drink brands are called something totally different abroad.