Low Fat Banana Muffins

I have been fooling around with this recipe for a while and I think that I finally have it where I want it. They are moist and flavorful. I made dozen the other day and they were gone in a day and half. Enjoy!

2 c flour
¾ c sugar
2 t baking powder
1/8 t ground ginger
Pinch of salt
½ t cinnamon
1/8 clove
¼ c olive oil (yes OLIVE OIL)
½ cup non fat milk with 1 T apple cider vinegar (let sour for 4-5 mins)
1 egg lightly beaten
1 t vanilla
2 ripe bananas (mashed with a fork)

Preheat oven to 350f. Line regular size muffin tin with paper liners. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl and make a well. Combine wet ingredients, add bananas, then pour in the well of the dry ingredients. Fold gently together mixing only about 15 turns. DO NOT OVERMIX! Batter will be lumply.
Bake for 18-22 minutes. Test doneness with a toothpick. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Roasted Garlic Cheddar Aebleskiver

This recipe requires an Aebleskiver Pan (sometimes known as a Monk's Pan). There's no other way around it. These were fun to make & turned out delicious! I would think that you could trade out some of the savory ingredients to make other combinations. Some ideas that aunt Beth and I had were; Tomato, Basil, Feta or a Mexican influenced one with Corn, Asiago, Cilanto & Peppers.
Yields about 20 to 25 Aebleskiver.

2 Eggs, separated
1 t. sugar
1/2 t salt
1 T Olive Oil
1 cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk*
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t baking powder
1 cup flour
2 t dried dill (or fresh if you have it)
3 cloves Roasted Garlic
1/2 cup chopped Roasted Tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar

Roast your garlic and tomatoes, let cool. Beat eggs whites until stiff; set aside. Beat the rest of the ingredients until batter is smooth in a medium bowl, adding tomatoes & cheese last. Carefully fold in the egg whites. Heat aebleskiver pan with a few drops of olive oil or butter in each of the 7 holes. Fill each hole with batter. With a knitting needle, make quarter turns until outside is golden brown, lowering heat so that the batter cooks inside as well. Serve hot with a dipping sauce that you like.
*sour milk: measure your milk and add a tablespoon or so of vinegar. Let curdle for a couple of minutes and add it to your recipe.

No Name Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup mayo
3 T catsup
3 T balsamic vinegar
3 to 4 dashes Tabasco
Lots of Black Pepper
Salt to taste

Green Apple Chicken Salad

This is another one of my favorite ways to use some of those chicken breasts that you roasted for the week. It's a great salad to take to party too. It can be made ahead and stands on it's own for color, taste and texture. I adapted it from a lunch that I use to always order from Cafe Zenon a long time ago.

2 cups chicken breasts, skin removed, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 cups granny smith apples, leave the peel on, cut into 1 inch cubes (toss with some lemon juice)
1 cup mayo
2 T honey or agave syrup (a bit less agave-it's sweeter)
2 T lemon juice (plus a little more to keep the apples from turning brown)
2 scallions, finely chopped
slivered almonds for garnish
salt & pepper

Make the dressing then mix with the chicken and apples. Fold in scallions, let sit for a while, taste check for salt & pepper, garnish and serve.

Roasted Chicken Breasts

Skin on/bone in Chicken Breast (how ever many you want to make for different uses for the week, I usually make 6 or 8)
Olive oil
Kosher salt, black pepper, paprika
Preheat oven to 350f. Wash and dry, with a paper towel, chicken breasts and place on a foil lined baking sheet. With clean hands, rub oil into chicken on both sides. Sprinkle liberally with spices on both sides. Bake for 30 to 45 mins. Depending on how much chicken you are cooking. Voila!

Tomato Mozarella Salad

Cut roma tomatoes into half inch chunks, do the same with fresh mozarella. Chop a big handful of fresh basil, mince a clove or two of garlic. Throw all of this in a bowl with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt & pepper. The longer it sits the better it is. Add some pitted kalamata olives or marinated artichoke hearts to change things up a bit.

Salt & Pepper Pita Chips

These are a favorite “diet” food of mine. I eat them with hummus, a salad or just by themselves when I am craving a salty crunch. It is by far a healthier choice than the Lay’s mesquite BBQ Chips that I really want.


I package whole wheat pita bread
Olive oil
Kosher salt & Pepper



Heat oven to 400f. Line a large baking sheet with foil or parchment. Cut pita bread in half, then half again, then those four triangles in halves again, making eight chips per bread. I usually stack two or three at a time and use a large knife or a pizza cutter. Put as many chips as you can squeeze on your sheet and brush lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper (sometimes I use lemon pepper). Bake for 7 mins. Then make your next batch.

Panna Cotta

This dessert is beautiful and simple. I love to impress people with it’s elegance. It means “cooked cream” in Italian and it is truly that easy.

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin (1/4 oz each)
2 T cold water
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup ½ and ½
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ tspns good vanilla

Lightly spray 8 ramikins with cooking spray. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl and stir gently. While your waiting for your gelatin to bloom, combine cream, half and half and sugar in a heavy saucepan and bring to just barely boil over moderate heat, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and add a ½ cup or so of the warm cream to the gelatin, then a bit more, stirring as you go. Add the gelatin mixture to the pan of warm cream. This should temper the mixtures so that do not seize up on you. Stir in the vanilla, then divide the mixture into your ramikins. Easy, huh? Let cool to room temperature (at least a half hour)before covering with plastic wrap (make certain the wrap is touching the cream mixture lightly on top so that it does not form a film) and place in the refridgerator for at least 4 hours.


The Berry Lemon Sauce is simply your favorite berry jam (I use my own that I make in the summer) and a bit of fresh lemon juice to thin to the consistency of a thick sauce. Simple as that.


To serve, dip your ramikins, one at a time, in hot water for 30 seconds and loosen edge of Panna Cotta with a butter knife, lifting a bit, then invert on a dessert plate. Drizzle with sauce and few fresh berries if you’ve got them.

Spinach Basil Pesto

This is my adaptation of a pesto that Ina Garten's makes.

In a food processor, combine ¼ cup each of pine nuts and unsalted walnuts. Add a cup or so of fresh basil leaves, and 2 cups of baby spinach leaves. Zest of half a lemon, a peeled clove of garlic, and ¾ cup grated parmesean cheese and 1 teaspoon of black pepper. Pulse until finely chopped, then drizzle in olive oil while motor is running until pesto is desired consistency. Give it a taste to see if it needs salt. Sometimes the cheese is salty enough. I like my pesto a little on the thick side, so that when I add it to something hot it thins out a bit.
This is the Pesto that I added to my homemade mashed potatoes and it was delicious. The potatoes come out greenish! So fun! Remember to go easy on the salt in your potatoes though because the pesto is already salty.

Easiest & Fastest Baked Taquitos

Preheat oven 375f
Frozen Taquitos (I like chicken, but beef is good too)
1 can green or red enchilada sauce (obviously I chose green today!)
Grated cheese (buy it already grated in the bag, the mixed stuff is great)
Sliced black olives
Lightly spray an 8x8 or 13x9 glass baking dish (depending on how much you want to make), then layer frozen taquitos a couple of inches from the top of the pan. Pour a can of enchilada sauce over the taquitos. Sprinkle grated cheese liberally over the top, add some slice olives. Bake for about 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Serve by cutting into squares like you would lasagna.

Steak House Style Rib Eye

If you have a couple of bone-in rib eye steaks they are best cooked on the grill. Ours are boneless, and I have found a way to cook them inside that taste better than any other recipe that competes with any great Steak House. We eat these with a Cobb Salad and call it good.

2 Good quality 1 1/4 inch rib eye steaks
1 T olive oil
Kosher salt & fresh black pepper

Pat dry your steaks with a paper towel and rub both sides with olive oil. Let them stand at room temperature, uncovered, for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Place a large ovenproof sauté pan* over high heat. Sprinkle one side of the steaks with salt & pepper. When the pan is very hot (approx. 3 mins.) place the steaks, seasoned side down, with tongs, without touching each other. Do not move or press down on the steaks. Get the placement right the first time, they can’t be moved until they are ready to turn. After 2 ½ minutes, season the top of each steak and gently turn with tongs. Cook for 2 ½ mins. Transfer steaks to a rack over a plate and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 and up to 60 minutes. Half and hour before you are ready to finish the steaks preheat oven to 425f. Return the steaks to the pan that you used to sear them and finish cooking in the oven for 12 minutes for a warm red center (medium rare), 16 minutes for a pink center (medium). Remember that if your steaks are 1/2 inch that your time needs to adjust accordingly. I wouldn't put them back in the oven for rare, in the oven for 4 mins. for med-rare, etc. Well done is a waste of time and money. Let your steaks rest for 10 minutes then serve on a warm plate. I crumble blue cheese on mine. Jeff ruins his with A-1.

*I use a Swiss Diamond pan that is fabulous for searing. They are expensive but worth every penny. I think that Hartwick's in Eugene sells them. http://www.swissdiamond.com/

Sesame Garlic Spinach

I like to buy baby spinach at Costco or Walmart so that I have a lot. I love Spinach Salad for myself before dinner or for lunch to keep me on my diet track...

1 lb. fresh spinach
2-3 T sesame oil (Winco or the Asian Mkt for the best prices)
3 T soy sauce
1-2 T sesame seeds
1 clove garlic (pressed or finely minced)
1 green onion (chopped)
1 T sugar
drizzle of rice wine vinegar or fresh lime juice
black pepper

when the rest of dinner is pretty much ready to eat, heat a large frying pan with sesame oil (everything is approx. in this recipe, just estimate) on medium-high heat.

add your spinach and with tongs, mix as they cook down, turning the heat down a bit, add the garlic (garlic will burn up if you add it first), soy sauce and onion. Cook until it's shrunken but still bright in color. Remove from heat, add sugar, sesame seeds, pepper and drizzle with vinegar or lime juice. Eat right away, it get's cold fast.

Farfalle Sundried Tomato Salad

I love this salad any time of year. It’s uncomplicated and full flavored. I’m sure that it is familiar to some of you that have been to a party or two at my house. It’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand for unexpected company or as a side dish to bring to a bbq.
1 lb farfalle pasta (bow ties)
1 jar sundried tomatoes in oil (Trader Joe’s has them already julienned and cheap! If you buy them not precut then stick a pair of clean kitchen shears down in the jar and cut them up. Much easier than a cutting board and knife for fear of losing any of that tasty oil!)
1 package crumbled, seasoned feta cheese (I like the tomato basil flavor)
Chopped Cilantro (I use a lot)
Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain well. Put the pasta into a large bowl, add the sundried tomatoes with the oil. Fold in the feta cheese, add the cilantro, more olive oil if needed, salt and pepper to taste.
This salad gets better with time but I find after a day or two I have to add a bit more olive oil.

Sunday Roast Chicken

Preheat oven to 450f
Wash and dry a whole chicken. Let it stand out until it is room temperature
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a roasting pan. Make a fairly even layer of carrots, cut lengthwise so they won’t roll around, celery stalks, thick sliced onions and whatever other veggies you find in the crisper that need to go soon. This is the bed for your chicken.
Salt and pepper the inside of the chicken then stuff with chunks of onion, a whole head of garlic, cut in half, and a cut up lemon. Fresh Rosemary, Thyme and a few Basil leaves can go into the cavity too if you have it.
I make a butter rub in a mortar & pestle. Start with 2 T kosher salt, 1T black pepper, 1 t. paprika, 1 T fresh thyme and the zest of one lemon. Smash this around till well mixed then add one cube of softened butter and make paste (I use a flat wooden spoon or a rice paddle).
Set your stuffed chicken on it’s vegetable bed and, with clean hands, spread the butter rub under the skin on the breast and all over the outside of the bird, top to bottom, front to back. Use it all, it will be thick.
Put your precious bird in the oven uncovered for 15 minutes at 450f then reduce the heat to 200f. Cook until the internal temp. at the breast reaches 160f. I use a digital thermometer that has an alarm (a favorite gadget of mine). Let rest with covered with foil for 15 minutes before cutting.
We are having this with mashed potatoes and a vegetable to be named later. Probably sautéed garlic sesame spinach.

My Pad Thai

My not-so-authentic Pad Thai Sauce
2 T tamarind *
4 T fish sauce
4-6 T sweet chili sauce
6 T brown sugar
4 T fresh lime juice
2 T soy sauce
1-2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
2 t fresh ginger, minced or use a microplane
2 t paprika
1/2 cup ketchup (I know...not very thai, I told you it was MY version)
Mix all ingredients with a whisk in a small saucepan over low to medium heat until well combined and fairly smooth. Take off heat.
*Tamarind is fruit that grows in tropical Africa and is used all over the world. I bought tamarind today from an Asian specialty market in a block. It is sticky, like a date, and intensely sour. This form can be stored in the crisper of the fridge for a year or two, wrapped in cellophane or in an air tight baggie.
Pad Thai
I soaked my rice noodles for about 45 minutes to an hour in a clean sink in tepid water then drained them well. In a large frying pan (or wok, if you have one, I do not) I heated 4 tablespoons of sesame oil, sautéed my chicken breasts (I cooked boneless, skinless breast in a 350f oven for about 20 minutes, rubbed with sesame oil, salt and pepper earlier in the day), for a couple minutes. Then, added my drained noodles, all at once, pouring my sauce over the top and stir frying with tongs until well distributed and hot. Pushing the noodle and chicken mixture to one side of the pan, I scrambled two eggs in the empty area of the pan then mixed everything together. Chopped green onions, fresh beans sprouts and crushed peanuts went on top. I made the whole package of noodles and used two large chicken breasts and it made a lot.

Mandarin Mango Smoothie

In a blender combine,

1 cup Non-Fat Vanilla yogurt (Trader Joe's French Vanilla)

1/2 banana

1 cup frozen Mango chunks (Trader Joes, good price)

1/2 cup Mandarin Oranges and some of the juice.

pinch of cinnamon

Blend well and enjoy

Roasted Pico de Gallo

Here's what I made today...
Preheat oven to 400f
Line a cookie sheet with foil
Poke a few holes in a couple of Red Peppers and a Pasilla Pepper,
slice two or three Roma Tomatoes in half lengthwise, peel three garlic cloves and set them aside. Drizzle some good Olive Oil over these fine veggies and give them a rub to distribute oil on all sides. Salt everything with some Kosher Salt.
Roast the Peppers and Tomatoes for about 15 mins, then throw in the garlic (make certain to whirl it around in the oil left on the pan before you put the pan back in the oven for another 15 to 20 mins.) Your house will smell fabulous and while these are roasting away you can get to work on your other ingredients.
Cut into chunks for the food processor; 1/2 a yellow onion, 4 or 5 Romas and a handful of cilantro. I like pretty chunky salsa so I pulse each thing separately, adding it to a large bowl as I finish each item. (The cilantro, garlic and the onion I pulse together because I like it a bit smaller.) After your roasted veggies have cooled, take the seeds out of the Pasilla (depending on how hot you like it), cut up the red peppers and pulse away to a chunky goodness. Throw it in the bowl. Thaw some frozen corn in a colander by running tepid water over it. Drain on paper towels. Throw the corn in the bowl. Open a can of black beans and rinse and drain them well. Again, to the bowl. Add enough fresh lime juice to give it a salsa like consistency, give it a gentle stir, add salt and black pepper to taste.
Tonight we are having this on our turkey tacos (ground turkey cooked and seasoned with taco seasoning and some extra garlic and cumin, in some corn tortillas with shredded lettuce, grated cheese, and sour cream.)