Banana Blueberry Muffins

I borrowed this picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (where this recipe comes from.)  We had these tonight with our "breakfast for dinner" and they were a hit.  I would have never thought to put blueberries and bananas together but they are a perfect pair!  Excited to add another muffin recipe to my collection.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

• 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar (I used coconut sugar.)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cups quick or regular oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 ripe bananas, lightly mashed
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen blueberries
• 2 teaspoons flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray (or use muffin cup liners). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric stand mixer), beat together the butter, yogurt and sugars until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the eggs and beat well. In a blender or food processor, process the oats until they are finely ground. Add the wheat flour, baking soda and salt and pulse one or two times until the dry ingredients are lightly combined. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in the lightly mashed bananas. Stir in the milk and vanilla. Toss the blueberries with the 2 teaspoons flour and then gently fold them into the muffin batter. Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Let the muffins rest in the pan for about 5 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

We love these wraps from Mel's Kitchen Cafe and somehow they've slipped my postings.  These wraps can also be frozen and re-heated for a quick meal.  We love to dip them in sour cream and/or salsa and guacamole.

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

• 1 cup cooked rice, warm or at room temperature
• 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (or other leftover meat, like shredded pork or beef)
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
• 1/2 red or green pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I use a combination of Monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
• Sour cream (optional)
• 6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

1. Mix rice together with chili powder, cumin and garlic salt. Add remaining ingredients except for cheese and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges, then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla. (Optional: I like to dollop little bits of sour cream over the cheese before arranging chicken and rice mixture down the center – it makes the wraps delightfully creamy.) Roll stuffed tortillas, leaving edges open and slightly flatten the wraps with the palm of your hand. Spray seam-side of the wrap lightly with cooking spray.
2. Heat a large non-stick skillet (or griddle) over medium heat for 1 minute. Arrange wraps, seam-side down, in pan or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp, about 2-3 minutes per side. Cooking them seam-side down first helps seal the long edge so they don’t fall apart. Transfer to a plate and repeat with remaining wraps. Serve warm.

Black Bean and Butternut Enchilada Skillet

I received some butternut squash from a neighbor and decided to try it in this skillet meal from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  It was unexpected and delicious!

Black Bean and Butternut Enchilada Skillet

• 1 tablespoon oil (olive, coconut, canola, etc.)
• 1/2 cup chopped red or yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced (optional)
• 4 cups diced butternut squash (from a small to medium butternut squash that has been peeled and seeded)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 8 yellow or white corn tortillas, cut into large squares (I cut each tortilla in thirds and then chopped the strips in half)
• 2 cups green enchilada sauce (preferably homemade)
• 2-3 cups cooked, cubed chicken
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese

1. In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, garlic and jalapeno, if using. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften. Stir in the butternut squash, salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder.
2. Cook for about 10-12 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the squash is tender. If you want a smoother consistency to the squash, continue cooking until it breaks down to a creamy consistency, otherwise you can cook it just until it becomes tender.
3. Stir in the beans, tortillas and enchilada sauce. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for a couple of minutes so the tortillas can soak up some of the sauce and start to cook down just a little bit.
4. Add the chicken, cilantro and 1 cup of the cheese. Stir to combine and heat through. Add additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and let the mixture sit for 1-2 minutes over medium-low or medium heat until the cheese melts.

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

This bread is a great variation on the traditional zucchini bread.  Made this over the summer when zucchini from the garden was abundant!  I found the recipe on this site.

Glazed Lemon Zucchini Bread

• 2 cups cake flour (I used one cup wheat flour and one cup white flour.)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil (I used melted coconut oil.)
• 1 1/3 cups sugar (May try coconut sugar or even substitute half honey next time.)
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup grated zucchini 

Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 1 TB milk 

1. Mix flour, salt and baking powder in a medium bowl and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs. Then add oil and sugar until well blended. Add lemon juice, buttermilk, lemon zest to this mixture and blend all together.
3. Fold in zucchini until it is mixed well.
4. Add dry mixture to the wet mixture and blend all together until well combined.
5. Pour batter into greased 9x5 loaf pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
7. While still warm, make glaze and spoon over the bread. Let the glaze set up before cutting and serving.

Perfect Potato Salad

I am really late in posting this but I made this potato salad this summer with red potatoes from our garden and it was delicious.  It was actually my first ever potato salad and I don't think I'll ever look for another recipe.  This makes a lot so I halved the recipe.  From Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

Perfect Potato Salad 

Dressing:

• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt (adjust according to taste - you may want to use the greater amount if your potatoes were boiled without salt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced dried onions or 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Salad:
 
• 5 pounds potatoes (I prefer red potatoes.)
• 1 15-ounce can olives, cut in half (I omit.)
• 10 hard-boiled eggs, diced

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and give it a whirl until all ingredients are combined.
2. For the salad, peel, dice, and boil potatoes until tender but not mushy (I cut my potatoes into bite-size pieces and boil for about 8-10 minutes). Drain potatoes well and pour into a large bowl. Add sliced olives and hard-boiled eggs. Pour dressing over warm potatoes until desired “dressing-level” is reached. I usually make this salad the night before and I pour a thin coating of dressing over the potatoes, olives and eggs while they rest in the fridge overnight. Before serving the next day, I add the rest of the dressing and mix until it looks just right. Most importantly be sure and taste so you can add extra salt and pepper to taste!

Epicurean Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Lime Dressing

This is a fun variation on pasta salads, perfect for summer!  The recipe comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I will also say that this salad tasted way better fresh than out of the fridge the second day.

Epicurean Chicken Salad with Creamy Honey Lime Dressing

Salad:

• 10 ounces rotini pasta
• 2-3 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces or shredded
• 1 large sweet-tart apple, cored, diced (I prefer Honey Crisp for this salad)
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, diced small (about 1 cup)
• 1 15 ounce can pineapple tidbits, drained very well
• 1/2 cup red grapes, halved
• 2/3 cup sliced almonds

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup light or regular mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/4 cup light or regular sour cream
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Pinch of black pepper
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon poppy seeds

1. In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water.  Drain well.
2. In a large bowl, toss all the salad ingredients together.
3. In another small or medium bowl, whisk all the dressing ingredients together.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir gently to mix so that all the ingredients are evenly coated with the dressing.
5. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour (the salad may dry out a bit if refrigerated for much longer - you can make extra dressing or reserve part of the dressing to stir in right before serving).

Bruschetta

With the explosion of cherry tomatoes from our garden and fresh basil that I can't hardly keep up with, I decided some Bruschetta was in order.  I made a batch of this bread to use for the base.  We added small squares of Mozarella cheese after I took this photo which made these just perfect.  This recipe is adapted from one I found at www.simplyrecipes.com.

Bruschetta

1 baguette or other artisan bread
6-7 Roma tomatoes or equivalent amount of cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (and more for spreading)
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
10-15 fresh basil leaves
1 tsp Kosher salt (more or less to taste)
fresh ground pepper (a couple of turns)

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degress.
2.  Slice bread into 1/2" thick slices and using a pastry brush, spread olive oil on one side.  Place olive oil side down on a cookie sheet.  When oven is heated, place bread in oven on top rack for 5-10 minutes until golden brown.
3.  Cut tomatoes into small pieces.  Mix with garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, basil (cut into thin slices), salt and pepper.
4.  When bread is done turn slices over so olive oil side is upright and spread with a generous amount of the tomato mixture.  Top with small cubes of Mozarella cheese if desired.