Nutella Banana Bread

So until recently I thought I hated Nutella.  I really don't know if I should be mad for all the years I missed out, or for the pounds that will slowly creep up on me.... I'm pretty sure my husband will find me hiding in the laundry fool with a jar of Nutella and a spoon one of these days.  I found this recipe on Chef-In-Training and only changed up the sugar.  BTW, her site is AMAZING!

Ingredient's:

• 3/4 cup Nutella
• 3 ripe bananas
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream together sugar and butter.
3. Add in eggs one at a time until well blended.
4. Add bananas, milk and vanilla and blend until thoroughly combined.
5. Slowly add in flour, soda and salt until it is all mixed together.
6. In a small microwaveable bowl, add Nutella and heat for 15-20 seconds.  Add in 1 cup of the banana bread batter and stir until well combined.
7. Drop alternating spoonful's of each batter into a sprayed loaf pan.  Swirl the batters together with a butter knife.
8. Bake for 60 minutes.
9. Let cook in pan for about 15-20 minutes before removing from pan.
10. Cut and serve! 

*it is extra delicious served with more Nutella spread over the top*

 

Shrimp Ramen Bowls

MMMMM...... I seriously love a good noodle soup.  This broth is quite similar tasting to Hot and Sour Soup.  I definitely see myself converting it one day.  I absolutely loved this dish and will be making it again soon.  I was low on veggies but you can definitely bulk it up.  My original plan revolved around Coconut Milk however, I left the store without it.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 6 oz box chow mein noodles (feel free to use plain packaged ramen noodles)
• 2 boxes vegetable broth (4 lbs)
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 1 package sliced mushroom ( I lightly diced mine)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Teaspoon dried basil
• 1 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon Sriracha
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Cilantro and green onions for garnish.

 

 

Directions:

1. Boil noodles according to package directions.
2. In a large pot melt butter.
3. Add mushrooms and sauté until soft, adding in onions and garlic for last couple minutes and sprinkle with a little salt.
4. Sprinkle onions and mushrooms with flour and stir until thick.
5. Slowly stir in broth and bring to a boil.
6. Add in the rest of the seasonings and sriracha and stir, if you need to add any extra flavors this is the time!
7. Reduce heat and add noddle's and shrimp.
8. Cook until shrimp are pink, around 3-5 minutes.
9. Garnish with green onions and cilantro and serve.

 

 

 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Chocolate chips make everything better!  I always seem to have extra ripe bananas screaming, "banana bread" in my house lately.  I opted for an easy go to recipe and added some chocolate chips, PERFECTION! 

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 -3/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 3 ripe bananas
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup of sugar ( I did 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup honey)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add bananas, egg, vanilla, cinnamon and sugar into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
3. Slowly mix in flour, soda and salt.
4. Gently fold in chocolate chips.
5. Pour into lightly buttered bread pan.
6. Bake for 45 minutes.
7. Cool and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

  

Blackberry Cobbler

Tis the season for blackberries!  I love everything blackberry.  My blackberry pie filling is so versatile and whenever I am in a pinch and feel like pie but don't want to fuss with crust, I make cobbler.  So easy and the streusel topping is amazing!

Ingredients for Filling:

4 cups blackberries, thawed

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup flower

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients for Streusel:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

dash of cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add all filling ingredients and mix together.
3. In a separate bowl, mix all the topping ingredients together with a fork to form a crumbled mixture.
4. Pour filling into a 9x9 baking dish or individual short mason jars pictured above.
5. Sprinkle streusel evenly over blackberry filling.Bake for 20-30 minutes, until streusel topping is golden brown.
6. Cool and serve.

Salsa Verde Pork Chili

This was the perfect dish for the first day of Fall!!!  It's a one pot dinner and so simple and delicious!  LOVE LOVE LOVE  This recipe makes ALOT of food.  I froze half of it for a later time and still had enough for three adults and lunch leftovers!

Ingredient's:

• 2-3 pound pork shoulder roast
• 1 16 oz jar salsa Verde
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans white beans
• 1 small can diced green chilies
• 1 can diced tomatillos
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Cumin, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Green onions and Sour Cream for garnish

Directions:

1. Place shoulder roast in an lightly oiled crock pot and sprinkle with cumin, salt and pepper.
2. Top roast with onions, garlic, beans, chilies and tomatillos.
3. Pour salsa over the top.
4. Fill the jar half way with water and add to crock. 
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
6. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
7. Remove roast and shred.
8. Add shredded pork back to pot and stir.
9. Serve with green onions and sour cream

Cookers Note: I used raw beans and fresh yellow tomatoes from the garden.  I rinsed then boiled one cup of white beans for 5 minutes before adding to crock.  I placed the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 1 minute then placed in a bowl of ice water.  After tomatoes were cooled I peeled and diced.

Spicy Rigatoni with Italian Sausage

This is the one and only photo I have of this amazing dish.  I couldn't hold off for an extra minutes and had to dig right in.  Now that means I will have to make it again soon, SCORE!!!!  I have never seen my father in law eat so much food.  If you follow my blog you know he literally lives like 50 yards away and eats with us a lot.  This was extremely delicious, filling and inexpensive.

 

Ingredients:

• 1 box Rigatoni
• 1 pound ground Italian sausage
• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes, Pureed
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 small onion diced
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• dash of hot sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots (I originally planned on just peas, but I am clumsy and grabbed the wrong bag.  The carrots were delicious in it.)

 

Directions:

1. Boil Rigatoni according to package instructions, adding in peas and carrots for last minute.
2. Drain pasta and return to pan with a little butter or olive oil.
3. In a separate pan brown sausage with onions until cooked through.
4. Add cooked sausage and onions into a blender or food processor with red pepper flakes and cayenne.
5. pulse a couple times to break up the sausage and incorporate the seasonings.
6. Return sausage to pan and add in tomato puree. (will look a little like dog food, see below)
   
7. In a separate sauce pan melt butter and sprinkle with flour.
8. Stir flour and butter to create a roux.
9. Slowly stir in heavy cream.
10. Stir in garlic and let thicken.
11. Pour cream sauce into meat sauce and stir together.
12. Pour the sausage cream sauce into the pot with the noodles and stir together.
13. Let pasta sit with sauce for about five minutes before serving.

 

 

 

Moring Smoothie

 

I was making this smoothie religiously while drinking loads of water everyday and I swear by it.  I had so much energy, my skin looked great and I thinned out a lot.  I googled "Detox Smoothies" and after reading many others, I came up with my own. This is definitely an acquired taste but I actually enjoy it now.  To make this recipe really easy I chop and freeze the cucumber, celery and parsley in freezer bags.  You can also peel bananas and freeze them whole, I have heard you can freeze avocados but I have never done it.  This recipe fills two of these mason jars, So I always have one for lunch too!!

Ingredients:

• 1 banana
• 3 celery stalks, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and diced
• couple sprigs of flat leaf parsley
• 1 lemon wedge, juice only
• 1/2 avocado
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 cup water, more if needed or desired
• ice, desired amount.  I prefer mine more creamy and not cold in the AM
• (If I am wanting a little more sweetness I add pineapple or 1/2 an apple. You can really add any fruit you want.)

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients into a blender.
2. Blend until everything is creamy and no more ice chunks.
3. Enjoy