The easiest banana bread recipe

PSA: I won’t, and never will, proclaim to be an avid chef or baker in my lifetime.

Yes, I love the comfort of a home cooked meal at my house or the smells of a fresh baked confection almost ready to come out of the oven. 

But I’m also a career woman who has the luxury of not always having to be at home, allowing me to indulge in trying the latest restaurants, bakeries and other food destinations that pop-up in town. So in my long list of life ambitions, food blogger/restauranteur probably isn't going to make an entrance on my CV.

Another life ambition that has been a constant struggle bus for me is eating enough fruits and vegetables before they go bad. And no fruit turns nasty faster than the beloved banana. I’ve shared previously how I love to freeze them once they go off, and I’m back with another recipe to share when the frozen ones start to take over the freezer. 

This banana bread recipe is everything you want a banana bread to be, moist, flavorful and beyond easy to make (the buttermilk is key). And since the recipe makes two loaves, it's super easy to cut in half or even easier to gift your friends or neighbor with a loaf of their own. 

Adapted from this recipe from Betty Crocker.

The Easiest Banana Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches. (I used a toaster over to bake this!)
2. Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon just until moistened. Pour into pans. (I baked these one at a time in the toaster oven.)
3. Bake loaves about 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaf from pan; remove from pan and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.
    

Healthy Eats: Anti-Inflammation & Pan-Seared Mushrooms

Maybe I heard it via Gwyneth’s goop, or maybe it was via Ayesha Curry’s instagram, or maybe it was even via one of my many lifestyle blogs on my reader – but recently I came across the anti-inflammatory cooking movement and wanted to check it out.

Anti-Inflammation? Really?

But seriously, the thought that major diseases like cancer are caused by something as simple as inflammation just seemed too simple to me and I was baffled and curious to learn more. Enter Amanda Haas (aka @amandahaascooks to Ayesha’s followers) and her cookbook The Anti-Inflammation Cookbook. I picked up a copy of the cookbook from my local library to investigate more and to dive in and get started. Please note: while you can’t learn everything about a potential lifestyle change from a cookbook, you can learn about healthy choices and habits you can start to make in an effort to reduce inflammation in your body (and remember your doctor/physician is your best reference).  

The book and the diet haven’t really been a huge culinary overhaul for me, my diet already consisted of leafy greens, gluten free legumes and grains and fish (thanks Blue Apron!) and I eat relatively healthy when I do make an effort. But the book has forced me to look a little closer when I’m grocery shopping and to start making the smarter choice (versus the cheaper one). After all, the end goal is to reduce pain and diseases, and if it ends up helping some of the more vain traits of mine (cough skincare cough) well then that’s just gravy.

I will admit that I’ve used the reference pages of this cookbook more than I’ve used the actual recipes.  The section about prioritizing organics based on the pesticides used on fruits & veggies with skins is invaluable, as is the sections that continually reinforce the health benefits of avocados, citrus fruits, and eggs. And for those of us with a sweet tooth, Amanda shares just what kind of chocolate is actually good for you (!!!) and the best natural sweeteners for when you need some extra flavor.

As for the rest of the book, the recipes just aren’t all that appetizing and quite frankly, I’ve seen a bunch of them before (I just didn’t know they were anti-inflammatory). But there are some seriously great tips in here that are worth sharing (ex: dress your kale with dressing for at least 30 minutes) and a great meatless recipe for an easy weeknight dinner.

If you’re interested in Amanda’s book purchase it here or reserve from any of Columbus’ many libraries here.

PAN-SEARED MUSHROOMS with caramelized shallots and thyme

(via Amanda Haas)

The key to the flavour here is the sear of the mushrooms – it seriously makes all the difference.

Tip:  save some cash by purchasing your mushrooms from the bulk mushroom area of your produce section.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, shiitake and other “meatier” varieties work best)

2 tbsp minced shallots (1 large)

1 tbsp lemon juice

2 tsp thyme leaves

Pinch red pepper flakes

Kosher salt

Freshly group black pepper

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil of medium-high heat in a non-stick skillet. Once the oil starts to smoke, add the slides mushrooms and a generous pinch of kosher salt.
2. Sear the mushrooms until they've browned on one side (approximately one minute) then stir the uncooked mushrooms to the bottom of the pan.
3. Cook mushrooms about 3 to 4 minutes or until their liquid has started to evaporate. 
4. Add the shallots and cook for a minutes, then stir in the lemon juice, thyme and red pepper flakes. 
5. Allow the lemon juice to evaporate for the 30 seconds and then remove the pan from the heat.
6. Add 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil to the mushrooms and stir, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately.

To keep the meal meatless these mushrooms pair well with a quinoa salad or even a hearty green salad. They'd also be a great side alongside a ribeye for an at-home steakhouse meal. 

15 minute weeknight soup: kale and chicken sausage soup

When a week goes by where temps rarely reach freezing, there’s only one food group that I want to reach for: soup. And when you have a week where there’s nary a time to sit down and plan like I just had, this soup is the perfect weeknight warmer. With the exception of the garlic and chicken sausage, there are no real culinary skills required to cook this soup. All you need is a handful of ingredients, a big soup pot, and about 15 minutes.

Yup, only 15 minutes until a soup full of depth and flavor that will warm you right up.

The flavor depth is hidden in the ingredients; seasoned chicken sausage, the brown bits on the bottom of the pan, diced tomatoes with a little extra sumthin’, and the soup is surprisingly healthy as well, full of beans, tomatoes and kale, which all pass the new years resolution test.

Next time you only have 10 minutes in the store to pick up dinner, grab these ingredients and assemble, instead of the instant food you’ve always grabbed.

Recipe adapted from this one by Real Simple.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil 1 12-ounce package fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced thin *I love the al fresco brand with roasted red pepper and asiago 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional) ¼ teaspoon thyme leaves 1 19-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed 1 14.5-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic & oregano 1 bunch kale leaves (I used an entire package of the baby kale from the bagged salad section) kosher salt and black pepper grated parmesan cheese to finish

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, stirring once, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in the garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.
3. Stir in red pepper flakes and thyme leaves
4. Add the beans, broth, and tomatoes and their liquid and bring to a boil.
5. Add the kale and salt and pepper to tase. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Serve soup in bowls, top each bowl with grated parmesan to finish.