Lyn’s Banana Bread

Jan 6, 2012 by lovelypantry

I’ve been making this banana bread for a few years now. It somehow never fails. Everybody loves it and I’m so happy to be sharing it with you. It’s definitely “lighter” than most recipes which is great because I really don’t care for the guilt that comes along with loaded baked goods. So this recipe satisfies me. I found this recipe on Food Network Canada and I’ve made my changes to get it to where I like it.

Bananas should never EVER go to waste. I learned a few years back that over-ripe bananas can be stored in the freezer for baking. That advice was like gold to me. I now use frozen bananas for porridge, smoothies and banana bread.

I love Banana Bread. Even more so with dark chocolate chips.

I use 2 bananas because I found using 3 made the bread overly moist, which wasn’t so nice for me. I love that yogurt is used as the binding agent instead of eggs. Notice too, that butter is absent. The garnish on top is optional too, it’s really there to make the cake look even prettier. The cake on its own is delicious. Yes, even without the chocolate chips.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you ever get around to making this bread, please do think of me. Imagine me with a big smile on my face, whispering sweetly…”I told you so”

Have an amazing weekend!

 

~Lyn   XoXo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Smoked Paprika Chipotle Chicken with Spirali Pasta and Kale Pesto

Dec 16, 2011 by lovelypantry

Every now and again I tend rebel. I’ve been using recipes because that’s how I learned to cook. But some days I just want to throw caution to the wind and follow my heart and do what comes to mind. And that’s exactly what I did. I gave my friends on Facebook a quick peek at what I prepared. Because I didn’t follow a recipe, I don’t have a fancy name for it so the ingredients will have to do for now.

On my recent grocery shopping trips, I picked up a few items just for fun. White/Black Truffle Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Smoky Paprika Chipotle Seasoning. Both completely out of my comfort zone but I’m all about expanding my horizons. The risk was well worth it. Although I did hold back, just a little.

I used Kale for the “pesto” because I really like the health benefits and it has a nice flavour. However, after smelling the Chipotle seasoning (that bad boy is strong), I opted to leave the cheese and any form of nut from the pesto. Traditional pesto consist of  Basil, Parmesan or Romano Cheese, Olive Oil, Pine Nuts and Garlic. It makes me smile to myself and ask the question – is it still really pesto if it doesn’t have cheese and nuts? Ah well. It tasted great so I’m still calling it pesto. There. I’ll try it with all the ingredients next time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There’s no need to panic if you didn’t plan dinner tonight. The possibilities are endless…

 

 

 

 

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Seared Scallops with White Kidney Beans & Spinach

Nov 30, 2011 by lovelypantry

 

Cooking brings me such joy and calm. Looking at beautiful photographs of food, and envisioning how I’ll prepare it inspires me to make what I see or to do something similar. I like to use ingredients that are available to me in the moment. For this recipe, adapted from Cooking Light’s Mix & Match Low Calorie Cookbook,  I pretty much had everything available. Except the Scallops! They look tasty and I’ve read that they have a really mild flavour. So off I went to get these scallop things from the supermarket. Scallops are generally available year round – fresh or frozen.

Scallops are a great source of : Protein, Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Vitamin B12, Magnesium and Potassium. It’s good to know how what you eat benefits your body, don’t you agree?

 

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil, divided

1 LB Sea Scallops

1 Onion, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1/4 Cup Dry White Wine

1/2 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 Can White Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained

2 Cups Baby Spinach

Salt & Pepper for seasoning

 

Preparation:

Rinse scallops well and pat dry. In a medium-sized skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper on both sides. Cook on both sides  for about 2 minutes or until a nice golden colour is achieved. Set aside and keep warm. You may have to do this in batches so that you don’t have too many scallops in your skillet at one time.

Using the same skillet, add the remaining oil and saute the onions for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and combine. Add wine and cook until most of the liquid has been reduced, about 2 minutes. Add broth and beans, allow to cook for 2 minutes. Add spinach and cook for about a minute or until it wilts nicely.

Remove from heat. Add additional salt and pepper, if needed.

I can’t believe how velvety these scallops were. Very mild and almost sweet! I enjoyed this meal and I bet you will too.

 

Lyn

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Almost Lasagna

Oct 31, 2011 by lovelypantry

 

There are some days when I am willing to make Lasagna, and there are days when I wonder why go through all the layering. Don’t get me wrong, we love lasagna. It’s a beautiful thing. This is a recipe that happened one day when I started to make lasagna but never quite made it. You just never know how things will turn out  in my kitchen. This was a great meal!

 

 

Add colourful veggies. Serve and enjoy!

 

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Steamed Salmon with Lemon and Thyme

Oct 24, 2011 by lovelypantry

I will forever consider myself to be a lifelong learner. If I’m not learning new things, I’m not growing. Ever since I discovered my love for cooking and healthy eating, my desire to learn new recipes, foods, and techniques has grown tremendously.

I am very fond of Salmon and  I’ve prepared it in various ways, but how long before I’ve exhausted all the methods that I know? Steaming fish seems simple enough if you have a steamer of some kind. But what if you don’t? How can Salmon be steamed with just a few items that you already have in your kitchen? I recently learned of a very simple technique where I enjoyed the entire process in its simplicity.

Salmon really is a beautiful fish.

 

 

The original recipe called for fresh Dill which I did not have at hand (surprise, surprise). Instead, I used some Thyme that I had drying which did the trick perfectly.

 

Ingredients:

2 Salmon Fillets

1 Lemon, thinly sliced

Few Sprigs Thyme

1 Red (Or green, or yellow…) Sweet Pepper, thinly sliced

Salt & Pepper

1 Tsp All Purpose Seasoning

 

Preparation:

1 Large Skillet

1 Plate that fits into the skillet leaving some space around the diameter (an inch is good)

Aluminium foil rolled and formed into a ring

Water

 

Place foil ring into the skillet with some water. The foil itself should not be submerged at all. Place the plate on top of the foil, pressing down gently, ensuring stability.

 

 

Line the plate with a few slices of lemon. I used 2 rows with 3 slices in each. Add the Salmon on top of the lemon. Add the thyme (or fresh herb of your choice) between the fillets. Season the salmon with salt, pepper, and any other desired seasoning. Go light. Salmon does not need to be over-seasoned.

Place a few slices of sweet pepper on top of the salmon so that they overlap.

 

 

Did I mention that Salmon is a beautiful fish?

 

 

Cover the skillet and bring to a boil. This should take about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer until the salmon is cooked though. This should take about 15 minutes more.

 

 

The salmon is cooked when it is no longer pink and flakes easily with a fork. The smell is wonderful. You probably won’t be able to wait too long before you have this. I suggest you have your plate ready!

 

 

I served the salmon with some string beans. I enjoyed it. I know that you will too. You can use this technique with any fish, and try using different seasoning. Cooking is a journey in experiments. Give this a try!

 

 

I’d like to thank Everyday Food for sharing this technique and allowing me to share it with my readers.

 

Until next time, take care of you.

 

~Lyn

 

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