Banana-Apricot Nut Bread

This Banana-Apricot Nut Bread is a quick and easy snack or breakfast to prepare for your family or guests. Beware, the bread disappears quickly; it's addictive!


Banana-Apricot Nut Bread

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup butter
1 egg


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, apricots, and nuts. Mix thoroughly. In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, milk, butter and egg. Stir in dry ingredients, mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a 9' X 5' loaf pan, bake for 1 hour or until bread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and wooden toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, remove loaf out of pan and place onto a rack to cool completely. Makes 1 loaf.

Asian Grill Marinade

While this marinade recipe may have already made it around to many in the Village, I still thought I would share. Easy to make and very versatile, this is one that I use often. The flavor is distinctly Asian and it’s been enjoyed on both salmon and chicken, each to high acclaim. Try to marinate both for at least 30 minutes for great flavor. Also, if you retain the extra you can use it as a sauce as well.

2 TBS Dijon mustard
3 TBS good soy sauce
6 TBS good olive oil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (or 2 pressed cloves)

Copyright, 2001, Barefoot Contessa, The Food Network

Creamy Shrimp and Pea Pasta

This is one of Will’s favorite meals and he asks me to cook it weekly. He even gave it 9 out of 10, which is on his scale is huge. And I love it because it’s tasty and a pretty with those bright green peas. Enjoy!

Ingredients
1. 8 oz Uncooked angel hair pasta, broken into pieces
2. 2 tbs Butter
3. 1 lb. Peeled and deveined shrimp
4. 1 Garlic clove, pressed
5. 3/4 cup Fat free half-and-half
6. 1/3 cup Chopped fresh basil, divided
7. 3/4 tsp Salt
8. 1/4 tsp Fresh ground black pepper
9. 1/3 cup Pre-shredded fresh Parmesan cheese
10. 1 1/2 cups Frozen green peas

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and garlic. Sauté 4 minutes or until done.
Add half-and-half, 3 tbs chopped basil, salt and paper. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered 4 minutes.
Add cheese and cook 1 minute or until cheese melts.
Place peas in colander and drain pasta over peas in colander to thaw.Add pasta and peas to shrimp mixture and toss gently. Cook over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in remaining basil. Serve immediately.

From Cooking Light Easy Meals

Ooey-Gooey Peanut Butter-Chocolate Brownie

Look at the title....need I say more?

3/4 c. fat-free sweetened condensed milk, divided
1/4 c. butter or stick margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 c. fat-free milk
1 (18.25 oz) pkg. devil's food cake mix
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
Cooking spray
1 (7 oz) jar marshmallow creme
1/2 cup peanut butter chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine 1/4 c. condensed milk, butter and next 3 ingredients (batter will be very stiff). Coat bottom of a 13X9 -inch baking pan with cooking spray. Press two-thirds of batter into prepared pan using floured hands (make sure to coat hands well!); pat evenly (layer will be thin).
3. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 c. condensed milk and marshmallow creme in a bowl, stir in chips. Spread marshmallow mixture evenly over brownie layer. Carefully drop remaining batter by spoonfuls over marshmallow mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 1 brownie)
source: The best of Cooking Light

Calories 176 (25% from fat); Fat 5g (sat 2.1g, mono 1.6g, poly 1.1g); Protein 2.6g; Carb 29.9g; Fiber 0.8g; Chol 6mg; Iron 0.8mg, Sodium 212mg; Calc 30mg

Mixed Apple Salad over Greens

Recently made this salad for a group of friends and they loved it, guys included!! The kids ate just the apples as a side. Light, fruity,refreshing and easy!

Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
2 cups chopped Granny Smith apple
2 cups chopped Cameo or Braeburn apple
1/4 cup (1 oz.) crumbled blue cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
4 cups mixed salad greens

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
2. To prepare salad, combine apples, cheese, and bacon. Drizzle dressing over apple mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve dressed apple mixture over salad greens. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup apple mixture and 1 cup greens).

Calories 163 (29% from fat); Fat 5.3g (sat. 2.1g, mono 2.2g, poly o.5g); Protein 3.7g; Carb 28.7g; Fiber 4.3g; Chol 8mg; Iron 1.1mg; Sodium 201 mg; Calc 78mg

Food for Thought

Food should be chosen for nutritive values, of course, but also to give variety and interest to meals. Food should be chosen to give pleasure and to cheer up people after a hard day's work, to comfort them when they feel down for some reason, to amuse them when things seem a bit dull, or to open up conversation when they feel silent and uncommunicative. It seems to me totally unnecessary for any home, or even institution, to fall into the rut of serving the same thing the same day each week. One should not be able to say, "oh, yes, Monday, bread pudding" -- anywhere. Meals should be a surprise, and should show imagination. - Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking

Artwork: Henri Matisse. Dinner Table. 1897.

Portobello Mushroom and Almond Pesto Lasagna

I found this recipe in this month's issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It is, hands down, one of the best vegetarian lasagnas I've ever tasted and so easy to make! It's got a wonderful nutty, citrus flavor. I threw in some feta to add a little tang. Everything's betta with feta...right, Hollie?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

5 large portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper

Two 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
3 cups (about 10 ounces) sliced almonds, toasted

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cloves garlic, chopped

Grated peel and juice of 1 lemon

6 no-boil lasagna sheets

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions: Prep time: 30 min. Bake time: 45 min. Serves 4.

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until softened, 6 to 7 minutes.

2. Using a food processor, process the toasted almonds, Parmesan, garlic, lemon peel, lemon juice and remaining 1/2 cup olive oil into a coarse paste. Transfer the pesto to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. In an 8-inch square baking dish, spread half the tomatoes across the bottom. Place 2 lasagna sheets on top. Spread a third of the pesto over the sheets; sprinkle with half the mozzarella and then half the mushrooms. Add another layer of lasagna sheets, pesto, mozzarella and mushrooms. Top with another layer of lasagna sheets, spread with the remaining pesto and then the remaining tomatoes. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 minutes more. Let stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

photo from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Sweet and Sour Meatball Simmer

This is one of our favorites! (Especially me because it's easy!)
Serve with a steamed vegetable for a complete dinner.
I found this recipe on Kraftfoods.com.

3/4 lb. homemade meatballs or (3/4 of 16-oz. pkg. frozen prepared)
1 medium each red and yellow pepper, cut into chunks
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apricot jam
1/4 cup Catalina Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
3/4 tsp. each ground ginger and garlic powder
2 cups brown or white rice, prepared according to package directions

COMBINE all ingredients except rice in large skillet; cover.
Cook on medium heat 10 min. , stirring occasionally.

INCREASE heat to medium-high; uncover. Cook 8 to 10 min.,
or until sauce is thickened and meatballs are heated through, stirring occasionally.

SERVE over the hot cooked rice.

Makes 4 servings, 1 cup each
**variation.. can substitute 3 cups frozen vegetables for the peppers. Just add during last 6 min. of the final cooking time.