Orange Banana Bread

Orange Banana Bread

I love this banana bread.  I've been tweaking the recipe for 2 years now, and I think I finally have something I will stick with.  The orange gives the banana bread a unique taste, without overpowering the banana; it also makes the bread really moist.

Over the years I've also added extras like walnuts, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, etc. and they have all been yummy.  Anyway, I made it last night and Robert said it was the best yet.  Here's what I did:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons applesauce
• 2 eggs
• 3-4 medium ripe bananas, halved
• 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 - 2 teaspoons cinnamon, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 

Cinnamon Sugar Mixture

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons flour, optional

Directions
In a bowl, combine sugar, applesauce, and eggs; mix well.  Stir in orange juice concentrate, orange juice, and banana halves.  Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk; add to banana mixture, beating just until moistened.  Mixture will be lumpy and you will have chinks of banana.  Do Not over beat mixture.  Flour will get overworked if you mix it too long and the bread will be tough and dense.

Stir in any optional ingredients: walnuts, strawberries, cranberries, blueberries, etc.

In a small bowl, mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour together.  Grease 2  8x4 loaf pans, sprinkle Cinnamon Sugar mixture in pans; evenly coat bottom and sides of pans.  Pour banana mixture into pans.

Bake at 325* for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pans and place on wire rack to cool completely.

{Another} Tofu Recipe

Here is another tofu recipe... I know, but I can't help myself. This lasagna is yummy. Although Robert contended it needed meat. But he always says that about veggie lasagna and it didn't say it until the day after so I don't think it really counts. At the dinner table he loved it and whilst it was cooking he proclaimed that it smelled "delicious."

Also, this recipe has less than 300 calories per serving.


Tofu Lasagna

• 217 g Lasagna
• 16 ounces Firm Tofu (squeeze the water out)
• 2 large Eggs
• 1/4 t Salt
• 1/4 t Black Pepper
• 1/4 t Nutmeg
• 2 T Skim Milk
• 3 c Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 T dried Parsley
• 2 c shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
• 8 ounces Mushrooms
• 1 c frozen chopped Spinach
• 1 Zucchini
• 1 Yellow Squash

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350*
2. Cook Lasagna (about 9 pieces) according to package instructions
3. Crumble tofu or pulse in a food processor until broken into small pieces. Combine in a bowl with eggs, salt, black pepper, nutmeg, skim milk, spaghetti sauce, parsley, and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
4. Slice mushrooms, zucchini, and yellow squash, and saute with spinach in a pan.
5. Spread a layer of sauce mixture in bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Add a layer of noodles (3 noodles wide), then spread another layer of sauce on top. Spread half of veggie mixture on sauce. Repeat layers of noodles, sauce, and veggies, ending with a layer of sauce.
6. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on top.
7. Bake in preheated over for 30-35 minutes.

This recipe is very flexible. You can add whatever veggies you like and it's yummy. I think next time, I want to add some eggplant too.

General Tao's Tofu

Now before you start rolling your eyes and grumbling about the tofu, I'll have you know this recipe is delicious. Robert and Adjoa gave a hearty thumbs up. It also received rave reviews and is incredibly popular on vegweb.com. Oh, and it only has about 300 calories per serving.

So there.

General Tao's Tofu

• 1 box of firm tofu
• egg substitute for 1 egg - I just used an egg. It increases the calories and isn't very vegetarian, but I don't really care about all that at the moment.
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• vegetable oil for frying - I used olive oil because I don't typically have vegetable oil on hand unless I'm baking a lot of goodies. Which I haven't been lately. Sigh. Olive oil is also sweeter than vegetable oil, so you can get away with using less sugar than the recipe calls for later.
  
• 3 chopped green onions
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger - I recommend using fresh ginger. This really makes the dish and is soooo yummy. I added a little extra ginger because I love it.
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic - I also recommend using fresh garlic. The flavor is just so much better than dried garlic.
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock - I was out of vegetable stock, so I had to use chicken stock. It helped give the dish more of a chicken flavor.
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce - Use low sodium soy sauce, if you have it.
• 4 Tablespoons sugar - This is a lot of sugar, and the dish is sweet. You can easily reduce the amount of sugar and still have a super yummy dinner.
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Tablespoon sherry (optional) - I didn't put this in and we didn't miss a thing
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• Cayenne Pepper, to taste
  
• 3 cups steamed vegetables - I used a frozen stir-fry mix
  

Tofu Preparation:

This takes a little forethought and a little preparation, but it makes all the difference in the world. Whenever you are using tofu as a meat substitute, I would highly recommend taking a few extra steps here. It makes all the difference in the world and helps the tofu have a more chicken-like consistency. You are going to drain, press, and freeze the tofu.

• When you get home from the store, immediately remove and drain the tofu.
• Place a dish towel on the counter, lay a paper towel on top and place the tofu in the center.
• Cover the tofu with another paper towel and another dish towel.
  
• You need to add some weight. A book or two works. I put a plate on top and a water bottle filled with water. The extra weight will help press out the water.
• Let it sit for a while.
  
• Slice the tofu horizontally so you have 2 rectangles, half as thick.
  
• Put it in the freezer. I remove the tofu the day before I want to use it and just stick it in the refrigerator.
  

Directions:

Cut prepared, thawed tofu into 1 inch chunks. Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water. Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.

Heat 3 Tablespoons oil in pan on medium heat. Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic. Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red bell pepper and vinegar. Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well. Add cayenne pepper to taste. Add fried tofu and steamed vegetables and coat evenly.

Serve immediately over your choice of rice.

Serves: 4 - We actually got about 5 servings out of this. Once you add the rice, it fills you up fast.

Preparation time: 30 Minutes

BossMan Cookies...In Other Words Cookies Used to Bribe the BossMan

Robert's employer gives the company about 2 weeks off for Christmas - paid. It's awesome {should be the standard for all employers...nudge, nudge, wink, wink}.

The catch: you must be at work the day before the holiday begins.

MY boss doesn't do that. MY boss requires that I be back at work Monday, the 29th. So to make the most of our trip to San Diego, Robert asked his boss if he could make an exception and allow Robert to leave on the 23rd.

Jeff conceded - as long as Robert brought in cookies. These are the yummy cookies I used to bribe Robert's boss into signing off on Robert's extra day so Robert could get paid for his holiday.

They are Martha cookies, from her yummy Cookie Book {thanks for the early and potentially way delicious Christmas present, Eden! hmmm, that sounded like the present was potentially yummy. You know what I mean}

I'll be giving some to my boss too...it never hurts to bribe and butter up a little.

Martha calls these:

Chocolate Crackles
makes about 5 dozen

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup whole milk {I didn't have whole milk on hand, so I used heavy cream}
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Melt chocolate in a heat-proof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Into a small bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk. Mix on low speed until just combined. Divide dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Divide each piece into sixteen 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days. They are WAY good, I promise. You will want a tall glass of milk with them, though.

Plum Galette

This is a Martha recipe. I changed it a bit, though. Instead of making Pate Brisee I just used Pepperidge Farm's frozen Puff Pastry sheets. You need 1 box (2 sheets). Let them thaw according to package directions. Unfold the sheets and use the whole square - you could cut it up into individual pastries, but I like making one big treat :)

Plum Galette

makes 2 large pastries

• 1 box (2 sheets) Pepperidge Farm's frozen Puff Pastry
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup finely chopped or ground toasted hazelnuts
• 2 tablespoons light-brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 pounds (about 5) plums, sliced into 1/2-inch-think wedges
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon water, lightly beaten, for egg wash
• 1/2 cup plum or red-currant jam

Directions:

Thaw frozen puff pastry according to directions. Preheat oven to 400*.

Unroll thawed puff pastry sheet on parchment-lined baking sheet. (You might be able to fit both pastries on 1 baking sheet if it's a large one, I had to use 2 baking sheets).

In a small bowl, combine flour, hazelnuts, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt; divide in half and spread to cover the middle of each pastry sheet, leaving a 1-inch border all around.

Arrange plums in rows on top, slightly overlapping the slices and alternating direction of each row. (you should be able to get about 3 rows). Sprinkle plums with granulated sugar. Fold edges up to enclose plums (I don't know how else to say this - you make a baking dish out of the pastry for the plums...does that makes sense?); brush dough with egg wash.

Chill 30 minutes in refrigerator.

Bake 10 minutes, rotate baking sheet to ensure even cooking. Bake another 10 minutes. Check it often and watch it carefully. Bake until pastry is golden brown and plums are softened. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature.

Heat jam in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until melted. Brush evenly over plum slices (I also like to drizzle it over the crust). Serve up the yumminess.

Robert isn't a big fan of plums, but he likes this pastry. His recommendation is to try it with strawberries. I think making it with pears or a mixed berry would be yummy. Of course, with the mixed berries you probably wouldn't need to drizzle it with jam....

Let me know if you give it a try, or if you change up the filling.

Calorie Cake. I Mean CARROT Cake.

Yesterday was National Bosses Day. So of course, I baked a cake for my boss. {To celebrate his boss-y-ness and bossiness, and also because I'm about to ask for many days of vacation time and he was already giving me grief - in a good natured, but you get my point sort of way - about the vacation time I have already taken off this calendar year.}

My boss is one of those super fanatical fitnessy types. {Yes you are}. So I opted for a carrot cake. You know, because it's healthy.

Here's the yummy recipe in case you are interested. Disclaimer: This is what my cakes will someday look like, of course, but this is NOT my cake. I wish I could claim it, but I can't.

Layered Carrot Cake

• 1 package (18 1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix. I made my own 'cake mix' this time, but 'tis way yummy with store bought cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• I always add about 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. Because for me, cinnamon and nutmeg go hand in hand.
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup veggie oil
• 3 cups grated carrots. I prefer baby carrots. They are sweeter, but harder to grate. Watch those filangies.
• 1/2 cup raisins. I usually don't add the raisins when I bake stuff, but raisins in this carrot cake are scrum-diddly-umptious.
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. I really chop the walnuts because large bits of nuts hurt my mouth and I don't like to come across a large nut when I'm chewing something. It makes me think I've committed a baking faux pas, what with their largeness and crunchyness in an otherwise soft, baked good.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting: because cream cheese frosting is the best frosting and this frosting is to DIE for.

• 1 package (8ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons orange juice. Start with 1 and work up from there. You will regret adding too much OJ when your frosting is runny and won't stay on the cake. I promise. It will waste you best laid plans.
• 1 tablespoon grated orange peel

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, and cinnamon. Whisk the eggs, OJ and oil; add to dry ingredients. Beat until well blended. Stir in the carrots, raisins and nuts.

Pour into two greased and floured 9-inch round baking pans. Bake at 350* (that's my degree sign because there isn't one on the keyboard and I don't know what else to tell ya) for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely. Again, please don't ruin a potentially beautiful cake by trying to frost it too early. It will only end in tears.

For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add the sugar, OJ and peel; beat until smooth. Spread frosting between layers and over top and sides of cake. Store in the fridge.

Here's how my cake turned out. I love the orange peel in the frosting. The frosting is so beautiful it makes a truly pretty cake. {Even if your frosting abilities are not professional in quality} And yes, this is what your cake will look like if you add too much OJ in the frosting or you are trying to frost your cake when your kitchen is a blazing furnace what with that huge south facing window and all.

So Happy National Bosses Day, Boss.

Hope you enjoy the cake - oh, and in case you all were wanting some nutritional information for my healthy carrot cake, there are indeed 544 calories per serving. And there are supposed to be 12-14 servings in a 9-in cake. You might want to dust off that elliptical.