Banana Bread

I have never been one to do much baking in the oven; I’ve done my share of boxed goods, but nothing really from scratch. So this was a new adventure for me and I loved it. The little princess has been growing tired of her usual breakfast, so we wanted something that would make a good alternative and chose another recipe from Deceptively Delicious. Jessica, as has always been the case, gives great directions on making this tasty treat. Not only did my princess enjoy it, Mom and I have enjoyed are share of it as well.

-Nonstick cooking spray
-3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup firmly packed light or dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 ½ cups banana puree
- 1 ½ cup cauliflower puree
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degree F. Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan, or 2 mini pans, with cooking spray

2. In a bowl or a zipper-lock bag, mix the flours with the baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon, if using, Set aside

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar and oil with a wooden spoon until well combined. Mix in the egg whites, banana and cauliflower purees, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined.

4. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes for the large loaf, 25 to 30 minutes for the mini loaves. Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then turn the bread out of the pan to cool before serving.

Now I cooked mine in a silicone bread pan, and it took about 45 to 50 minutes and 350 degrees F., just something to keep in mind.

Pizza

This is a twist of a recipe that I found in the Deceptively Delicious cook book. I’m sure I sound like a representative for her, but I’m not, my cooking decisions have been directed at finding good nutritious foods for my little girl. I do plan on branching out, I promise. Anyways, the original recipe was for Pita Pizzas and they were a big hit with the family. But making three to four personal pan size pizzas for dinner seems like a lot of work, and I don’t always have the room to cook them all at once. With that in mind I decided to make a large pizza, taking Jessica’s idea and applying it on a new scale, something I greatly enjoyed and look forward to doing again in the future. I don’t have time or the skills to make my own pizza dough, though I do plan on acquiring them at some point, when life slows down. Which is why I usually buy the prebaked wheat pizza crusts from the store, it’s healthier, quicker, and easier than making it. I also choose to cook the pizza on my gas grill, which simply gives you a crunchier crust and if you use a charcoal grill you will get that wonderful brick oven flavor. If you plan on doing this, you will want to look into some sort of pizza pan or a pizza stone. I have the pan, and it’s got a bunch of holes in it and it does a decent enough job. If you would like a picture of it let me know. Now, grill set up is pretty simple, you’ll want to do indirect cooking so simply shove the coals off to each side of the grill with a large alluminum baking pan in the center of the charcoal grate, and put the pizza in the center on the cooking grate. In a gas grill it works better if you have a grill that has multiple controllable burners, if so light the burners not directly under the pizza. You can even add, to both grills, wood chips for a little smokier flavor.

8 (4-inche) whole-wheat pita pockets (or use a one large whole wheat pizza crust)
½ cup spinach puree (any vegetable will work, I have used both and the thicker the puree the better)
2 cup bottled tomato sauce
2 cups thinly slice part-skin mozzarella

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (in this case the grill)
2. Spread the spinach puree on each pita so that the spinach comes to within about ½ inch of the edge. Spread the sauce over the spinach; it should cover the spinach and come to within about ¼ inch of the edge of the pita. Now lay the cheese over the sauce, covering any place where the green comes through.
3. Place the pizzas on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Let the pizzas cool 5 minutes before serving so the cheese cools and doesn’t pull off (and the spinach stays completely invisible, well almost)

Chicken Nuggets

What child does not like chicken nuggets? I swear it seems every child has a love affair for chicken nuggets and chicken fingers. The Recipe comes directly from Deceptively Delicious written by Jessica Seinfeld. The book is wonderfully written and packed full of recipes that hide vegetables in foods your kids will eat. Sammie loved this recipe, although I think she enjoys the ketchup more, either way we will be sure to make them again. I followed the recipe to the letter and have come to one conclusion about my cooking in a skillet, I almost always invariably set off the smoke detector. Perhaps that's why I love cooking outdoors so much, anyways this is a must for picky eating children that love chicken nuggets.

1 cup whole-wheat, white, or panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 Tbsp grated Parmesan
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup broccoli or spinach or sweet potato or beet puree
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 pound boneless, skinless chick breast or tenders, rinsed, dried, and cut into small chunks- I found that the breading and dredge mixture easily made enough for 2 lbs of chicken
1/2 tsp sale
Nonstick cooking spray- I use olive oil cooking spray
1 tbsp olive oil

1. In a bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flaxseed meal, Parmesan, paprika, garlic, and onion powder on the paper or foil, and mix well with your fingers

2. In a shallow bowl, mix the vegetable puree and egg with a fork and set the bowl next to the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Sprinkle the chicken chunks with the salt. Dip the chunks into the egg mixture and then toss them in the breadcrumbs until completely coated.

4. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the oil. Place the chicken nuggets in the skillet in a single layer, being careful not to crowd the pan, and cook until crisp and golden on one side, 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn and cook until the chicken is cooked through, golden brown and crisp all over, 4 to 5 minutes longer. (Cut into a piece to check that it's cooked through.) Serve warm.