Going Bananas

Yes literally, over  here I have been going bonkers...if you have read my other non-food blog www.takeawalkonmemorylane.blogspot.com, it features my brains scattered thoughts and general life.
Again sorry I haven't posted, as for the chocolate and honey strawberries, they were delicious but I didn't post because the photos looked mighty shit. So apologies. They were so easy to make though and I just went by what I thought so I do encourage you guys to have a try.

As for actual food, my father bought so many bananas so before they actually rotted my mother made a banana cake and some low cal muffins which I found the recipe of. Both delicious, and the low cal actually tastes really nice.

So here are the recipes...

BANANA MUFFINS
The good thing about these babies is that their ultra healthy, but they taste the same as normal sugared banana muffins the trick is to get bananas and leave them to ripen, if the skin is starting to blacken these are the best as they are easy to mash and have a softer, sweeter taste.

These are the ones we made...by the way. Just to put it out there I really like this camera angle to capture food. But look how soft and yummy they look. Trust me they satisfy and live up to the visual.

Recipe

·         125g (1 cup) plain flour

·         3 level teaspoons baking powder

·         1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

·         1/4 teaspoon salt

·         250g (3 medium,peeled) mashed ripe banana

·         3 tablespoons caster sugar

·                                                                                                                                                                                  60g (2 oz) reduced fat sour cream

·                                                                                                                                                                                  1 egg

·                                                                                                                                                                                  1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence Preheat oven to 180 C. Grease 12 cupmuffin pan or line with paper muffin cups.

 Mix flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat                together banana, sugar, egg and vanilla essence. Stir in creme fraiche( sour cream). Stir into flour mixture until just combined. Spoon evenly into prepared muffin pans.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into centre of a muffin comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. For best flavour, place in an airtight container or plastic bag overnight.


All thanks to the recipe from: http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/884/banana-muffins.aspx

Part 2 later...Banana Cake

Practice Makes Perfect...

Mio Fratello's Master Piece

Okay I know I haven't been blogging but I have had no breathing space to even cook anything so I may have another post this afternoon or I will post it sometime on the weekend, glazed honey and chocolate strawberries. But now this post is called Mio Fratello's Master Piece, which translated from Italian to English is My Brother's Master Piece as he called it. I had a boring lunch. Made myself poached eggs on a whole grain muffin.
Anyway this is what it is. The recipe...The Master Piece. To the right side is it before it was put into the oven.

What you'll need ladies and gentleman:
1 loaf of Lebanese Bread
Kalamata Olives, pitted
Kebana
Oregano
Chilli
Pepper
Salt
Napoli sauce (you can find this in a can like Dolmio's but we had homemade, if have neither use tomato paste)
Tasty Cheese
Tomato, sliced how ever you prefer
Parsley
Olive Oil.

Method
On the left I thought this was a pretty good picture of the still uncooked product as it looked like it was out of a cookbook.
Anyway:

• Put Lebanese Bread on a plate, one whole loaf and spread Napoli sauce or tomato paste in the centre leaving the edges so it can become a crust unless you don't mind.
• Next grate tasty cheese and sprinkle oregano.
• With pitted olives you can arrange anywhere
• Cut Kebana into slices depending on how thick you like it then arrange in what way you'd like, sprinkle chilli, pepper and salt.
• Grate more tasty cheese on top so it covers it more, sprinkle a little more oregano and drizzle some olive oil around the crust too.
• Place the fresh tomato on top and sprinkle parsley.
• Pre-heat oven for a couple of minutes at 270 degrees.
• Place on a tray and put in oven leave until cheese is melted, then grill for a minute or so until crisp.
• Then Eat and Enjoy or as the Italians say it Mangia                           (cooked below)

 Tips

• Fresh ingredients are always best and making your own sauce is healthier option
• Use low fat- salt reduced tasty cheese and if you are like me who would rather a healthier option then you don't need the oil all over as the cheese harvests oil itself so only drizzle on crust so it doesn't get to dry.
• You don't need to use salt because the cheese and the kebana have salt in it.
• Our oregano was from our garden, picked, dried and crushed.
• Don't need to use kebana can use salami, ham or bacon
• If you want to be more Italian when putting on the fresh tomatoes also put ricotta, bocconcini or mozzarella pieces not grated.
• You can swap lebanese bread for wholemeal lebanese bread or for a smaller serving use pita bread, or small mountain bread. Though Lebanese Bread is 98% fat free.
• Some may want to add garlic.

Benefits
The good thing about a pizza you can put anything on it depending on your diet, and how much you want of the ingredients on it. 

This blog is featuring my brothers cuisine.

Muesli Squares

The best thing with these is that they can be gluten free. I didn't have those ingredients and I don't need those ingredients but I will have that option as well.
These are healthy option of a muesli bar but as needed in the recipe, I had no oats or muesli so instead I made them with weetbix which are super healthy for you and Low GI as they are made of wholegrains.

Original Recipe- Gluten Free
350 g gluten free untoasted muesli
200 g dates, chopped
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 cup golden syrup, heated
3/4 cup gluten free plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten


My Recipe -see picture.


350 g weetbix -crumbled
200 g dates- chopped
1 teaspoon mixed spice
1/2 cup of golden syrup, heated (instead I used a quarter of a cup of golden syrup and the rest is honey as I ran out of golden syrup...I suggest this so it is not too sweet or go for all honey, it is healthier for you)
3/4 cup of plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten


Method: (for both) 
1. Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl. 
2. Add eggs and golden syrup/honey, mix thoroughly until all ingredients are combined and sticky. 
3. Press into a lasagna size tray, approximately 2cm thick. 
4. Bake in a moderate oven (180°C) for approximately 30 minutes or until golden.

Tips
When mixing, mix with clean hands, and squeeze it together so it forms kind of like a dough- not too crumbly.
Use baking paper and canola spray as it will be hard to get it off out of the tray.
I would make it thicker next time- so not too large of a tray
Press down using rolling pin so it is even and compressed. Press the edges of tray down with a spoon. If rolling pin is too big and if possible take handles off.
Put more dates in I'd say 250g, as I would do it next time.
Instead of cutting dates with a knife which takes longer, cut with scissors.
Caution: may be hard so don't bite into them especially after a day.


Good things:
suitable to freeze
store in an airtight container


Next time I will try with oats, but honestly I really liked them. I hope you do too. Not hard to make and quick.


Practice Makes Perfect...

Rice Rocks- by Safeway Catalogue

Okay this may not look all that appetising but trust me if you get the flavors right and I will tell you how it is delicious

2 cups of arborio rice (you do need this rice because it becomes softer and easier to handle)
5 cups of boiling chicken stock or 4 cups of boiling water and one cup of two and half vegetable stock cubes dissolved in one cup of boiling water
1 cup of shredded carrot or frozen birds Eye julienne carrot
1 cup of frozen baby peas or normal
65 g piece of reduced fat mozzarella or tasty cheese
1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper if needed.

Place rice and stock into a medium saucepan, bring to the boil then reduce heat to simmer. Cook covered for approximately fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally. Add carrot and peas and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until rice is cooked and all water is absorbed.

Remove from heat and if needed add salt and pepper (honestly the chicken salt and the cheese later adds all the flavor but you guys can do what you want)
Refrigerate until it is cool. This makes it easier to use and handle.
Shape the cool rice into six even sized balls. They way you do this is clump a bunch of rice together and shape and then what I found helpful was tossing it closely hand to hand so you're shaping it but not handling it too much that it collapses. Cut cheese into six even squares. Make sure they are big because the cheese is to balance out the overpowering salty stock in the rice and if you have not enough cheese then the balls will be too overpowering.
Press cubes in and reshape
Roll the balls in the parmesan and place on baking paper in an oven tray. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celcius for 25-30 minutes until lightly golden and heated through.

Serve with steamed vegies such as broccoli, corn and baked potato

Tips
Wet hands with a little water to prevent the rice sticking to your hands when shaping
Have all ingredients ready
Have large cubes because the stock without the cheese can be overpowering.

Practice Makes Perfect...

this blog

Hey this is just a food blog and my attempts are shown on here, i enjoy baking and cooking so I wanted to share it with y'all. So yeah. I hope you get inspired as I got inspired by the blogger who writes bon appetempt. Go check her out. Yeah it's pretty cool.
So what you'll find...
recipes
delicious pictures
and as I said hopefully inspiration.

Everyone needs to remember that Practice Makes Perfect...