Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread

I subscribe to this neat magazine called Clean Eating.  This months magazine had a great article about flaxseeds/ flaxseed oil.  Along with it was a recipe for this banana bread.  I happened to have all the ingredients except the flax seed oil.  So I decided to go get some and give it a try.  This bread was delicious, it was not very sweet with a nutty flavor and hearty texture.
Any recipe that does not include butter, sugar and white flour and still tastes good is always a good find for me.

Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tbsp ground flaxseed
pinch of salt
3 ripe bananas, mashed
2 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup raw honey
1/4 cup flaxseed oil
1/2 cup Ghirardelli 60% Cacao chocolate chips


1. Preheat oven to 350
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, flaxseed and salt
3. In a large bowl combine bananas until smooth. Add egg whites and whisk together, gradually
    mix in applesauce, honey and flaxseed oil.
4. Mix dry ingredients into banana mixture, stir in chocolate.
5. Mist a loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until done.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

To me, the perfect summer dinner is something cold.  Since ice cream and Popsicles do not qualify for dinner, I am always on the lookout for a nice cold summer salad.  I have some great cold pasta salad recipes but sometimes pasta is too heavy for me.  I stumbled across this recipe on a PBS show called Everyday Food and loved it.  It is so good that next time I may double it and add some more veggies/ beans.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad
1 Tsp Dijon mustard
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 shallot, finely diced
1 can (15 oz) black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed
1 pkg (10 0z.) frozen corn kernels, rinsed and thawed
1/2  red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 green pepper, finely diced
Salt and pepper


1. In a large bowl combine black-eyed peas, bell peppers and corn
2. In a separate bowl combine mustard, vinegar, oil and shallot, whisk together to combine
3.Toss dressing with vegetables and add a dash of salt and pepper to season.
4. Refrigerate for at least an hour then serve.

Spinach Quiche & Bacon and Cheese Quiche

When I was around 12 years old, my Mom gave me Julia Child "The Way To Cook" cookbook for Christmas.  I thought it was the greatest gift in the world.  Unfortunately, 26 years later, the only recipes I have mastered from this book are her Quiche recipes.  They are so good and  you can eat them for breakfast, lunch or dinner, how wonderful is that!   I try not to make them too often because they are so good you can't just eat one slice.  Plus they are better cold and since they are made in a pie shell, you don't even need a plate, just a fork which means in my house 2 quiches would last us about 48 hours max.  I have tweaked the recipe a bit because I like more cheese, so feel free to tailor it to what you like.  All in all I would like to say thank you Julia Child's for a truly remarkable quiche recipe.  I have never had one as good as hers...ever.

Spinach Quiche


2 shallots minced
2 tbsp butter
10 oz chopped spinach (1 box frozen) defrosted with any water squeezed out.
salt
pepper
nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 cup milk or cream ( I use whole milk)
3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese
9 inch pre baked pie shell

1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Saute shallots in butter over medium heat for about 1 minute and add spinach, stir over heat until tender.
3. Take pan off heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg (to taste).
4. In a large measuring cup (2-4 cup capacity) add eggs and enough milk or cream to make 1 1/2 cups "custard" mixture and set aside.
5. Take pre-baked pie crust and add 1/2 shredded swiss to the bottom.
6. In a separate bowl add cooled spinach mixture to your "custard" mixture and combine well.
7. Pour into pie shell and top with remaining cheese
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes until brown and bubbly.

Cheese and Bacon Quiche


6 strips of bacon cooked until crisp

salt

pepper

nutmeg

3 large eggs

1 cup milk or cream ( I use whole milk)

3/4 cup shredded swiss cheese

9 inch pre baked pie shell

1. Pre-heat oven to 375
2. Break up pieces of bacon and strew them in the bottom of the pie shell on top of cheese
3. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese on top of bacon.
4. In a large measuring cup (2-4 cup capacity) add eggs and enough milk or cream to make 1 1/2 cups "custard" mixture and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.
5. Pour "custard" mixture into pie shell and top with remaining cheese
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes until brown and bubbly.

The BEST Crabcakes

When we came back from Seabrook Island I made sure to get some fresh crabmeat because I have been craving crabcakes.  I am very particular about my crabcakes.  I am not a fan of crabcakes with mayonnaise in them as a binder.  I also do not like a lot of filler, I like a lot of crab.  Years ago when I was still working in NOLA, I saw Chef Paul Prudhome make this recipe on the local morning news.  I knew immediately that this was the recipe for me.  I have been making it ever since and I promise you it will not disappoint!

The BEST Crabcakes

1lb lump or white crabmeat
1/2 stick butter
1 medium onion chopped finely
1 large rib of celery chopped finely
1/2 green bell pepper chopped finely
1 beaten egg
1 3/4 cups Ritz crackers (about 1 1/2 sleves of crackers) crushed
1 1/2 tsp Old Bay
1 tsp worcestershire

1. Melt 1/3 of the butter in a saute pan over medium heat and cook onions, celery and bell pepper until tender.
2. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add all other ingredients.
3. Toss together well and form into crabcakes
4. Melt remaining butter in saute pan over medium heat and add crabcakes, a few at a time.
5. Cook 3-5 minutes each side, until golden brown.