Banana Mocha Chip Cookies

I recently came across Mocha flavored chips in the bulk section at Berkeley Bowl and couldn't help myself from buying a huge bag - not quite knowing what I would do with them. I had a couple of bananas that were so overripe they were beginning to ooze liquor out of them and I came up with the idea of combining the chips with the super ripe bananas to make these fabulous cookies. They are so tasty and unique, and a perfect way to use bananas that are too ripe to eat on their own.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup AP flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 t baking soda
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks (16 Tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
• 6 oz granulated sugar
• 6 oz Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 ½ cup mocha flavored chips

Directions:

1. In one bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and then add the sugars  Next add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla.
3. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture by hand
4. Mix in the banana and mocha chips until just combined
5. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour
6. Preheat oven to 375 and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats
7. Drop by tablespoons onto the baking sheet, spacing dough an inch apart
8. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes, until lightly brown.  Let them cool slightly on the cookies sheets and then transfer to cooling rack.

Roasted Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup

I recently wrote this recipe to be paired with the 2010 Joseph Phelps Vineyards Freestone Chardonnay. It's a festive celebration of some of the most delicious produce this Fall season has to offer.  The color alone is sure to wow anyone who's lucky enough to be seated at your dinner table!

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower, core removed
• 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 Tablespoons + 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 large yellow onions, diced
• 4 Tablespoons + 1 Tablespoon of butter, divided
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
• 1 rounded Tablespoon ginger powder
• ½ cup whole pecans (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place a large roasting pan in the oven as it preheats – this will give the vegetables a nice golden sear when they are added to the hot pan
3. Remove the cauliflower florets from the core and place in a large bowl
4. Cut the peeled sweet potatoes into wedges of ½ inch thickness.  Add to the bowl with the cauliflower florets
5. Toss the prepared vegetables with the 2 Tablespoons salt and 4 Tablespoons olive oil to coat
6. Carefully add the vegetables to the pre-heated roasting pan, stirring quickly to evenly distribute the pieces
7. Roast for 30-40 minutes, or until the pieces are lightly browned and soft
8. When you are 20 minutes into the roasting of the vegetables, heat an extra large pot over medium heat and add the 4 Tablespoons of butter
9. Next add the diced yellow onions and 1 Tablespoon of salt
10. Sauté the onions until they become translucent
11. When the vegetables are finished roasting, carefully add them to the large pot
12. Pour in the chicken or vegetable broth, adding enough to cover the vegetables by ½ inch.  Bring to a boil and then lower to the heat to a simmer.
13. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and falling apart.
14. Puree the mixture with an immersion or standard blender, adding more broth if necessary to achieve desired consistency
15. Season with the cumin, ginger and additional salt to taste
16. Meanwhile, toast the whole pecans until fragrant, then immediately toss with the additional Tablespoon of butter plus ½ teaspoon salt.  Once they’ve cooled, chop finely
17. Transport soup to serving bowls, garnish with a small amount of pecans and dish up hot.

Buon Appetito!

Rwandan Farmers Market

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for me to get back on the blogging train!

After one of our morning treks in Rwanda, we had the opportunity to visit a farmers market located outside Ruhengeri.  We were the only Caucasian tourists in sight, in fact I think we were the only tourists there amongst hundreds of Rwandans!  I snapped a few pictures of the produce and products we came across in the market, which can be seen below.

Our guide led us through the market and one of the most interesting things he told us was that the most expensive thing in the market by far was an apple.  In the market, one could buy one apple for the price of 6-8 tomatoes!

carrots, ramps, rosemary and new potatoes

check out the MASSIVE oyster mushroom located on the top lefthand corner!

garlic

a wide array of peppers {including habanero} and tomatoes

condiments, pasta and tea

dry goods

beautiful painted stalls

discarded baskets

beans

shallots and green beans

ramps in Rwanda!

a gorgeous array of fresh heirloom beans - which will be dried for storage

discarded potatoes

young garlic 

spice packets

Amanda checking out the banana bunches

A picture from our last day in Rwanda - the hillsides on the drive back to Kigali were absolutely stunning!

Roasted Beets with Caramelized Shallots, Bacon, Radishes and Arugula

Here's my latest savory creation which highlights some of the best produce that's currently in season including arugula, beets, and radishes... plus bacon!  The bacon adds a fabulous element of salty smoky flavor to the sweet earthiness of the beets.  For this recipe I used golden beets and red beets.  The dressing is simple as can be (EVOO, S&P) in order to let the natural flavors of the various ingredients shine.

This dish pairs well with the 2008 Trinitas Mysterium, which you can check out here: http://www.trinitascellars.com/product/2008-Mysterium

Makes 4 side dish servings

 Ingredients:

•          6 medium sized beets in assorted colors, washed and dried
•          Olive Oil, as needed, for cooking
•          Kosher salt, as needed
•          3 slices bacon, thick cut
•          2 large shallots, thinly sliced
•          1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced into thin circles
•          3 cups arugula, loosely packed
•          Good quality Olive Oil, as needed, to dress the arugula

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Cut off the bottoms of the beets and place them on a sheet of foil that is long enough to wrap them in a bundle.  Drizzle the beets with olive oil and sprinkle them with 1 Tablespoon kosher salt.  Enclose the beets in the foil bundle, and place on a baking sheet and into the preheated oven.  Bake the beets until the tip of a knife easily pierces through one of the beets, about 45 minutes.  Remove the beets from the oven, unwrap them, and set them aside until they are cool to the touch
3. While the beets are baking, fry the bacon on a large sauté pan until the fat is rendered and the bacon is brown crispy.  Remove the bacon from the pan, and set aside to cool
4. If you want to kick up the bacon flavor of this dish, you can use the fat that remains in the pan to caramelize your shallots.  Otherwise, safely discard the bacon fat and add 3 Tablespoons of olive oil to the large sauté pan.  Over low heat, caramelize your shallots with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt until they are soft and golden brown.  Remove the pan from the heat
5. Once your beets have cooled, cut off the tops of the beats to expose the flesh.  Use an old kitchen towel or several paper towels to scrub the skins off the beets.
6. Cut each beet in half, and then into ¼ inch thick half moons
7. Add the beets and 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil to the large sauté pan.  Toss the beets to coat them in the shallots and oil

To Serve: Dress the arugula with a small amount of good quality olive oil and kosher salt.  Arrange the beets on top of the arugula and top with the sliced radishes.  Finally, crumble the bacon on top of the radishes and serve.

Almond Banana Bread

I baked this rich, flavor-packed bread a couple of weeks ago at work.  To be honest, I kindof made do with what I was able to find in my pantry and used The Best Recipe's Banana Bread recipe as a reference.  Everyone concluded that it was the best banana bread we'd enjoyed in the office (we have a little thing for banana bread).  I substituted 1 cup of spelt flour for 1 of the 2 cups of white flour, as I wanted to kick up the health factor a bit.  Spelt is an ancient grain that's got a huge amount of fiber in it because it is ground with the bran intact.  I was a little afraid it might make the bread too tough, but the texture was delightful.

Because there is such a high ratio of nuts in this bread, it's quite hearty, which is great because you're getting a good amount of protein from the nuts in addition to the fiber from the spelt flour.  Additionally I used kefir in this recipe, which is a wonderful natural probiotic, but you could use buttermilk or plain yogurt instead.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 + 1/4 cups slivered almonds
• 2 extremely ripe large bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup kefir (you could also use plain yogurt or buttermilk)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 6 Tablespoons butter, melted and set aside to cool
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 350

2. Use non-stick spray or butter to grease all sides of your loaf pan.  Then add a Tablespoon or so of flour and shake it all around, making sure all sides and edges are covered in flour.  Tap the side of the loaf pan to remove any superfluous flour - you want it to be very lightly floured.

3. Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl: flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and ONE CUP of the almonds (you'll use the other 1/4 cup to top the loaf before baking).  Toss all ingredients together so the almonds are coated in the flour.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, kefir, eggs, butter, vanilla extract and almond extract.

5. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, combining them as minimally as you can.  Keep in mind the more you mix this batter, the tougher your final product is going to be - as you've now activated the gluten in both flours with the addition of the wet ingredients.  It's better to have patches of dry ingredients when you add your mixture to the pan than a completely smooth batter that's been over-worked.

6. Using a rubber spatula, scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan

7. Sprinkle the additional 1/4 cup of almonds on top of the batter

8. Bake until the almonds on top are toasted and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out with small crumbs attached - about 40-60 minutes.  Start checking the cake every five minutes after the cake's been baking for 40 minutes.

I used good quality almond extract and Mexican vanilla extract from Nielsen Massey

9. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool

Add caption

This cake was definitely best when I served it warm - but it was still tasting delicious after 3 days!

Coating the almonds in flour before incorporating them into the wet ingredients keeps them from sinking to the bottom

Dense with almond goodness

Come fabulous!

Roasted Cauliflower and Fennel Soup

Cauliflower and fennel are two of my favorite vegetables, so I created this recipe to utilize both for a super-creamy, healthy, dairy-free (and if you choose to use olive oil, vegetarian) soup.  It's so rich and hearty that your friends and family will be surprised it's dairy free.

Ingredients:

• 2 heads cauliflower
• 2 bulbs fennel
• 10-12 crimini mushrooms
• A pound or so of freshly shelled peas
• You can also use frozen peas: see step 11 for instructions
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as pinot grigio
• 2 quarts vegetable stock or broth
• Olive oil or butter, as needed
• Kosher salt, as needed
• Lemon pepper, freshly grated, as needed

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Put your roasting pan in the oven at this time so that it also preheats and gives the vegetables a nice sear when they are added to the hot pan

2. Remove the oxidized ends of the cauliflower heads and fennel bulbs.  Also remove the fennel tops (which you could use in an accompanying salad).  Then cut each into approximate 1 inch pieces.  You'll be roasting the fennel and cauliflower, so it's important that they be cut into similar sized pieces so they cook uniformly

3. Season the cauliflower and fennel liberally with kosher salt and freshly ground lemon pepper and toss to coat.  Next drizzle a generous amount of olive oil over the vegetables and toss again.  Taste one of each to be sure they are well-seasoned and glistening with olive oil

4. Add cauliflower and fennel to the *hot* roasting pan and roast for 40-60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until they have shrunk in size and are golden brown with caramelization

5. Meanwhile, heat a large pot of boiling salted water.  When the water has come to a boil, add the shelled peas and blanch for approximately 30 seconds, or until they begin to soften.  Keep in mind you'll be sautéing them along with the Criminis later, so this is just the first part of the cooking process.  Remove the peas and plunge them into a bowl of salted ice water to shock their color and stop them from continuing to cook

* It's very important that both the boiling water and the ice water be salted.  If the boiling water is salted and the ice water is not salted, all of the seasoning and flavor will drain out of the peas and into the ice water by the process of osmosis, leaving you with a bland finished product.

6. Next, cut your onion into a small dice, slice your mushrooms, and set aside

Cutting your vegetables and putting them in small bowls makes it easy to stay tidy and organized 

7. Prepare the same pot you used to blanch your peas by discarding the salted water and returning it to the stove top.  Heat approximately 4 Tablespoons of olive oil or butter over medium heat sweat your onions just until they begin to turn golden

8. Add the wine to the pot to deglaze, using your wooden spoon to scrape up any caramelized bits.  You may have to take your pot off the heat at this point, until your cauliflower and fennel are finished roasting

9. When your vegetables are well-roasted, add then directly to the ( already hot or reheated ) pot and stir to combine them with the onions

9. Add enough vegetable stock/broth to the pot so that the vegetables are covered by about 1/4 inch.  Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes, allowing all the flavors to mellow.

The beautiful caramelization on the cauliflower is due to the fact it was added to a preheated roasting pan

10. Once your vegetables are very tender, use an immersion or standing blender to thoroughly puree your soup for 5-10 minutes.  Return the mixture to the pot, and stir in more vegetable stock/broth if the soup is too thick for your liking.  Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or lemon pepper to taste.  Add more 

11.  In a small saute pan, heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil or butter and saute your mushrooms, adding the peas 2 minutes before the mushrooms are fully cooked.  *If you were unable to find fresh peas, you can add thawed frozen peas to the mushroom mixture at this point.

Ladle soup into warmed bowls and top with the sauteed Crimini mushrooms and peas.  Serve immediately.

Note: this soup freezes beautifully.  If you make a large batch, ladle cooled soup into ziplock bags and place in the freezer, leaving out the mushroom and pea mixture.  The soup can be thawed in your refrigerator and warmed on the stovetop for service at a later time.