Gluten Free Banana Nut Muffins

Some days when I write I feel like I am a hybrid of a creative wizard and a Food Network star that was born to describe food. Other days I feel like I couldn't describe a dish if someone hit me in the face with it. Blogging after work can be tough. You use all your brain power during the work day and when you finally get home and take the muffins out of the oven and sit down to write a creative post, all you can think of is "muffins are good". I sat at my computer for 20 minutes racking my brain trying to describe banana muffins and all I could come up with is that one, feeble sentence.

Over the past 3 or so years I've been blogging, I have found ways to kick the mind-block aside. You either eat more of the food you are trying to blog about, sit in front of the computer and type, erase and type again until good sentences flow, or just take a break and give it a try later. Taking a break is precisely what I did because I made these muffins about two weeks ago and just didn't have the time or energy to share their marvelous recipe.

Two weeks is selfishly long to keep this recipe to myself. These muffins are extremely moist and flavorful yet fairly light by using applesauce instead of some oil which lessens the fat content and increases nutritional value. It is everything you could want in a muffin and a great way to use up over ripe bananas while filling your home with the warm, cinnamon scent perfect for the holidays!

To make mine gluten free, I prefer to use this Bob's Red Mill all purpose gluten free flour that has xanthan gum conveniently pre-blended in. I have had great results from using it and it worked especially well in these muffins!

They're perfect for breakfast, snack or dessert. I love having them made and looking forward to a delicious on-the-go breakfast for those days you feel a little too lazy to make breakfast. I don't know about you but those days increase for me during the winter months!





Gluten Free Banana Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup mashed banana (approx 3, black spotted ripe bananas)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups Bob's 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour (if using a regular gluten free flour, add 3/4 tsp xanthan gum)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tins with paper liners or grease. 
• Beat bananas, sugars, eggs, applesauce, oil, orange juice and vanilla until smooth. 
• In separate large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg with a wire wisk to combine.
• Slowly mix dry ingredients into banana mixture. Don't over mix!
• Fill muffin tins 3/4 full with batter and top with a sprinkling of nuts.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Spiced Carrot Soup with Orange

One of my favorite things about my job is that it allows me to get to know countless businesses in the local community. I am constantly meeting with local human resource managers and finance executives and learning about their company and their personal backgrounds.

During a recent Seacoast Human Resource Association meeting I happened to sit next to a woman who works for a company that is right up my alley (of course it involves food). The company is called Dig In. Their goal is to help individuals and companies by educating and coaching on the power of eating healthy. The healthier your work force is, the happier they are and the better they will perform. I really appreciated their mission and was excited to try a recipe of theirs.

At the meeting they gave everyone an adorable pre-mixed spice packet with all the seasonings necessary for their carrot soup recipe. (I promised Vicki from Dig In that I would make the soup, blog about it and send her the link - So Vicki, this is for you!)

 

This quote in its many variations always makes me smile because I grew up with a mother that teaches cooking and I have taught many friends tricks of the trade as well.


The soup is delicious. It has great warm flavor from the spices and is lightened up by the splash of orange juice. Additionally, the carrots are roasted before putting in the soup which brings out their sweetness.

The texture reminds me of pea soup, which I love (but absolutely HATED until I was about 15). I brought a bowl to work for lunch along with a nice piece of steak. I'm not sure if that is exactly what Dig In would recommend but I'd say it was a great combo!


For more information about Dig In, check out their website! www.diginrealfood.com





Roasted Carrot Soup w/ Cumin, Ginger & Orange
Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
Olive Oil
2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp cumin
 1/8 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground ginger
4-5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss carrots in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
• Roast in preheated oven for about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
• Heat soup pot on medium heat and drizzle with oil. 
• Add onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika and ginger. Stir for two minutes, until aromatic. 
• Add carrots and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Stir well to mix. 
• Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10-12 minutes or until carrots are very soft. 
• Uncover and let cool slightly. 
• Puree soup in small batches in a blender or use an immersion blender. 
• Stir in OJ. 
• Garnish with cilantro or mint. 

Homemade Bacon Mac & Cheese

Nothing says "Thank you for your service to our country" on Veteran's Day like homemade mac & cheese.

Well....... there are probably more appropriate offerings, but in the end no string of words or baked dish will ever really say thank you quite enough for what some men and women give up for our safety. With that being said, small gestures can go a long way and any cheesy comfort food can go an extra long way (especially if it feeds the entire office).

I decided to make mac and cheese for my colleague who served after a client of mine gave me a couple boxes of Stonewall Kitchen organic pasta. (I will always have a soft spot for SWK because I interned there and fell in love with the overall vibes of the company as well as multiple products of theirs.) I knew my colleagues would, as usual, eat it during what would be considered breakfast time to the general population (because they're vultures). Therefore, I figured if I added some bacon we could just pretend it was meant for breakfast.

There are recipes out there with 100 different cheeses in them that I have made before and they never seem to taste better than the classic. This is a no-frills mac. Really all you need is extra sharp cheddar, parmesan and in this case, bacon. Don't go over board with the bacon, though. I would definitely stick to the three/four pieces the recipe states because you don't want to overpower all of the sharp, nutty, creamy flavors of the cheese.

It's a broken heart mending, taste of home type of recipe. I suppose my thought process is that if I was over seas and I came home, I would want a dish like this.

I topped the macaroni with panko crumbs but crushed Ritz crackers would do the trick as well. It's such a simple recipe that is heart warming and comforting and a great dish for the changing of seasons. I don't know about you, but my butter consumption increases tenfold between November and February and that is how I make it through winters in New England. Buttery, rich comfort foods; There's nothing better.


Happy Veteran's Day to all of those who serve our country and sacrifice so much of their lives for us, and a special thank you to my colleague Peter at BankW! 





Homemade Bacon Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:
12 oz pasta of choice (anything "tube" to best hold cheese)
3/4 slices of bacon
2 tbsp minced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
14 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese + a handful for topping
4 oz parmesan cheese + a handful for topping
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp chili powder or 1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs or crushed ritz
1 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 and butter a 9x13 baking dish.
• Cook pasta according to package directions, minus 1-2 minutes to allow pasta to cook fully in the oven. 
• In a large pot, cook bacon over medium heat. Remove from pot but leave grease. Turn heat down a bit to prevent burning and add in onion and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes then add in butter. 
• When butter is melted, add in flour small amounts at a time and wisk to create a roux. If you have never made a roux before, it will look similar to mashed potatoes so don't freak out. Be very careful not to burn and stir frequently. 
• Add milk slowly and wisk constantly. Cook for about 5-7 minutes or until sauce is thickened and just starting to bubble. 
• Remove from heat and stir in cheeses, crumbled bacon, salt, dry mustard and chili/cayenne until melted. 
• Mix pasta into cheese sauce and pour into prepared dish. Top with handful of cheddar and parmesan, Italian seasoning and breadcrumbs. 
• Bake in preheated oven 40 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and crust is golden. 

Sour Cream Coffee Cake

No matter how much you like where you work, there will still be days you wake up and wish you had a stress free day off. There are days you get rejected and frustrated (especially in recruiting), but at the end of the week you go out for a drink with your coworkers and get pumped up for the next 5 day grind of pushing through it all. You arrive Monday morning, coffee cup(s) in hand ready to tackle the day and get people in jobs they're happy about.

Speaking of coffee cups....... After being with my firm six months now, I can say with substantial confidence that recruiters at Bank W Holdings likely consume a large majority of the entire state of New Hampshire's overall coffee consumption.

As an avid cook, this means one thing: Coffee cake.

What is a better pick-me-up than a sweet homemade treat that is literally meant to be washed down with a gulp of hot coffee? What could possibly be a more appropriate snack for the caffeine fiends at KBW? I answered myself this question by realizing that no matter what I make, it will be devoured by my coworkers before 10 am, regardless of if it was really intended for breakfast. Therefore, if it is an actual breakfast item AND pairs marvelously with your morning cup of joe, we've hit the jackpot.

This is my favorite coffee cake recipe. I first made it for Mother's Day back in high school and I haven't been able to even consider trying another recipe. It's exceptionally tender and moist (thank the sour cream for that) with the perfect amount of sweetness. The simplicity of it screams comfort food and with a tasteful drizzle of icing, it's a super crowd pleasing cake for breakfast or even dessert!

My colleagues gave me rave reviews, which makes my day because (it boosts my ego) it assures me that the recipe is worth sharing.

 My only request from you is that whether you make this recipe (obviously you should) or another, just abstain from using a box mix. Making it homemade is simple and 100% worth it.

Whether it's for your next holiday/special occasion breakfast or just a nice gesture to perk up your office Monday morning, you will be happy you made this!





Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients:
Cake:
1 cup sugar
1 stick room temperature butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
12 oz sour cream
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Topping:
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
Icing: 
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp half and half (or milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp melted butter

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 pan.
• Cream together butter and sugar with electric mixer until creamy. Slowly mix in sour cream.
• Beat in one egg at a time and vanilla until well mixed. 
• In separate bowl, wisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 
• Mix dry ingredients with sour cream mixture until combined. Don't over mix.
• Mix topping ingredients together.
• Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Top with half of topping mixture. Add remaining batter on top (it will seem like it's hardly enough, but work gently to spread it evenly) and then top with remaining sugar topping. 
• Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Mix icing ingredients together (can add more or less sugar/half&half to get best consistency). Wait until cake is completely cooled before drizzling or squeezing through a plastic bag on top.

Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

I have been making these stuffed mushrooms for years and I've always claimed they are the best I've ever had. I felt no need to alter the recipe because they're just perfect. Well, one thing I have learned to be consistently true is that there is always room for improvement in life, even in well loved recipes that you thought were the best they could be after making them a thousand times (but don't tell my mom that about her date nut bread). Generally my thought process is that cheese will make everything better (except maybe my mom's date nut bread), but in this case the mushrooms were already stuffed with cheese. Therefore there was only one other option..... Add a different kind of cheese. Genius, right?


Cue the smoked mozzarella.

Cream cheese, parmesan and smoked mozzarella oozing out of a tender mushroom, topped with a crunchy bread crumb topping with a hint of cayenne. Double the recipe (at least); you won't regret it. You can even make them ahead and freeze them without the crumb topping to save for later. They're fancy enough for any gathering yet fairly cheap and easy enough for any day of the week. They're also easy to make gluten free without the bread crumbs. A perfect recipe for the upcoming holidays!


Exhibit A: Cheese ooze, 5 O'clock

I bet you $10 that at least three people ask you for the recipe. (And that's about all the extra cash I have right now so that's serious confidence)


PS - You could do this recipe with regular mozzarella if you want. I HIGHLY recommend the smoked mozzarella though, because it adds a flavor that truly set these apart.



Cheesy Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:
20 white mushrooms
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
6 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup smoked mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup (more or less) seasoned panko bread crumbs

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Wash mushrooms, removing any dirt and dry with a paper towel.
• Remove the stems and finely chop.
• Heat olive oil in stove over medium heat and add mushroom stems and garlic. Cook until the stems are soft and liquid has evaporated. Set aside a few minutes to cool.
• Mix together the cheeses, stems and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Stuff (and I mean STUFF) the mushrooms with the cheese mixture. Press the cheese top into the breadcrumbs to coat.
• Place stuffed mushrooms on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the top is crisp and brown and mushrooms are tender.