Cinnamon Honey Banana Bites

Something happened to me when I got pregnant and after I had Jude. Before I was always more of a spicy, salty or savory type of girl. My idea of dessert was nachos with extra jalepenos. But now I can't get my mind off sweets. Any sweets!  I've been obsessed and especially with chocolate. 

I've been trying to eat more healthy so that I can lose these last few lbs of baby weight. So I've had to find healthier snacks and desserts. 

This is one I found and I'm obsessed. So simple and amazing. Just try it and you will see :)

Cinnamon Honey Banana Bites

1 banana cut into slices

Cinnamon

1 T honey

1/2 T water

1 tsp Coconut oil

Put the coconut oil in a heated pan. Put the banana slice in the oil and fry them until they are nice and golden brown. The crispier the better. 

Mix the honey and water. 

Flip all the banana slices and pour the honey mixture over them. Turn off the heat and wath the honey bubble :). Let it bubble for a minute then pour out onto a plate and sprinkle with as much cinnamon as you'd like. 

Enjoy :)

Meatless Chili and Mexican Cornbread.

This is a chili recipe that I sorta made into my own by combining a bunch of other chili recipes together. It is so tasty, and the cornbread is almost good enough to make just by its self! I made this earlier this week, and it was quite a hit. Here is the recipe:

Meatless Chili

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can great northern beans, rinsed

1 can pinto beans, rinsed

1 can kidney beans, rinsed

1 can chili beans

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 can vegetable broth

3/4 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 tsp garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 medium onion chopped

1 jalepeno minced

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1 1/2 teaspoon parsley flakes

Add all ingredients to a crock pot and cook for 3-4 hours or until it is the consistancy that you like. I like my chili thick. I hope you enjoy this one =]

Mexican Cornbread

Add one can creamed corn

1 cup cubed cheese

1/2 to 1 cup chopped jalapeno peppers

to a batch of cornbread.

And cook as cornbread is directed.

Chana Masala with Garlic Naan

My sister made this meal for me a few weeks ago. Ever since then I have been non-stop craving it! She made the Paneer Masala, with Paneer cheese, instead of Garbanzo Beans. But it was Sunday and the Indian Market was not open, so I had to make do with garbanzo beans. My husband Jake says he liked it more.  You can also make it with chicken instead of the Garbanzo Beans as well. So try the one that sounds the best to you! Anyways here is the recipe. 

Chana Masala

2 cups white rice

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapeno peppers, finely chopped

4 teaspoons ground cumin

4 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons Garam Masala

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

Cook rice according to package. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and jalapenos for 1 minute. Season with cumin, paprika, garam masala and salt. Stir in tomato sauce, cream and cilantro. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add the Garbanzo beans and cook for 10 more minutes on medium low heat.

Serve over cooked rice. And serve with some garlic naan (recipe is on my Indian Vegetarian Curried Fried Rice post).

Hope you enjoy it =] =]

Black Bean and Cumin Flautas.

This was one of my favorite meals when I used to eat meat. The recipe originally was a enchilada recipe that my Mom just used the filling and turned into Flautas. The recipe for the enchiladas came from my Uncle Tod.  When I became vegetarian my Mom started to make mine with black beans, and lets just say it was the best creation ever. I changed and added a few things to my liking. They are amazing, if you like cumin you will LOVE these. This picture doesn't do it justice at all.  Anyways enough of that and lets get to the recipe:

Black Bean and Cumin Flautas

8-10 small flour tortillas

1 tablespoon salad oil

1 medium onion chopped

3 tablespoons cumin

1/4 teaspoon dry oregano

1 4-oz can green chilies diced

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 cans black beans (1 can will do but 1 1/2 I've found gives it more filling)

2 small tomatoes diced

1 jalapeno diced (seeded if you don't like the spice)

2 cups monterey jack cheese shredded

1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredder

Sour Cream

Salsa

Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, cumin, and oregano; cook stirring often, until onion is soft 3-5 minutes. Stir in green chilies jalapenos and cream. Boil over high heat, stirring often until thickened about 2 minutes. Add black beans and tomatoes; remove from heat and stir in the cheeses. Heat a frying pan with enough oil to fry the flautas. Roll just enough filling into the tortillas to make about 10 flautas. Enjoy with sour cream and salsa!!

Kidney Bean and Vegetable Gratin.

Lately I have had a little obsession with plain Greek yogurt. So I saw this recipe in The Vegetarian Cookbook, and had to give it a try. I thought it was quite the tasty meal, but I think it had too much vegetables for Jake's liking. And he doesn't like yogurt so i don't think it was as good for him. But it's very pretty and colorful and has lots of good stuff in it! So here's the recipe:

(the only thing I didn't put in it is the raisins)

Kidney Bean and Vegetable Gratin

3 tablespoons virgin olive oil

1 medium onion

2 medium sticks celery

2 cloves garlic 1 medium red pepper

7/8 cup seedless raisins

A pinch of dried oregano

A pinch of dried crushed red chillies

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and black pepper

14 ounce canned chopped tomatoes

6 ounce broccoli

A handful of fresh cilantro

1 3/4 cup canned kidney beans

1 1/3 cup cooked rice

3/4 cup ounce frozen sweetcorn

2/3 cup Parmesan cheese

To serve: 8 ounce natural Greek yoghurt, or 7/8 cup soured cream fresh crusty bread

method

1. Put a kettle of water on to boil. Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan over a very low heat. 2. Peel and chop the onion, rinse and thinly slice the celery and peel and crush the garlic. Add them to the oil; fry gently for 5 minutes. 3. Rinse, deseed and chop the pepper and add it to the pan with the raisins, oregano, crushed chillies and cumin and fry for 2 minutes. 4. Add salt and pepper, the canned tomatoes and 5 tablespoons of water. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. 5. Rinse the broccoli, cut it into florets, put them into a saucepan and cover with boiling water. Bring back to the boil, cook for 2 minutes, then drain and set aside. 6. Preheat the grill to medium. Rinse and chop enough cilantro to give 4 tablespoons and set aside. 7. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add them to the vegetable mixture, with the canned rice and sweetcorn. Return to the boil, lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and heat for a further minute. 8. Remove the pan from the heat, then stir in the cilantro and grate the Parmesan cheese over the top. Grill or broil the gratin for 5 - 6 minutes to melt the cheese. 9. Serve accompanied by yoghurt or soured cream, and crusty bread.

Indian Vegetarian Curry Fried Rice, Quinoa Cakes and Garlic Naan.

I found this recipe for the Fried Rice in a Shape Magazine. And I've made it so many times. It is so delicious. Everyone I have made it for has LOVED it. Even my husband likes it and he is not so big on Indian food. He is getting more familiar with it and enjoys it a lot more than the first time he tried it.  And for the Naan well lets just say its to die for. MMMmmmmm. I got the recipe off of allrecipes.com a while back and have made it several times. Me and Jake enjoy them very much. If you like Indian food this fried rice is definitely a recipe not to miss. Here it is:

Indian Vegetarian Curry Fried Rice

• 2 T peanut or vegetable oil, divided
• ¹/₂ cup chopped onion
• 1 T minced ginger
• 1 cup green beans, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
• ¹/₂ cup 1/4-inch diced carrots
• 1 T curry powder
• 3 cup cooked brown rice
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 T low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 t red pepper flakes
• ¹/₈ t freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Heat a 14-inch flat-bottom wok or 12-inch skillet over high. Swirl in 1 tablespoon oil, add onion and ginger, and stir-fry for 10 seconds or until ginger is fragrant.

Add green beans and carrots; using a metal spatula, stir-fry for 1 minute or until beans are bright green. Stir in curry powder and stir-fry for 5 seconds or until fragrant.

Swirl in remaining oil, then add rice. Stir-fry for 1 minute, breaking up rice with a spatula until it’s well combined with vegetables.

Add chickpeas, tomatoes,soy sauce, and pepper's and stir-fry for 1 minute or until mixture is heated through. Divide among 4 bowls and serve.

The only thing I changed about the recipe is I didn't add the whole 3 cups rice I found it way too much for the vegetables and curry. And I used a spicy organic curry powder.

Garlic Naan

• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (optional)
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand about 10 minutes, until frothy. Stir in sugar, milk, egg, salt, and enough flour to make a soft dough. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes on a lightly floured surface, or until smooth. Place dough in a well oiled bowl, cover with a damp cloth, and set aside to rise. Let it rise 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in volume.
2. Punch down dough, and knead in garlic. Pinch off small handfuls of dough about the size of a golf ball. Roll into balls, and place on a tray. Cover with a towel, and allow to rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.
3. During the second rising, preheat grill to high heat.
4. At grill side, roll one ball of dough out into a thin circle. Lightly oil grill. Place dough on grill, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until puffy and lightly browned. Brush uncooked side with butter, and turn over. Brush cooked side with butter, and cook until browned, another 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from grill, and continue the process until all the naan has been prepared.

Char's Garden Chowder and My Family Rolls. YUMMY!!!

If you don't try and make this soup you are absolutely crazy and missing out. It is so good, I can't get enough of it. 

This is my Aunt Char's recipe, that she entered into a contest for a new soup at Zupas.  She won and they served it there for quite a while. If you have ever been to Zupas you know how good this must be. 

The picture doesn't do it justice but the taste is so cheesy, creamy and so freaking delicious. And to go along with it I made my families recipe for rolls. They are always a huge hit.  Here are the recipes:

Char's Garden Chowder

2 Medium Zucchini's
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 T Fresh Parsley, Minced
1 t dried basil
1/3 c butter
1/3 c flour
1 t salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3c vegetable broth
1 t lemon juice
2-3 tomatoes, diced
1 12oz can evaporated milk
1 can corn
1/3 c Parmesan cheese, grated
2c cheddar cheese, grated


Over MD heat saute the onion, zucchini, parsley, and basil in butter until vegetables are tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in vegetable broth. Add lemon juice; mix well. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for two minutes. Add tomatoes, milk and corn; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for five minutes or until corn is tender. Just before serving, stir in cheese just until melted. Serve.

Mom's Dinner Rolls

4-4 1/2 C flour

1 T rapid rise yeast

1 C milk

1/3 C sugar

1/3 C vegetable shortening or butter (I use butter)

1 tsp salt

2 eggs

In a large mixing bowl combine flour and yeast. In a saucepan heat milk, sugar, butter and salt just until war (115-120 degrees) and butter is almost melted, stir constantly. Add to flour mixture; add eggs. Beat at low speed of electric mixer for 1/2 minute, scraping sides as you go. Beat 3 minutes at high speed. Stir in as much remaining flour as you can mix in with a spoon. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6-8 Min's) Shape into a ball. Place in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover at let rise in a warm place until doubled(about 1 hour).

Punch down. Shape into desired rolls, cover, let rise till nearly double (about 30 Min's). Bake in a 375 degrees oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Bake in a glass 9x13 pan in about 1/4 cup melted butter. ENJOY!!!