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Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Now we are back to our normal routines and New Years resolutions. Below are two recipes that are healthier versions of recipes that you may already have enjoyed before.
Best Ever
Banana Bread
1 cup gluten-free flour
3/4 cup almond flour
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large bowl, stir together both flours,sugar,baking soda, and salt. In another mixing bowl, combine eggs, bananas, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients with a hand mixer until blended well. Add flour mixture, and mix with a hand held mixer just until combined. Then finish mixing with a spatula. Pour into a greased 9x5x3 inch baking pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and 20 minutes or until the bread tests are done. Or you can bake the bread in 3 mini loaf pans at the same temperature for 35-40 minutes.
Hint: I made this recipe gluten-free and have been making it like this for quite some time. No one will know it is gluten-free. This bread is so moist and tasty. If you want to make it non-gluten-free just swap the flours for all-purpose flour. I also cut the sugar in half and it is still sweet.
The ripened bananas also add sweetness, the riper the bananas the sweeter the bread.
This next recipe is a nice hearty winter dish that is pretty easy to make on a cold January day.
Chicken and
Dumplings
2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken,
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons cornstarch
Dumplings:
3/4 cup gluten-free bisquick mix
1/3 cup milk, whole, low fat
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
In a large pan, heat broth, chicken, vegetables, salt and pepper to a boil. In a small bowl, mix 1 cup milk and the cornstarch with a whisk until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture into chicken mixture; heat just to boiling. In a small bowl, stir dumpling ingredients with a fork until blended. Gently drop dough by 8 rounded spoonfuls onto boiling chicken mixture. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Cover; cook 15 minutes longer then serve.
Hint: You can make this recipe not gluten-free by using regular bisquick. Also, just use a rotisserie chicken already cooked and ready to go. You can add more if you want and you can adjust the broth accordingly.
-Pamela Rolley
I am sharing this recipe in honor of my dear friend Martha. She baked this delicious rich rum cake as a Christmas gift. It's also a great cake to enjoy in the New Year.
Rum Cake
1 box yellow cake mix (pudding in mix)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup dark rum
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts
Rum Sauce
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup dark rum
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray and flour the pan and set aside.
In a mixer combine the cake mix, eggs, rum, oil, water and vanilla. Mix on high until smooth.
Fold chopped nuts into cake mix by hand.
Pour the batter into the bundt pan.
Bake cake for 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Keep the cake in the pan and do not remove it. While the cake is still hot, poke holes all over the surface.
These holes will allow the rum sauce to soak into the cake.
While the cake is baking, prepare the rum sauce.
Rum Sauce: The rum sauce is flammable and you need to give it your complete attention and stir constantly while you make it.
Put the butter in a medium size saucepan and melt it over low heat.
Add the water and sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Once it reaches boiling, stir it while it boils for 4 minutes. It will become white.
Take the pan off the heat and carefully stir in the rum. The sauce will foam up and bubble, so be careful to keep stirring so it doesn't bubble over the pan.
Put the pan back on the burner and cook for 1 minute, still stirring.
Soaking the cake in Rum Sauce: Gently drizzle the hot rum sauce over the hot cake while in the pan. Let the cake rest in the pan for 20 minutes, remove the cake from the pan, wrap and store.
Maple mustard green beans are a delicious, crisp side dish full of savory flavor. These would make a great side dish for a meal.
Maple Mustard
Green Beans with
Pomegranate and
Goat Cheese
Yield: 4 to 6 people, as a side
1 pound fresh green beans
3 shallots thinly sliced
Olive oil for cooking the shallots
1/2 cup pomegranate arils
3 to 4 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette:
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped chives
Start by blanching the green beans. Prepare an ice bath -- fill a large bowl with ice and cold water.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the green beans and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Use a strainer to immediately transfer the beans to the ice bath. Let them chill in the bath for at least 5 minutes. Pat the beans dry with a paper towel.
If you use prepackaged crispy onions, you want about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of them. If you don't want to use prepackaged crispy onions, you can make your own! To make your own, slice the shallots into thin slices. Place them in a saucepan and cover them with olive oil -- you don't need a lot, but enough to cover the shallots. Heat over medium heat and cook, stirring often, about 6 to 8 minutes until the shallots begin to turn golden. Right when they become slightly golden, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a paper towel to drain excess oil.
Place the green beans on a large platter. Drizzle with the vinaigrette. Sprinkle all over with the shallots, feta cheese and pomegranate. Add another pinch of salt and pepper if desired.
Maple Mustard Vinaigrette: In a bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, maple syrup and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. Add in the chives. Whisk to combine. Any extras of this stays great in the fridge for a few days -- it just has to be whisked and stirred before using!
-Karen Sick
The Recipe Gals, Pam Rolley and Karen Sick, together have more than 60 years' experience as nutritionists in the public school and university settings. You'll find their delicious offerings every other week in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette's section, The Taste.