Banana Cake, Bread and Muffins!?

My mother-in-law Linda gave me this recipe years ago and this is one of those that I have altered many ingredients but the cake still come out really good. I usually freeze bananas that are going to ripen soon and put 4 bananas per zip lock bag. On baking day, I take out a bag of bananas and leave it on the counter for a couple of hour to thaw and then dump the entire content of the zip lock bag into the mixer. I think the freezing process release the moisture from the bananas and make the cake moist. My kids like the cake without nuts but Roland & I both like the nuts. Lately it takes me a long time to get enough frozen bananas to make the cake because my kids are really into making shakes in Roland's "Blending Station Advance" Vita-Mix machine. This Vita-Mix blender looks like the ones Jamba Juice use in their stores; complete with the plastic cover to reduce the noise level. It's big, bulky, noisy, but sure blends well.

Wet Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup sugar, I like to use 3/4 cup blue agave
1/2 cup oil, I often use a mixture of coconut oil and safflower oil)
4 eggs or two large eggs, I go for the four eggs for extra protien
4 ripe banana
1 teaspoon vanilla

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups whole wheat flour (I use white wheat flour - if using red wheat flour, I would use half whole wheat and half white flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
1 cup rolled oats (coarsely grind in the blender or use instant oatmeal)

Topping:
1 cup chocolate chips (I like to use some semi-sweet, some milk, and some double chocolate chips)
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix all dry ingredients and set aside. Mix all of the wet ingredients together, place in a 9x3 pan, sprinkle chocolate chips and nuts on top, and bake for 40-45 minutes in 325F oven. I have use 2 regular bread pans or 4 mini bread pans to make banana bread or muffin tins to make muffins.

Since my kids don't like nuts in sweet bread, I skip the nuts but add some ground flex seed and some hemp seed to this recipe to make a healthier version.

Mongolian Beef - 蒙古牛肉

This is one of the favorites and most requested dishes by Kaydn and Cassidy. I usually do not measure any ingredients when I cook Chinese dishes. But I know it's really a pain to get instructions from someone who does not measure ingredients or always say "measure to taste". If you have not tasted the dish a few times, how do you know what it suppose to taste like? So, I took the ingredient list from Weight Watchers - five ingredients 15 minute cookbook (page 52) to give everyone some guidelines.

1 lb flank stake, trimmed and cut crosswise and in 45 degree angle into bite size thin slices. 

1/4 cup of water

2 Tbs soy sauce

4 tsp cornstarch

2 tsp brown sugar

Note: it is important to cut the beef into even, not to thin, not to think, bite size pieces so the pieces will be cooked in about the same amount of time. Marinade beef with water, soy sauce, cornstarch, and sugar for about 15 minutes.

1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 bunch green onions, cut into 2 inches pieces
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
toasted sesame seeds

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium hight heat, add garlic, pepper flakes and green onions and stir fry for about one minute. Add marinaded beef and stir fry for a few more minutes until beef is done. Do not over cook, remove from skillet immediately and place in a serving plate. Sprinkle with sesame seed. Serve over cooked cellophane noodles or rice.

Cassidy's favorite pasta - Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Cassidy has come a long way from her childhood favorite foods - white rice and pasta. Back in those days, we had a hard time getting her to eat anything but rice or pasta - plain rice or pasta with no sauce, not even butter or salt. I remember when we went to India restaurants, we didn't have to order anything for Cassidy. She was perfectly happy to have only rice for dinner. I still remember the first time she tasted Butter Chicken at a India restaurant and decided that it tasted good - she was seven years old. This recipe is from Amy & Cory Smith - I think Amy read it from a magazine and made it at Bear Lake a few years ago. It is also very easy to convert to a dairy free recipe without sacrificing any taste. I always toss together the pasta with tomatoes, olives, basils, and sun dried tomatoes and set some aside so I can add non-dairy cheese and vegan parmesan cheese topping. I bought some pepper jack styled non-dairy cheese from Sunflower Market the other day and it worked great for this dish.

3/4 lb pasta (spirals)
kosher salt
olive oil
1 lb ripe tomatoes, medium diced
1/4 cup good black olives, pitted and diced (such as Kalamata) - I use half kalamata and half regular black olives.
1 lb fresh mozzarella, medium sliced or diced
6 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

Dressing:
5 sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
2 T red wine vinegar
6 T good olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 t caper, drained
2 t kosher salt, (use 1 t to start, add more if needed)
1/4 t freshly ground black pepper

Topping:
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup basil leaves, julienned

Cook pasta in water with salt and a splash of oil till done (do not overcook). Drain and cool. Place pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella and sun dried tomatoes. For the dressings, combined all ingredients in a food processor and blend until almost smooth. Pour the dressing over the pasta, sprinkle with the parmesan cheese and basil and toss well.