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Ingredient Spotlight Well Stocked Pantry

Ingredient Spotlight: Bananas

Ah, the banana … good for you? bad for you? You’ll hear facts on either side of that coin, but the bottom line is that if you keep your portions controlled (a small banana, no longer than five inches, is about right), bananas are a superfood.

Ingredient Spotlight: Bananas

Bananas are perhaps best known for packing potassium, but they’re also good sources of arthritis-fighting vitamin B6, folate, and vitamin C. They are also loaded with zinc, iron, and calcium. They’re easy for your body to digest, and since they’re a great source of soluble fiber, they are an important player in your weight loss efforts, because you feel full after eating one without consuming a large number of calories.

And ladies listen up: Bananas are good for menstrual difficulties, especially for athletes because they can quickly replace what your body loses during your cycle or when you’re exercising frequently. And, if you suffer from diarrhea during your monthly cycle, they are the ideal treatment when eaten in conjunction with apples, rice, and dry toast – more commonly known as the BRAT treatment.

If you suffer from chocolate cravings, eating a banana dipped in melted chocolate can ease that craving while preventing you from over-indulging. If you have a sweet tooth, frozen bananas make a great alternative to a lot of other sugary treats. If you’re trying to cut carbs, bananas can be a good alternative, too.

For active people, bananas are a better option than most sports drinks because they have nutrients and a healthier blend of natural sugars.

I love putting them in my smoothies because they not only sweeten the drink but add bulk so I feel more full. They also taste great sliced and served over your morning cereal or granola. And one of my favorite lunch treats is a banana, peanut butter, and honey sandwich.

Check out the new banana recipe for Banana Coffee Cake I added in honor of this yummy, healthy, yellow fruit.

Categories
Recipes

Banana Coffee Cake

This recipe is inspired from one in the first edition of Bonkers for Bundt Cakes.

ripe bananas
Photo by Sheila Sund via Flickr

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 package yellow cake mix
  • 1 package instant banana pudding mix 4 eggs
  • 1 cup banana yogurt, mixed
  • 2 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Position rack in center of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
  2. Prepare the Bundt pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray or rubbing it with a light coating of shortening. Then dust the sides with flour by spooning a small amount of flour into the pan and tapping the sides while you turn the pan around until a light dusting of flour has stuck to all sides of the greased interior. Be sure to tap out any excess flour.
  3. In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, combine in the following order: cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, yogurt, banana, oil, water and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat for two minutes at medium speed.
  5. Sprinkle some of the cinnamon-sugar mixture into the prepared Bundt pan. Pour 1/3 of the batter on top of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Sprinkle some more cinnamon-sugar mixture over the batter. Repeat this process in layers until you finish the batter. You should end with a sprinkling of the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
  6. Bake in preheated oven for 70 minutes or until it springs back after being touched lightly in the center.

Variation: Instead of mashing the banana, cut it into chunks and fold them into the batter after beating.

Categories
Recipes

German Pancakes

The German pancake, also called a Dutch Baby, Bismarck, or Dutch puff is derived from the German pfannkuchen. It is a sweet popover that is usually served for breakfast. My aunt first introduced them to me and I’ve been a fan ever since. I usually serve it with butter and maple syrup, but I’ve also seen it served with fruit preserves or compotes. This is a pretty simple recipe that makes fancy results worth of company.

Dutch Baby Photo by Brianna Privett via Flickr
Photo by Brianna Privett via Flickr

Ingredients:

  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine eggs, milk, flour, and salt in a blender. Cover and process until smooth.
  3. Pour the butter into an un-greased 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Pour in the batter. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
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Product Reviews

Product Review: YS Organic Bee Farms CERTIFIED ORGANIC RAW HONEY

100% CERTIFIED ORGANIC Raw HONEY, Unprocessed, Unpasteurized – Kosher 32 oz

Organic Raw Honey by YS Organic Bee Farms
Photo from Amazon.com
According to Natural News, “Raw honey has anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties. It promotes body and digestive health, is a powerful antioxidant, strengthens the immune system, eliminates allergies, and is an excellent remedy for skin wounds and all types of infections.” There is evidence that raw honey can also stabilize blood pressure, balance sugar levels, relieve pain and calm nerves. Raw honey has been used to treat ulcers, an expectorant and relieving inflammation. It has also been known to treat respiratory conditions such as bronchitis and asthma fairly well.

However, these benefits are not necessarily found in the conventional honey found on the shelves of supermarkets. Not only is much, if not all of this honey, over-processed and devoid of any nutritional value, but it also contains many unnatural additives. Additionally, tests have confirmed that despite government regulations, many brands of honey contain no pollen whatsoever. Pollen is a required ingredient in real honey and without it the product is nothing more than a syrup of questionable origins.

YS Organic Bee Farms CERTIFIED ORGANIC RAW HONEY, available on Amazon.com, is a good option if you don’t have a way of acquiring local raw honey at a Farmer’s Market in your neighborhood.

Product Highlights:

  • 100% pure, natural and organic
  • Unheated and unfiltered
  • Highest levels of live enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals

Product Description:
Light in color with a thick, butter-like consistency. The consistency is due to the honey being unheated and unfiltered which prevents it from losing vital nutrients and other health enhancing benefits.

Additional Health Benefits:

  • Heals cuts, scrapes, wounds and burns
  • Contains anti-inflammatory properties
  • An effective acne treatment, cleanser and moisturizer
  • Soothes sore throats and coughs
  • Immune boosting compounds
  • Boosts energy and is especially good before a workout

Product Specifications:

  • Item weight: 2.4 lbs
  • Shipping weight: 3 lbs
  • ASIN: B00014JNI0
  • UPC: 726635121285

Amazon Customer Reviews:

  • I’ve been using YS Farms Honey for about 4 years now and I’ve never looked back. This is the ONLY honey I will purchase. I was sad to see it leave the shelves of our local Winn Dixie but happy to see their still around and selling online. Best Honey overall!
  • This honey is soo wonderful. The company is very careful in their handling of their fees and hives the honey tastes great and the price unbelievable for organic raw honey! I’ve been eating raw honey as my only sweetener for years and I’ve seen so many but never one that equals this in every single way. I’m so glad I found it and will be a regular customer. Our family uses about 2-3 pounds a month-old everything from baking to tea to mix with our Apple cider vinegar. We won’t be shopping anywhere else. I highly recommend this product! 🙂
  • Great tasting and a good price. I add a little to my kids’ oatmeal in the morning to help with allergies. I saw recently that honey sold in stores has very little actually honey in it. This stuff is the real deal. Delicious!

Order your jar from Amazon.com here.

Categories
Tools of the Trade

Cooking Up a Kitchen

ikea-cooking-kitchen

I thought twice about publishing this post.

About a week ago, I received a pitch email letting me know about IKEA’s new advert for IKEA’s new IKEA METOD Kitchen range. I clicked on the link to watch the video and had two reactions:

1. This is clever.

2. Some of this imagery is slightly disturbing and makes me very uncomfortable.

The video literally cooks up a kitchen, using miniaturized IKEA products as “raw ingredients” to highlight the fact that the new METOD range of kitchens can be put together according to very personal tastes.

Like much of IKEA’s products, METOD is a modular system. Each piece allows for easy installation in your kitchen, efficient measurement and accessible combinations of doors, interior fittings, hinges, colors, drawers and frames, etc.

I liked the idea of a modular kitchen and asked for more information. I thought they’d send me more information about the METOD kitchen. Instead, I received pictures from the video and a document with a story about the video.

Strange, huh?

Since Carma’s Cookery is about creativity, and this video is creative, I’m going to share it. It’s clean … you don’t need to worry about the kids seeing it … but I’d love to read your thoughts about the imagery. The scene with the screws gave me the willies.

Categories
Creative Cookery

Popcorn? In a salad?

popcorn
Public domain image via pixabay.com.
Over the Labour Day weekend, I got to meet my in-laws-to-be for the first time. We all met at my fianceé’s mother’s house for a salad potluck. Given my love of salads — my favorite restaurant is Sweet Tomatoes/Soup Plantation — I was delighted by the array of salad choices and made sure to have a little bit of each one.

Some were better suited to my palate than others, but for me the stand out salad of the day was — get this — Popcorn Salad.

I would never have thought of putting popcorn in a salad, and, frankly, I didn’t even recognize that as an ingredient until I tasted it. I asked my mother-in-law-to-be for the recipe.

If I had seen this recipe before I tasted it, I would have left out a couple of ingredients. I’m not a big fan of celery and I might have tried to find a substitute for the mayo. But it was so good, I knew I had to share this with you as it was presented to me.

I think it could be your next hit — with kids and adults alike — when it comes time to bring something to the buffet again.

Check it out here.

creative-cooking-tips

So now put on your creative thinking caps: How could you use this basic recipe to come up with something uniquely your own? Here are some ideas that came to the top of my mind:

  • Use cheddar popcorn instead of plain
  • Toss in some ranch dressing mix
  • Add Craisins for color and a touch of sweetness
  • Increase the chives or add in chopped green onions
  • Add in 1/4 cup shredded purple cabbage for flavor and color

commentShare Your Kitchen Creativity!

I hope you enjoy this salad as much as I did. If you do — and if you experiment with it and come up with something new — please tell us about it in a comment below. And be sure to share it in social media using the hashtag #carmascookery.

Categories
Recipes

Popcorn Salad

Here’s an unusual salad that you can bring to buffets or serve with a weekend BBQ. It is surprisingly good and people will enjoy the whimsical flavors.

popcorn
Public domain image via pixabay.com.

Ingredients:

  • 10 slices bacon
  • ¾ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1-¼ cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided (1 cup and ¼ cup)
  • 1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
  • ¼ cup shredded carrots
  • 2 Tablespoons minced fresh chives
  • 6 cups popped popcorn

Directions:

  1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly browned. Drain and crumble. Set aside. NOTE: It might be easier and faster to cook the bacon if you cut the strips in half before cooking.
  2. In a large bowl, combined the mayonnaise, celery, water chestnuts, carrots, chives, 1 cup cheese and ½ cup bacon. Mix well.
  3. NOTE: Complete this step that last minute, otherwise the popcorn will become soft and not as tasty. This dish does not make good leftovers! Add popcorn and stir to coat. Sprinkle in remaining ¼ cup cheese and the rest of the bacon. Serve immediately.

Source: My fiancée’s mother

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