Sharing Plate – Your Cooking Coach |

I have been baking this bread for many years now. I got the original recipe from food television but have tweaked it over time. One of the things I changed was the sugar. I have stopped using white sugar and have switched to sugar made out of evaporated cane juice. The raw version of that is turbinado sugar. It brings a crunch and a nutty flavor to the bread. I also substituted all-purpose flour to white whole-wheat flour. This definitely darkens the color of the bread and again it adds nuttiness to it. I also added chocolate to it! Now anything with chocolate is usually very good- including this bread. I guarantee this will be the best banana bread you will taste! It is simply delicious!!  I am curious to know if any of you have a favorite banana bread recipe.  My daughter absolutely loves it and likes to take some to school for an after lunch dessert. I don’t mind as I am happy about the healthy ingredients in it. It is good for breakfast, snack or dessert!

• 1¼ cups unbleached white whole-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
• ½ cup toasted walnut pieces
• ½ cup milk or dark chocolate, chips or grated

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl, set aside.  Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside.  Lightly brush a 9X5X3 inches loaf pan with butter.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated.  Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated.  Fold in the nuts and chocolate pieces and transfer the batter to the prepared pan.  Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.  Cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out.  Cool completely before serving.

I made this dish today for a couple of reasons. My daughter and I are off to Seattle in a day and I needed to make a one pot, no fuss meal for everyone to enjoy. I also needed to use up some things in my fridge including green onions and cilantro. I really wanted to have a chicken and rice dish my Mom makes, but it is too labor intensive and I just didn’t have the time.  I started thinking what I could make… I then remembered a rice and pea dish my maternal Grandma made which my Mom and I cook all the time. It includes a green sauce made out of a little onion, lots of cilantro and some garlic. It is all blended together and then cooked with cumin seeds before the rice is added. I love eating the green rice! It brings back delicious childhood memories!
This dish is almost a combination of the two rice dishes. I bought thighs with bones to extract as much flavor as I could while the rice cooked. Although boneless meat is easier to handle, there are times when the flavor takes precedence over convenience! I started with browning the meat and then cooked the green sauce and cumin in the same oil. I added spinach to the green mixture. It is a clever way of incorporating a vegetable without anyone knowing. I also cooked the rice in chicken broth- another way of adding lots of flavor into the dish. Once the rice and chicken were cooked, I took the meat off the bone. It is easier to serve and I have to say, looked more appealing to the eye. I added raisins because I like them in my savory dishes! I love the contrast of sweet and savory in my mouth. The raisins are completely optional and will not take away anything from the dish…. so if you are not too keen on them, leave them out- although I would highly recommend it! Indians usually eat yogurt with most of their meals. I love a big bowl of Raita with this dish. It brings a nice cool brightness into your mouth.  Raita is a yogurt salad consisting of vegetables or fruits. It is served savory with salt, roasted cumin, mint, etc. You can go crazy with the different combinations but a simple combination is best.  I usually make my Raita with some tomatoes and cucumbers. In this case, I didn’t have a lot of fresh produce so I added salt, roasted cumin and some dried mint. It was delicious! My daughter loved the dish minus the raisins…
Click here for the recipe… »

This is a kid friendly recipe! I know for a lot of us that attribute is very important in a dish, especially since we don’t want to be cooking five different things for dinner every night! My daughter was having a dinner and movie night with a friend. I wanted to steer clear of pizza and mac-n-cheese.. so I started to think what to make. Most kids like chicken and broccoli- and enjoy this dish in Chinese restaurants. I decided to tone the spices down but tried to make it as flavorful as possible. I marinated the chicken for several hours in tamari and cooking rice wine.  I also minced the ginger and garlic so the flavor came through but not the texture.  Overall it was a delicious meal enjoyed by adults and kids! My husband and I ate the dish with a crisp Riesling! Both the girls ate the meal without complaints, don’t know if anticipation of ice cream made that possible!

Marinade

• 1 pound chicken thighs or breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon cooking rice wine

Add the chicken pieces to the tamari and cooking wine and marinate for at least 2-3 hours.

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic chili sauce
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ½ cup chicken broth mixed with 2 teaspoons corn-starch

Mix all the ingredients and keep aside.

Stir Fry

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 inches ginger, minced
• 1 to 1½ pound broccoli, cut into florets

In a wok or a wok shaped pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add minced ginger and garlic and sauté on high heat for a minute. Add the broccoli and stir-fry over high heat for 2-3 minutes. Take out of the pan. Add the remaining one tablespoon olive oil and one teaspoon sesame oil to the same pan. Add the chicken minus the marinade and cook on high heat till it is golden brown. Add the broccoli and the sauce, cook on high. Once the sauce comes to a boil and thickens, turn the heat down and cover to cook the chicken completely. (It is important to cover if using thighs) Taste for seasoning. Serve with white or brown rice.

I love pesto! It is extremely versatile. It’s great with chicken, fish and vegetables. In the summer I do make my own but other times I buy it. It is a must have ingredient in my fridge. One of my favorite combinations is pesto and mushrooms. I modified this one a little by adding pancetta. For those who would like to lay off the meat, taking the pancetta out does not affect the dish too much. I would still keep the shallots and garlic to give the dish extra body and texture. This dish takes all of fifteen minutes to make. Add a nice salad and some garlic bread and of course wine- wine is a must! We had a Merlot and then opened a Pinot Noir. Now I know what you are thinking- I did not finish the 2 bottles by myself. The merlot was opened by my husband and I the day before, so there was not much left- then we opened the Pinot!  Both varieties went quite well with the pasta-my neighbor was visiting so good company had a lot to do with enjoying the meal!

• 20 ounces mushrooms, a mix of white and cremini, sliced
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• ½ pound penne pasta
• ½ cup pesto, store bought
• Salt to taste

In a medium pan, bring salty water to a roaring boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the box directions.
In the meantime, in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the pancetta. Saute till light brown on medium heat, for about 5 minutes. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute for another 3-4 minutes. Next, add the mushrooms and cook on high heat stirring constantly. They will wilt down to almost half their size. Add the cooked pasta and the pesto. Turn the heat off, stir and check for salt.

I had the best meal I have had in a long time. I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was because it took me all of five minutes to make and also I got all the ingredients from my pantry! It is very important to have a well-stocked pantry. You have to assess what kind of cooking you do and then stock your pantry accordingly. I tend to cook Indian, Italian, Southwestern, Chinese/Thai, etc. When it comes to Italian, I always have chickpeas, cannelini beans, crushed tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, dry pasta, fresh pasta in my freezer, lots of dry herbs, garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and most importantly- anchovies! I felt like having something very spicy and salty that would go well with a yummy merlot I was sipping. I knew I had some fresh pasta in the freezer, so I took it out and got the anchovies out! I love anchovies. A lot of people are put off by the smell but the flavor is amazing. It brings a complexity of salty and nutty flavors to the dish. The key to using a few ingredients is to use very bold ones. In this case it was the anchovies and the garlic. I added a little dry basil to round off the flavor and I have to say, I was a satisfied customer!
• Fresh or dry pasta enough for one person
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 anchovies
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
• ½ teaspoon dry basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup reserved pasta water

Cook the pasta to al dente and save the pasta water. In a medium frying pan add the olive oil and melt the anchovies on a medium heat. Add the garlic, red pepper, basil and salt. Add the pasta and the pasta water. Stir well and enjoy!