100% whole wheat banana bread

Finding more ways to use my whole wheat in ways that are good.  This is one of those recipes where it really works.  Now if I could only find a chocolate chip cookie recipe that did not suck!

Moist Whole Wheat Banana Bread Recipe and Instructions:

Be sure to use ultra ripe bananas for this. Their skins should be mottled black and they should feel soft to the touch. Using what you would normally consider to be ripe bananas will diminish the bread’s rich flavor.
½ cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) unsalted butter
½ cup (3 ¾ ounces) packed light or dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups (~ 12 ounces) mashed ripe banana (3-4 medium to large bananas)
¼ cup (3 ounces) honey (I used sugar – works fine)
2 large eggs
2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat (I found that 2 cups was closer to 10 ounces – guess my whole wheat is heavy)
½ cups (2 ounces) chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the banana, honey and eggs, beating until smooth. Add the flour and nuts, stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered for 10 minutes.
Bake the bread for 50 minutes. Lay a piece of foil gently across the top and bake until a cake tester (like a toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool for 10 minutes before turning it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.
Handy Tip: If you don’t happen to have ultra ripe bananas around and don’t want to wait for yours to get that way, click here for an easy work around. Thanks to Melody for this.

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Blackened Salmon

We found this recipe on the Real Simple website, and have used it on chicken as well.  We butterflied the breasts to make them thinner and cook faster while doing the oven method, but have also grilled the chicken.  We serve this with frozen corn seasoned with Tony Chachere's original Creole Seasoning (from walmart) and roasted sweet potatoes and green beans.  The kids like the chicken.  Apparently you can buy blackening spice, but this is very simple to make. 

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400° F.
2. Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl, combine the paprika, cayenne, thyme, garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon of the salt.
3. In a saucepan, over medium heat, melt 2 ½ tablespoons of the butter. Add the lemon juice.
4. Working with 1 salmon fillet at a time, dip the top and bottom halves first in the lemon butter, then in the spices.
5. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the salmon until blackened, 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the oven for 8 minutes.
6. Transfer the salmon to  individual plates and serve with the lemon wedges.

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Chicken Fried Steak & Gravy

Full instructions here

For the steak:

Cube steak (typically 2 steaks per package, each steak will serve 2 people)
Salt, pepper & garlic salt (to taste)
Eggs*
Milk (about 1 T. per egg)
Saltine Crackers*

For the gravy:

Pan drippings from steak
Oil
Flour
Chicken Bullion
Milk
Pepper to taste

Read the post linked above for full instructions - enjoy!

*I cooked this meal for 11 and it took 1 box of saltines and about 4 eggs to cover all the steaks.

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Buffalo Chicken Dip

Recipes don't get much easier than this!

As you can see, I used canned chicken, which made it even easier since I didn't have to take the time to cook any of the chicken. After grating some cheese and measuring my liquids(so.hard.), I cut the cream cheese into cubes...

I layered the ingredients in a small baking dish. I did shredded chicken, hot sauce, ranch, shredded cheese, then cream cheese on top.

Once everything was in the dish I stirred it up a bit, covered it with a lid (my dish had a lid, you can use tinfoil) and baked for 30 minutes at 350° until it's all warm and melty. Give it a good stir then serve it warm with corn chips! We also had veggies with ranch on the side. Mmmmm

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100% whole wheat pumpkin muffins

On a quest to find more things to make with my whole wheat flour. These turned out great. Maesyn ate one and liked it this morning, so it is a good kid treat. It has only 2 tbs of oil, so the fat content is low. Honey instead of sugar! I substituted almond milk and a little lemon juice for the butter milk. After I made then I was thinking I could have added Flax seed. I will next time, and maybe even reduce the oil after. I also did not add walnuts or cranberries because I did not think the kids would like them, but pecans would be great in this recipe too.

They are hearty but nice an moist. I think that this will be my new go to recipe for pumpkin muffins.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Cranberries and Walnuts
2 1/2 C. whole wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
2 1/2 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 C. pumpkin puree (I use canned)
2 T. oil
3/4 C. honey
2 eggs
2/3 C. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 C. sweetened dried cranberries (like Craisins)
1/2 C. chopped walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a standard size 12 cup muffin tin (I use cooking spray).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice; set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, oil, honey, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir together until just combined. Fold in the cranberries and walnuts.
5. Divide batter evenly between 12 standard sized muffin cups. Bake 20-23 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Muffins are done when they spring back lightly to the touch or when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

http://pinchmysalt.com/2007/11/20/whole-wheat-pumpkin-muffins-with-cranberries-and-walnuts/

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Hollandaise Sauce

Found on The Pioneer Woman

2 sticks Butter
3 Egg yolks
1/2 Lemon (juice)
Cayenne Pepper To Taste


In a saucepan, melt 2 sticks of butter until bubbling.
Separate the eggs and place the yolks in a blender.

Turn the blender on low and slowly add butter letting eggs and butter combine well. Add lemon juice and cayenne pepper. Serve.

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Zucchini Bread

1 cup oil 6 cups flour
1 cup butter or margarine 2 teaspoons salt
6 eggs 2 teaspoons baking soda
5 cups sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons vanilla 2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 cups grated zucchini

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325̊.
Spray 4 bread pans with coating spray then dust pans with flour.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl.
Add flour, salt, soda, baking powder, cinnamon.
Stir in zucchini until well combined.
Divide batter into 4 bread pans.
Bake 40 to 60 minutes until center pops back up when pressed with fingertip.
Cool in pan for 20 minutes.
Remove from pan and finish cooling.

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Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas

Sauce:
1 Cube Butter
1 Sm. Onion, chopped
1/2 c. Flour
3-4 c. Milk or Chicken Stock
16oz. Sour Cream
2 4oz. cans Green Chiles
1-2 cubes Chicken Bullion
Salt & Pepper
2-3 Chicken Breasts, cooked & shredded


Melt butter in pan over medium heat, saute onions until soft. Add flour to make a rue.
Add 3-4 cups liquid (Milk or Chicken Stock) until desired thickness is reached.
Add sour cream and green chiles. Add chicken bullion, salt and pepper, and any other desired seasonings to taste. Stir in shredded chicken.

Enchiladas:
Corn Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
Prepared Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°
In a 13x9 casserole dish layer ingredients several times until full (we usually start with tortillas, sauce, then cheese 2-3 times ending with sauce and cheese)
Bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes until warm and bubbly.

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Crepes

4 eggs
1 1/3 cups milk
2 T. Butter, melted
1 c. Flour
2T. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt

Whisk together eggs, butter, milk, four, sugar and salt until smooth

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