Banana Carrot Muffins

I'm so excited that Bekah finally started this! I'm always looking for new recipes and cooking tips. I try new recipes fairly frequently too, and when I find one I really like I want to tell people.

So on to my first post. I've had some serious cravings during this pregnancy, so I've tried to find somewhat healthy alternatives to satisfy my sweet tooth. One that I tried recently was this Banana Carrot Bread recipe. I made muffins out of it, and they were so moist and yummy (and no, you can't taste the carrots). They were a hit with Dan and Alta, too.

Banana Carrot Bread
recipe slightly adapted from http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com













1 cup mashed bananas (2-3 very ripe bananas)

1 cup brown sugar

¾ cup canola oil (I substituted applesauce for half of the oil)

2 eggs

2 cups sifted flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup finely grated carrots

Combine bananas, brown sugar, oil and eggs with mixer. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in banana mixture. Fold in carrots. Spoon into greased and floured large loaf pan. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until done. Do not over bake.
To make the muffins, I filled greased muffin cups about 3/4 full. I ended up using a 12-cup pan and a 6-cup pan. You could probably just make 12 and make them bigger. I think they took about 20 minutes to bake.

Grilled Cumin Chicken with Fresh Tomatillo Sauce

Ok everyone. We've talked and talked about making this blog so I'm taking the initiative and just getting it going! We're all looking for new and delicious recipes so let's just make it easy on ourselves!
Here is one that I made last night....HUGE hit! I loved the sauce. And the rice is So yummy with that chipotle in it! Easy stuff!! I also made some homemade flour tortillas that went really well with it. I'll post that also.
Alright people! Let's get sharing our favorites!!

Bring the heat of the southwest to the dinner table with a delicious take on the weeknight meal of grilled chicken. Serve with chipotle rice.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and about 5 tablespoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 pound tomatillos
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.

2. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and let stand for 15 minutes.

3. Discard husks and stems from tomatillos. Combine tomatillos and broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cover and cook 8 minutes. Drain and cool slightly. Combine tomatillos, cilantro, and next 6 ingredients (through jalapeño) in a food processor; process until smooth.

4. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve with tomatillo sauce.

Chipotle rice: Combine 1 cup long-grain rice and 2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions and 1/2 teaspoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce. If you're drinking, pour a Mexican beer.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

237

Fat:

5.1g (sat 1g,mono 2.3g,poly 1g)

Protein:

40.4g

Carbohydrate:

6g

Fiber:

1.5g

Cholesterol:

99mg

Iron:

1.9mg

Sodium:

465mg

Calcium:

35mg

Authentic Mexican Tortillas

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 cup shortening
• 3/4 cup hot water

Directions

1. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Either by hand or with a pastry cutter, cut in the shortening till the mixture is crumbly. If the mixture looks more floury than crumbly, be sure to add just one or two more tablespoons of shortening till it is crumbly. Add about 3/4 cup hot water to the mixture, or just enough to make the ingredients look moist.
2. With your hand or a large fork, knead the mixture making sure to rub the dough against the sides of the large mixing bowl to gather any clinging dough. If the dough still sticks to the side of the bowl, add a couple more tablespoons of flour until the dough forms a soft round shape. The dough is ready to roll out now, but it is best to let it rest. Cover it with a dish towel, and let it sit for about an hour or so.
3. Take the dough, and pull it apart into 10 to 12 balls. Lightly flour your rolling area, and roll each ball with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thickness.
4. Place each tortilla on a medium hot cast iron skillet. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until the tortilla does not look doughy.