Dry Fried Eggplant

For people who love all sorts of food, we dine out very, very infrequently.  When we do go to a restaurant it’s generally to the local Szechuan restaurant where the food reminds us of our time in China. 
One of our favorite dishes, which we always order, is Dry Fried Eggplant.  This is our attempt to recreate the dish and honestly we are pretty darn close.  Though this dish is almost spot on, I will say that it’s often easier to just go out and enjoy someone else’s cooking and having them do the cleaning up too! 
Dry Fried Eggplant

• Coconut oil for frying
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• Himalayan salt, to taste
• 1 tsp. ground Szechuan peppercorns (dried prickly ash)
• 1 tsp. hot paprika 
• 1 1/2 lbs. Chinese eggplant, stem removed and cut lengthwise into 2-3 inch-long “steak” fries
• 1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 tsp. Szechuan peppercorns, flakes

Heat oil (deep enough to come halfway up the thickness of the eggplant fries) in a heavy bottomed cast iron pan and heat to approximately 350F.  Place a wire rack over several layers of paper towels for draining after frying.  Mix together the tapioca flour, salt, ground Szechuan peppercorns and paprika and place on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Lightly moisten the eggplant fries with water and then lightly coat the fries with the tapioca flour mixture, shaking off and discarding any excess.  Working in batches, carefully fry the eggplant, turning when necessary, until lightly golden brown and tender in the center.  Remove the fries to the prepared cooling rack.  Plate and sprinkle on the cilantro and Szechuan peppercorn flakes.
Enjoy!

Baked Eggplant with Cumin

Delicious, spicy eggplant, ready to enjoy!  We adore eggplant and this recipe is super simple and just a bit different, one of our favorites.
Steamed eggplant dusted with spice, ready for the oven.
Baked Eggplant with Cumin

• 2 lbs. medium eggplants
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 heaping tsp. ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450F.  Wash and dry the eggplant.  Slit the skin in several places to prevent bursting then steam in a steamer until tender, about 35 minutes.  Allow the eggplant to cool and then cut lengthwise in quarters.  Add the oil to an oven proof baking pan and lay the eggplant slices skin side down.  Sprinkle the eggplant with the paprika, cumin, cayenne,salt, pepper and garlic.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until the eggplant is soft and slightly toasted.
Enjoy!

Mango Salsa

This summer the mangoes have been huge, sweet, juicy and delicious!  We’ve enjoyed them in so many ways, cut–up fresh plain or mixed into a fruit salad, in Mango Melon Banana & Chia Smoothies, as a refreshing Mango Gazpacho, as part of our main meal in Mango Thai Chicken and Eammon’s favorite, in a Mango Lassi.  So, when we received this month’s assignment for Secret Recipe Club (check out the new SRC blog) and started scrolling through recipes on Heather’s blog, The Tasty Gardener, we stopped dead in our tracks at her Mango Salsa and knew what we’d be making.  Trust me, there were plenty of other wonderful looking recipes like her Sesame Green Beans, Guacamole, and Green Bean Salad, but Mango Salsa just had to be made.

We stayed pretty true to Heather’s recipe, only making two small changes.  One because of a mistake as I thought we had red onions in the house but only had Vidalia and the other was, we chose to use cilantro in place of her parsley.  We really enjoy the flavor of cilantro but I’ll bet that this salsa would be just as delicious with the parsley.  The sweet of the mango, the heat of the pepper, the sweet-sharpness of the onion and the tang of the lime juice all blended in perfect harmony to make one delicious salsa.  Oh and don’t leave out the salt and pepper as they really make the flavors pop!  We enjoyed the salsa with some chips, over some fish and just as a little side on our plate so it’s one very versatile dish.  If you don’t know how to cube up a fresh mango, Heather provides a nice visual tutorial on her blog so check it and the recipe out.  Also gardening tips and instruction as that’s her field of expertise so spend some time reading Heather’s blog, it’s an enjoyable way find some new recipes and learn some new things about plants and the garden. 

Mango Salsa (adapted from here)

• 2 mangoes, cubed
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
• 2 TBS. minced Vidalia onion
• 1 Thai red chili, seeded and minced
• 3 TBS. chopped cilantro
• 2 limes, juiced
• Himalayan Salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and chill before serving.

Enjoy!!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Pomegranate Molasses Salad Dressing 
Beef Keema  
Roasted Grape Tomato, Garlic & Poblano Ragu
Mexican Feast: Cream of Ancho Chile Soup, Roasted Poblano Burger with Chile de Arbol Guacamole & Pork Crusted Baked Poblano Fries 
Zesty Zucchini Skillet 
Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

 

An InLinkz Link-up

Plantian Wraps

Maisie, because of her allergies has been gluten, egg and dairy free for a couple of years.  I have never been a huge bread lover so I haven’t missed not having bread in the house and it’s done us no harm not having all the baked goods either.  Then about a year ago I cut all gluten/grains from my diet so gluten-free breads and corn tortillas were no longer on my plate, though Maisie continues to eat them.  Not eating grains I have come to love plain burgers on a plate and chicken and various other “sandwich” salads served in lettuce wraps.  Then I saw a number of recipes for plantain tortillas/wraps/bread and they captured my attention.  Some of the recipes were very plain, plantains, water, salt & pepper and then others included the addition of coconut or tapioca flour.  Some of the recipes called for green plantains while others wanted partially ripe yellow ones.  In the end I put together my own version and we’ve been happily enjoying them, warm or cold, wrapping a whole variety of foods. 

We enjoy the slight banana taste of the ripe plantain so yellow with a few dark spots works perfect for us.

 This recipe is beyond simple as all the ingredients are added to a blender and then once smooth, dollops are spread into rounds on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and baked until golden.  Easy-peasy!!

Oh and don’t judge but my favorite filling for these Plantain Wraps is a slightly rare, cold, broiled chicken liver…Even if you hate liver, give these Plantain Wraps a try, they’re really quite amazing. 

Plantain Wraps

• 3 large yellow plantains
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 large cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. Himalayan salt 
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400F.  Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.  Cut each plantain into a few pieces and then score and pry off the peel.   Place the peeled plantain pieces and all the other ingredients into a blender and process until smooth and about the consistency of yogurt.  Add additional water if necessary.  Using a large cookie scoop (approx 3 TBS) portion out the plantain mixture for 6 wraps per sheet (will only have 3-5 on the third baking sheet) and then using a small offset spatula smooth the batter for each wrap to an approximate 5-inch round.  Bake for 10 minutes and then rotate the pans to different shelves and turn each pan for even cooking, and bake for approximately 5 minutes longer until the wraps are golden and puffed.  Remove from the oven and allow the wraps to cool on the baking sheets.  Then easily peel the wraps off the parchment paper and enjoy.  Store the wraps in either a Ziplock bag or sealed container in the refrigerator.  There is no need to layer parchment between the wraps, they can just be stacked. 

Enjoy!

Zesty Zucchini Skillet

Yep, here we are again for another month of the Secret Recipe Club!  Let me tell you, it’s been a rough month.  Atlanta experienced a second ice storm and the kids lost yet another week of school.  Then Maisie had sinus surgery (#4) and didn’t react well to the anesthesia so we added an ER visit post surgery and a longer than expected recovery period.  Follow that up with her getting a stomach virus and the poor little girl ended up missing three full week of school and time in the gym and even one of her gymnastics meets.  On top of that Mama was sick too so nothing much of anything good was happening here at the Cook Lisa Cook home. 

One good and delicious thing though was this Zesty Zucchini Skillet.  This month for my SRC assignment I received Anna’s bcmom’s kitchen.  Anna’s blog is filled with recipes which are good and easy and most can prepared ahead of time so to help make dinner preparation time less hectic.  I found a number of interesting recipes including her Israeli cucumber & tomato salad, an angel hair with broccoli & bacon, which I thought would be fun to do with zucchini pasta, and her butternut & potato bake which I would have done with sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes to better fit in with our diets.  In the end though it was Anna’s zesty zucchini skillet which called our name.  I did make a change to Anna’s recipe in that I used fire roasted tomatoes in place of her chopped tomato and salsa, mainly because that’s what we had available but I’m sure that the original recipe is just as delicious as my version.  Even without the salsa, the cumin gave a bit of zesty-ness and the entire dish had a great balance of flavor.  This dish will be made again and I hope that when you’re looking for an easy and good dish that you’ll make this or check out some of the other recipes Anna has on bcmom’s kitchen.

 

Zesty Zucchini Skillet  (adapted from here)

• 4 cups chopped zucchini
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 TBS. olive oil 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/4 tsp. dried oregano  
• 1/4 tsp. Himalayan salt 
• 7 oz. diced fire roasted tomatoes 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and heat until hot.  Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onions begins to caramelize.  Add the zucchini and the spices and sauté, stirring often for 5-7 minutes or until zucchini are crisp tender.  Add the tomatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes or until heated. 

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts: 

Garlic Seafood in Coconut Milk 
Lamb & Eggplant with Chiles
Fijian Ceviche
Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes   
Chicken Burgers with Spinach & Mushrooms 
Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp 
Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake 
Loaded Potato Soup
Lemon Almond Biscotti 
Creamy Mints 
Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken 
Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings 
Fried Green Tomatoes 
Chicken Satay Noodle Salad 
Double Chocolate Mousse Cake 
Candied Popcorn
Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad 
Broiled Sushi 
Health(ier) Peanut Brittle 
Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites 
Texas Chicken with Lime Butter 
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens 
Thin Mint Irish Coffee 
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies 
Welsh Cakes 
Nutella Crêpes 
Cilantro Lime Chicken 
Holy Guacamole 
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

An InLinkz Link-up

Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio

Who knew that zucchini noodles could be so amazingly delicious!!  We now make these noodles in large batches so they’re always on hand to eat, hot or cold.  What a fabu way to get in your veggies!  We’ve enjoyed the noodles topped with some Bolognese or other sauces but our favorite way to eat the noodles is as a side dish…or late night straight from the fridge…shhhhhhh…  To get the best possible noodles, make sure to take the time to salt, drain and dry the zucchini otherwise you’ll end up with watery noodles.

  Zucchini Noodles Aglio et Olio  (adapted from here)

• 4 lbs. zucchini
• 1/2 tsp. coconut oil 
• 1 TBS. almond flour or almond meal
• 2 TBS.  extra virgin olive oil
• 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, minced
• Himalayan salt & black pepper to taste

Spiralize or julienne the zucchini and place in a colander or wire strainer and toss generously with salt until all the strands are lightly crusted.  Allow the zucchini to sit for at least 30 minutes…or a few hours, to help remove the excess water.  Rinse the noodles under running water and then drain well.  Top a dishtowel with paper towels and then spread out the noodles.  Roll the towel up into a cylinder and twist, pushing out as much of the excess water as possible.  Unroll the towel and then place the noodles onto a baking sheet lined with fresh paper towels and spread the noodles out.  Place the tray in the refrigerator for an hour or so and allow the noodles to dry further. 

When ready to prepare the noodles, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat, for about 2 minutes.  Add the coconut oil and when it’s melted, add the almond flour and a pinch of salt.  Sauté, stirring often, until toasty brown.  Remove the almond crumbs to a plate and reserve for garnishing. 

Return the pan to the heat and add the dried zucchini noodles and sauté until just tender, about 2 minutes.  Push the noodles to one side of the pan and reduce the heat to low.  Add the olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the empty side of the pan and stir with a wooden spoon until the garlic is fragrant.  Push the zucchini noodles into the oil and stir gently to coat evenly.  Turn off the heat and stir in the parsley, salt & pepper.  Sprinkle the noodles with the almond crumbs and either stir to combine or leave as a topping.

Enjoy!

Coconut Carrot Soufflé

A delicious personal-sized side dish or grab-and-go snack.  These petite soufflés have all the flavor of carrot cake with the texture of a light baked custard.  With no added sugar it’s decadence with none of the guilt!

Coconut Carrot Soufflé (adapted from here)

• 1 lb. carrots, cut into chunks
• 2 cups 100% carrot juice
• 1/4 cup coconut butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tsp. ground vanilla
• pinch of Himalayan salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. unsweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line six muffin cups or custard cups (placed on a baking sheet) with foil cupcake liners.  Place the carrots and carrot juice in a pot and bring to a simmer.  Cover partially and cook until the carrots are very tender.  Remove the lid and bring to a boil.  Cook until all of the carrot juice has been absorbed and evaporated.  Add the carrots and all the other ingredients except for the shredded coconut to a food processor or blender and process until smooth.  Divide the batter equally between the six cups.  Sprinkle the shredded coconut on the tops of the carrot batter.  Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool slightly and then remove the foil liner.  Enjoy hot or cold.  Reheats easily in the microwave.

Enjoy!

Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes

It’s that time again and this month for Secret Recipe Club I was assigned Shannon’s wonderful blog, Searching for Dessert.  Shannon’s blog is filled with just hundreds of gorgeous recipes for breads, brownies, cookies, cakes, pies and other delicious looking and sounding sweet treats.  I was totally drooling over her Lime Meringue Bars, Flourless Fudge Cookies and her Light Meyer Lemon Sugar Cookies but I really couldn’t make any of them because Maisie has her allergies to wheat, egg and dairy and I’ve been avoiding gluten, wheat, sugar, sweeteners both natural and artificial, and a whole host of other items and Eammon, well he just doesn’t really need any sweets so I didn’t want anyone tempted...boohoo… So after all my drooling over forbidden sweets, I checked out Shannon’s Meatless Monday recipes and found her recipe for Carrot & Potato Pancakes and I knew that I could easily adapt it to fit all our dietary restrictions.  I will say that I was being strong and really, really good by not baking any of her sweet and delicious treats and I totally admit that I did wallowed in self pity for a while but after making my version of her Carrot & Potato Pancakes, not once, not twice, but three times, I was crying no more and was a very happy camper. 

 

I really just made some small changes to the original recipe, I swapped out the white potato with a sweet potato, l left out the flour and increased the egg in the version that Eammon and I enjoyed and used chia seed gel in place of the egg in the ones I made for Maisie.  Also because I used sweet potatoes I decided to add a bit of roasted cinnamon because it just goes so perfectly with both sweet potatoes and carrots.

 

I served these Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes as a side dish with dinner and I also enjoyed snacking on them cold but my favorite way to enjoy them was nice and hot with a perfectly cooked over-easy egg on top which added just a wonderful creamy richness to the already delicious pancakes.  Check out Shannon’s blog for the original recipe. 

 

Carrot & Sweet Potato Pancakes (adapted from here)

• 1 3/4 cups shredded sweet potato
• 3 TBS. shredded carrot
• 2 TBS. minced onion
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt  
• 1/8 tsp. roasted cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 2 eggs, (or 2 TBS. chia seed in 6 TBS. warm water)
• coconut oil

In a medium bowl, stir together the sweet potato, carrot, onion, salt, roasted cinnamon and black pepper.  Stir in the eggs until the mixture is evenly combined.

Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat and add just enough coconut oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  Using about a 1/4 cup measure place the sweet potato mixture into the pan and flatten patties to about 1/4-inch thick.  Cook until first side is golden brown and then carefully flip and cook the second side until golden.

Serve hot or cold. 

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Chicken Burgers with Spinach and Mushrooms,

Paradise Mango Curried Shrimp

Laura Goodenough’s Apple Coffee Cake

Loaded Potato Soup

Lemon Almond Biscotti

Creamy Mints

Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Fried Green Tomatoes ‘

Chicken Satay Noodle Salad

Double Chocolate Mousse Cake

Candied Popcorn

Fruit, Nut & Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

Broiled Sushi

Health(ier) Peanut Brittle Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites

Texas Chicken with Lime Butter

Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens

Thin Mint Irish Coffee

Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies

Welsh Cakes

Nutella Crêpes

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Holy Guacamole

and

Home Style Chicken Curry

 

Cheesy Cauli Mashed “Potatoes”

Years ago I made cauliflower mashed “potatoes” all-the-time and adored them.  I remember making all sorts of varieties and I looked forward to trying all the variations and I always enjoyed them, but for some reason I just stopped making them and I haven’t had them in years.  A few months back I wasn’t feeling great, my stomach was bothering me and my doc recommended eating soft, pureed type foods and one of the suggestions was mashed potatoes.  Though they sounded good, I’ve been trying to avoid carbs so they just weren’t calling my name but then I remembered my Cauli-Mash of the past and instantly I had the craving and knew it would be perfect. 

Such wonderful memories and my Cauli Mash was just as delicious as I remembered.  The ones I made and photographed were pretty basic but at the bottom of the post are a few of the variations I used to make and now that I have “found” my recipe, I’ll be making these again and again. 

Cheesy Cauli Mashed “Potatoes”

• 1 recipe Cauli-Rice
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp white cheddar
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Prepare one recipe of Cauli-Rice and cool slightly.  Place the Cauli-Rice in a cloth tea towel (not paper towels as there is too much liquid and they are not strong enough) and wring out as much of the liquid as possible, pushing and twisting on the ball of Cauli-Rice.  In a small microwaveable bowl, heat the heavy cream and butter, until the butter is melted.  Add the warm butter/cream mixture, the wrung out Cauli-Rice and the shredded cheese  to the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Variation 1:  Garlic Cauli-Rice  When preparing the Cauli-Rice, mince 4 cloves of garlic, mix it in with the cauliflower before microwaving and cook it in with the Cauli-Rice.

Variation 2:  Loaded Cauli-Mash.  Prepare Cheese Cauli Mashed “Potatoes” and top with crumbled bacon, diced green onions and extra cheese.

Variation 3:  Hot Wasabi Cauli Mash:  Replace the sharp white cheddar cheese with an equal amount of hot wasabi cheddar cheese…YUM!

Buffalo Cauliflower ~ Baked not Fried ~ Vegetarian Style Buffalo “Chicken”

I have been on quite the cauliflower binge lately but that’s what happens with it’s a super loss leader at the market and I stock up.  I’ve seen a few recipes for buffalo cauliflower but they’ve all called for frying the cauliflower and well, I’m just not really into frying and part of making Buffalo Cauliflower, in addition to using up some, is to get away from all the fat and grease of Buffalo Chicken Wings, baked or fried.  So, when I saw this Buffalo “Chicken”-Vegetarian Style from The Curvy Carrot, I knew what one head of cauliflower was destined to become.  Well holy hot sauce Batman, this Buffalo Cauliflower was freaking amazing!!  I had my doubts if I’d like the batter on the cauliflower as I’m not a batter person but I really, really loved it.  When baked onto the cauliflower the batter gave both a crunch in places and a nice chewy texture in other places and had a wonderful tangy, garlic flavor…what’s not to love?

I tried to keep the florets whole as cauliflower can be very delicate and fall apart but for the really big florets I did cut them in half.  I changed very little about the recipe.  I don’t keep buttermilk in the house but I always keep buttermilk powder so I mixed up what I needed and I also don’t use garlic salt so I did a combo of garlic powder and sea salt.

Buffalo Cauliflower ~ Baked not Fried ~ Vegetarian Style Buffalo “Chicken” (adapted from here)

• 1 head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 TBS. buttermilk powder mixed with 1 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt 
• 1 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce  
• 1 TBS, butter, melted
• Blue cheese or ranch dressing and celery for serving

Preheat the oven to 450 F.  Prepare a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, flour, garlic powder & salt, whisking until mostly smooth.  Very gently place the cauliflower in the bowl and lightly toss to completely coat with the buttermilk mixture.  Spread the cauliflower on the prepared baking pan and bake for about 15-18 minutes.  Keep and eye on it as it may start to brown up quickly.

While the cauliflower is baking, rinse out the used large bowl and in it, combine the buffalo sauce and the melted butter.  Carefully remove the hot cauliflower from the oven and add it to the bowl of buffalo sauce and toss gently to coat it as best you can.  Return the coated cauliflower to the baking sheet and place it back in to the oven another 5-8 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Baked Bananas

It is now month 16 of the Improv Cooking Challenge and this month our hostess Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker has challenged the participating bloggers to make any recipe of their choosing using the two given ingredients of bananas & nutmeg.  Unlike last month where I just was uninspired, but still managed to make a wonderful White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark, this month there were so many delicious things I wanted to make.  I’m talking about cakes, cookies, pancakes, muffins, fritters, ice cream and smoothies, so many wonderful things to be made with bananas and nutmeg.  But here it is, a new year, and after all our indulging over Thanksgiving, during our trip to Savannah, during our two weeks in Aruba, over Christmas, New Years Eve and then visiting with friends and our week at Disney…well I needed something delicious but very healthy.  With that in mind, may I present, Baked Bananas.  I saw this recipe on Epicurious and knew that I had found a winner. 

And a winner it is, just minutes to make, all the ingredients are staples in my home and delicious…well just insanely!!  I have made these Baked Bananas a few times already, once as a dessert with a little bit of whipped cream sprinkled with nutmeg and a few times I’ve put them over plain oatmeal, a delicious breakfast.  One night I served these Baked Bananas as a sweet little side dish along side some roasted pork (amazing combination) and I even just baked up a half recipe one night when I was craving something sweet.  I’d bet that these bananas would be fabu over some vanilla ice cream…one day I will give that a try.  I suggest that you give this recipe a try as you’ll be amazed at how just a few ingredients and a tiny bit of time totally transforms simple bananas into an insanely delicious treat.      

Baked Bananas (adapted from here)

2 bananas

Juice of 1 lemon

1 TBS, dark rum  

1/4 tsp. ground roasted cinnamon 

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg 

1 TBS. Whey Low Gold or brown sugar 

1 TBS butter 

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel the bananas and slice in half lengthwise. Lay the pieces into a buttered 9x9x2-inch ovenproof dish. Pour the lime juice and rum evenly over the bananas. Sprinkle on the cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar. Dot on the butter and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve hot with a bit of whipped cream sprinkled with a pinch of nutmeg.

Enjoy!

My previous Improv Cooking Challenge entries:

December 2012  Chocolate & Marshmallows:  White Chocolate Marshmallow Cranberry Cashew Bark    
November 2012  Sweet Potatoes & honey: Sweet Potato Glass Noodles with Honey Garlic Lime Shrimp 
October 2012  Oatmeal & Raisins:  S’mores Granola Bars   
September 2012  Zucchini & Brown Sugar:  Zucchini with Onion & Brown Sugar 
August 2012  Tomatoes & Peppers:  French Fries Hash Browns 
July 2012  Corn & Butter:  Fritos Crusted Pollock 
June 2012  Cherries & Almonds:  Dried Cherry Almond Tart 
May 2012  Strawberries & Cream:  Strawberry Soup 
April 2012  Peanut butter & Jelly:  Peanut Butter & Jelly Bars 
March 2012  Potato & Cheese:  Loaded Potato & Buffalo Chicken Casserole 
February 2012  Ginger & Carrots:  Shrimp & Avocado Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing 
January 2012 Lemon & Sour Cream:  Ponderosa Lemon & Sour Cream Tart 
December 2011 Eggnog & Cranberries:  Eggnog Popovers with Cranberry Butter 
November 2011 Pumpkin & Cream Cheese:  Praline Pumpkin Cheesecake
October 2011 Caramel & Apples:  Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies