Banana Bread

I live in a country where fruits and vegetables don't last long, people are used to do shopping pretty much everyday in order to eat fresh products, unfortunately I do not have the time to do that, I usually do my groceries once a week and that tends to result in overripe fruit by midweek. (yeah, maybe I should eat more fruit and this wouldn't be a problem) 

Seeing as my little one loves cakes there is no

better way to use overripe bananas than to make the perfect banana bread: moist, tasty and quite easy! Now I don't have to worry about stuffing my little one with bananas every single day to finish them :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter (you could add some more mashed bananas instead but a bit of butter is always better for the texture)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar (you can use applesauce instead)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a medium loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. 
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. 
4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. 
5. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
7. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Tip: You can add some walnuts or pecans to the mixture or even add some chocolate chips to make it even yummier!

Mexican Style Beef Filet Tips

Puntas de Filete a la Mexicana (which is the name of this dish in Spanish) is another of those typical Mexican Recipes that remind me of home and that now are taking a whole new meaning in my kitchen. I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of beef (more of a chicken kind of person I'm afraid) but this is one of the few ways I do eat meat, it is quite simple to make and you have the option to use it as a tortilla filling or a main dish served with rice and beans. 

Of course, the amount of peppers can be adapted or left out for kids.

Ingredients:

• 1kg of beef filet tips cut into strips
• 4 large tomatoes diced
• 1/2 medium size onion, chopped
• 4 serrano peppers (or pickled chipotle peppers) finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon of cumin
• Salt to taste
• 2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Using a molcajete or mortar, grind the black peppercorns and cumin. Add the garlic and crush to form a paste.
2. Add the spices paste to the beef tips and mix. Let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
3. In a large skillet or pan heat the oil at medium high heat.
4. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes and add the beef tips and garlic. Keep cooking until beef is browned.
5. Add the serrano peppers and keep cooking for 2 more minutes.
6. Now add the tomatoes and season with salt. Cook for about 12 more minutes until sauce thickens and meat is tender.
7. You can accompany this dish with Mexican rice, beans and tortillas.

Tip: You can also used ground pepper and cumin but for me, the idea of using a mortar is just what makes it typical and original :)

"Pink-Slime" Free Chicken Nuggets

If you are anything like me, you must have had the scare of your life to hear about the whole "Pink Slime" in nuggets commotion recently; here I am thinking that I am giving my kid something a bit healthier than a greasy pre-made hamburger and it turns out that I am basically feeding him ammonia!!!! 

So, whether that whole business is closed or not I have decided to make my own nuggets: yummy, healthier and pink slime free!

I do have to admit that is is a bit more work than just taking them out the freezer and popping them into the oven, but the idea of that gooey pink stuff going into my little one's belly is just to much to bare!

Another advantage of self made nuggets is that you can add some veggies to the mix (for kids that refuse to eat their greens) and you can make a big batch and freeze them, just like the "no-no" ones!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and basil
• 1 cup veggie puree (broccoli, spinach sweet potato or beet)
• 1 large egg , lightly beaten
• 2 chicken breasts cut into small chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

1. In a bowl mix the breadcrubs, oregano, basil, onios and garlic powder. Mix well.
2. Mix the salt and flour in a separate bowl.
3. In a deep bowl mix the vegetable puree with the egg and mix with a fork.
4. Dip the chicken pieces into the flour, then into the egg mixture and toss them into the breadcrumbs making sure they are completly covered.
5. Heat the oil in a large pan and bake the nuggets untill golden (4-5 mins on each side). 
6. Serve warm.

Tip: Once the nuggets have cooled down you can place them on a cookie sheet with some foil and allow them to freeze separately, once frozen pop them on a ziplock bag. Make sure to use them within 2 months.

Mexican Guacamole

Much of what passes for Guacamole nowadays is far from the authentic Mexican one. In Mexico this delicious concoction (no, I'm not making words up, "Guaca" means concoction in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs- a bit of food history doesn't kill anyone does it?) is dolloped onto steak and chicken, added to Fajitas and Quesadillas or spread on a sandwich instead of mayonnaise. 

Here's how to make it authentically Mexican: the most important thing is to forget you own a blender or food processor, real guacamole bears almost no relationship to the mashed gooey stuff that shows up way too often in some restaurants. The real thing should be chunky with a burst of rich avocado flavor and a hint of bite.

Ingredients:

• 3 ripe avocados (I use Hass avocados)
• ½ medium white or red onion, chopped fine
• 1 clove garlic chopped fine
• 1 fresh Serrano chile, seeded and minced fine (you can use jalapeño peppers too)
• 2 Tbls. fresh cilantro, chopped fine
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
• ½ tsp. salt (more or less to taste)

Directions:

1. Put the onion, garlic, cilantro and serrano pepper into a molcajete (mexican stone mortar) or a large bowl and mash together with a pestle or the back of a large spoon until the juices mix and begin to forma paste.
2. Cut the avocados in half and scoop the flesh out with a spoon into the bowl. Mix well but avoid mashing it to much, the mixture should be a bit chunky.
3. Gently stir in the tomatoes, lime juice and salt to taste. 
4. Mix carefully and serve with some tortilla chips.

Tip : Avocado discolors quickly on contact with air. To prevent this you can mix up the first ingredients a few hours in advance if you like and wait to add the avocado just before serving or you can leave the seed of the avocado in the bowl, this slows discoloration a bit.

Spinach-Peach Salad

This is a very simple salad, but the grilled peaches and bacon add that little extra. I use canned peaches when I cannot find fresh ones and to be honest it tastes a bit better, it might have something to do with the sweet sirup :)

If you want to save time you can use pre-made Honey-Mustard dressing but making it from scratch makes it more fresh!

• Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pecans (you could also use walnuts)
• 4 ripe peaches, pitted and quartered 
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 150g smoked bacon, roughly chopped
• 8 cups baby spinach
• 200g  Soft Goat Cheese crumbled

For the Dressing:

• 1/3 cup mayonaise
• 2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey
• Juice of one lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C . Place the pecans on a baking sheet and toast until golden, allow them to cool down and roughly chop them.
2. Preheat a grill to medium-high heath. Lightly brush the peaches with oil and grill until nicely marked on both sides.
3. Bake the bacon on medium heath until crisp, transfer to a paper-lined plate.
4. Combine the spinach, grilled peaches, pecans and bacon in a large bowl.
5. Mix the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk together.
6. Add the dressing to the salad and serve.

Tip: You can add some grilled chicken to this salad and make it a full meal.

Chicken-Spinach Wraps

This a great recipe for a quick lunch, but can also make a great main dish served with some salad and guacamole. It is really easy to make and kids love it, you can leave the sour cream out if you wish. You can also use normal flour tortillas or corn ones.

For the kids I usually cut them in little sushi-like pieces after rolling them (this works great as party snacks too!)

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 chicken breasts cubed
• 1 tablespoon thyme and basil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 whole grain tortillas
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
• 1 can brown beans, drained
• 3 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. 
2. Combine the salt, pepper, thyme, and basil in a bowl and season the chicken with the mixture. Add season chicken to hot oil and heat until cooked through.
3. Add the beans, spinach and tomatoes to the chicken.
4. Stir in the cream and allow it to cook for a few minutes.
5. Warm the tortillas in a skillet or pan and then carefully fill the shell with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
6. Roll the tortillas and serve.

Butter Cookies

Again, typical Xmas Cookies for us, there is no Christmas at home unless there's a batch of these cookies in the kitchen! I make them in at least 3 different flavors and my family loves them!
The recipe is quite simple and the flavor is neutral so you can add other ingredients to give them that little extra, I usually divide the dough and add some chocolate chips, pecans and peanut butter to it.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 200gr. unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 200gr pecans chopped

Directions

1. Cream the butter together with the sugar in a large bowl. You want to get a creamy butter texture.
2. Add the egg yolks one by one while mixing.
3. Stir in the flour and pecans and mix together.
4. Using a cookie cutter shape the dough and place on a cookie tray
5. Bake the cookies for 10-15 mins until golden.

Tip: You can leave the pecans out to get neutral cookies, or you can divide the dough and add other ingredients to make different flavors cookies.

Perfect Chocolate Cake

I don't use the word perfect that often, I feel that once you use it you are pretty much done and when it comes to cooking and food what else is there once you get to perfection?

However I can really say that this cake is just that: perfect! I cannot think of anything I would change in this recipe, this is how a chocolate cake should be: tasty, moist but not soggy, sweet but not TOO sweet......just perfect!


I got the recipe by combining 2 different recipes plus a few changes I came up with, and I believe the end result is pretty good (if I might say so )

Ingredients:

• 50g best quality cocoa
• 200g sour cream
• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt

Frosting:

• 350g dark chocolate
• 225g butter
• 250g icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the Cake:

1. Preheat the oven at 180C and butter two medium baking tins or one large one
2. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl.
3. Stir in the soft butter and the sugar and mix together.
4. Whisk the sour cream, cocoa, vanilla and egg and beat this into your flour mixture.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared tins and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a wooden pick comes out clean.
6. Allow the cakes to cool down for at least 10 minutes.

For the Frosting:

1. Melt the chocolate in a blow over a saucepan of boiling water.Leave to cool slightly.
2. Beat the butter, sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth.
3. Add the melted chocolate until thick and creamy.

Plating up and serving:

1. If you used to baking tins: place one cake on a cake platter, spoon 1/3 of the frosting on the center of the cake and spread with a knife or spatula until you have covered the whole top. Cover with the other cake and spread the rest of the frosting on the top and sides.
2. If you use just one cake baking tin: once the cake has cooled off, carefully slice it in the middle, remove the top and add the frosting. Place the top side back on it's place and use the remaining frosting to cover the whole cake.

Tip: I sometimes replace the inner layer of frosting for some good quality peach or strawberry jam, this makes the chocolate flavor more intense in the end and makes the cake a bit lighter.

The frosting can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Cold Pasta Salad

I make this salad usually for parties as it is really easy to prepare and I don't have to think of what everyone would like: everyone seems to love it!!

I use mostly macaroni pasta because it is small and easy to eat for children but any pasta will do really. I use mixed canned veggies (peas, carrots, green beans, kohlrabi, white beans) but any vegetables will do, try not to add very strong flavored vegetables as they will take over the rest of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 400gr cooked pasta
• 1 cup ham cut in medium thick pieces
• 3/4 cup mayonaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tablespoon mustard
• 1 teaspoon tabasco sauce (you can leave it out for kids)
• 1 can mixed vegetables drained
• 2 tablespoons pickles chopped 
• 2/3 cup cheese cubed (light cheddar or monterrey jack)

Directions:

1. Pour the cooked pasta in a large bowl.
2. Add the ham, cheese, vegetables and mix together.
3. Add the mayonnaise, mustard, sour cream, pickles and pepper sauce. Mix together.
4. Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I actually don't know why this cookies are called like this, I know that Mexican people don't serve them at their weddings, they are not really cookies per se and I'm not completely sure the original recipe comes from Mexico at all!..... But one thing I do know is that they are GREAT and they're quite easy to make. I could eat these cookies all day long! (which is why I only make them once a year )

The "secret" with this recipe is the vanilla, you really have to use fresh vanilla or a very good vanilla extract, that's what gives them their real flavor!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 230g unsalted butter cut into chunks
• 2/3 cup pecans lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup powder sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C
2. Using a food procesor finely chop the pecans. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the processor and grind or chop lightly. If done by hand, just mix together.
3. Mix the remaining flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter little by little. Begin to mix with your hands, until the butter is mixed in with the flour and salt. The mixture will turn into a coarse dough.
4. Add in the vanilla, sugar and pecan mixture and work it all in. 
5. Don't knead more than necessary, you just want it to come together into a homogeneous mass.
6. Butter a large cookie sheet. 
7. One by one, make small balls of dough with the palms of your hands. 
8. Place them on a baking sheet with about 1/2cm in between them. 
9. Bake them for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they have a golden brown color.
10. Dust confectioners sugar over the cookies and serve.

German Potato Cakes

Potato Cakes make a great side dish, but can also be a nice option for a snack or brunch. I first tried them while visiting a Christmas German Market and I could not stop eating them! They are just great crunchy and full of flavor!

Germans usually serve them with some applesauce on the side and I know that kids just love them!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 potatoes peeled
• 1/2 onion finely chopped
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil 

Directions:

1. Grate the raw potatoes, place them in a clean dishcloth and squeeze the liquid out of them on top of a bowl. Let the liquid stand for a couple of minutes so that the potato starch settles in the bottom of the bowl, drain the liquid not the starch and add the potatoes to it.
2. Mix the onions with the potatoes and add the rest of the ingredients, let it rest for a couple of minutes.
3. Heat the oil on a frying  pan.
4. Using a measurement 1/2 cup, drip the mix in the oil and flatten with the back of a spoon. 
5. Fry 4-5 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

Tip: you could sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top to add a more Christmasy touch.

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

I'm a big fan of rice dishes, any shape, form or flavor will do for me and Risotto happens to be one of the best ways there is to prepare rice. For kids I add a bit of sour cream at the end to make it a bit tastier.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, chopped into small pieces
• 1 liter hot chicken stock
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, very finely chopped
• 300g risotto rice
• 100ml white wine 
• 200g fresh mushrooms cleaned and sliced (can use button mushrooms but the dark flat mushrooms give a deeper flavor)
• salt and pepper to taste
• 25g parsley, chopped
• shavings of parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan on a medium heat and add the onion and cook gently for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes. 
2. Add the rice and stir for a minute or so to coat it in the chicken-flavoured butter. 
3. Pour in half the white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
4. Add the fresh mushrooms and stir well. Pour in the hot stock a spoon at a time, stirring well between each addition ensuring all the liquid has been absorbed.
5. Add the remaining white wine and let it bubble for a few minutes so the alcohol evaporates. Season with salt and pepper.
6. When the rice is tender and the risotto is thick and creamy remove from the heat and leave to rest before garnishing with the parsley and parmesan cheese.

Tip: This dish works really well with shrimps instead of chicken too!

Ham and cheese Hojaldra

Hojaldra is the spanish word for puff pastry. This Hojaldra is a typical southern mexico recipe, from Yucatan and it is sorth of a tradition family recipe that has a very special place in my heart,  is one of those lazy-sunday lunch dishes that fits any ocassion. 

The filling works great for kids and with a nice salad you have a complete meal in a few minutes!

Ingredients:

• 600gr puff pastry, divided
• 15 thin slices of ham (any ham will do here)
• 15 slices of cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons of sugar

Directions:

1. Grease a square baking platter. Preheat the oven at 200ºC
2. Kneed the pastry into to large squares (just a bit smaller than your baking platter). Keep the pastry moist.
3. Place one of the pastry squares on the platter and layer the ham and cheese on top leaving a few mm on the sides free.
4. Cover with the remaining pastry and fold in the sides (you can even use a fork to make them stick to each other)
5. Sprinkle the sugar on top of the upper side pastry and bake for 30 minutes or until golden.
6. Cut into small squares and serve either warm or cold.