New year! New banana bread...

Almond meal?

What the heck is that? It is ground almonds. Simple as that… almond flour is ground blanched almonds, and almond meal is just ground almonds. Not just chopped nuts… but ground into a consistency somewhere between cornmeal and wheat flour.

Why? As I have mentioned I am trying to remove grain from my diet as much as possible and almond
meal allows me to hold on to a few favorite foods.

Breaded pork chops –
      I bread my marinated boneless pork loin chops in almond meal and then either fry or bake

Pie crust –
      Instead of using a traditional pie crust or a graham cracker crust, mix 2 cups almond meal
with 3 tbls melted butter and 2 tbls sugar. Press the mixture into a sturdy pie pan and prebake for 10 minutes. I added a pumpkin pie batter to the crust and baked into a delicious grain free pumpkin pie.

Banana bread – this was delicious. I made a quick bread with almond meal in place of flour and the
results were so amazing. The family loved it and it was devoured fairly quickly.

Cautions?

Well almond meal is very calorie dense, it carries a load of fat, protein, and fiber that is greater than
regular wheat flour…but it is very low carbohydrate.

¼ cup almond meal
160 calories
14 grams of fat (1 gram saturated)
6 grams of carbohydrates (only 3 are sugar)
3 gram of fiber
5 grams of protein.

¼ cup all-purpose white flour
114 calories
.25 grams fat
24 grams of carbohydrates (0 sugars)
.6 grams of fiber
3 grams of protein


Although almond flour has a higher total fat content, the fat is made up of fatty acids that were shown to reduce cholesterol levels in a 2002 study conducted by Canadian researchers.
(source: http://www.livestrong.com/article/90491-nutrition-information-almond-flour/)

So which one is better? That is up to you, but for me having a lighter carbohydrate load is excellent for my diabetes.

Here is a quick and easy banana bread that I made this weekend. My only warning is to watch the bread closely; mine was very done on the edges (almost burnt) after about 50 minutes.

Almond Flour Banana Bread from The Wannabe Chef
(http://www.thewannabechef.net/2012/06/04/almond-flour-banana-bread/)

Prep time: 15 minutes Cook time: 55 minutes

Ingredients (Makes 1 loaf):

1 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
4 eggs
1/4 cup oil (I used butter)
3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
3 medium bananas, mashed(about 3/4 cup banana puree)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (was out of nutmeg, substituted cinnamon)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts(optional) ( I added some delicious local walnuts)
1/2 cup chocolate chips(optional) (maybe next time)

Method:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, eggs, oil, sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla,
cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt until there are no clumps.

Fold the walnuts, chocolate chips, or any other mix-ins you might want into the batter.

Lightly grease a 5 x 10 or similar sized loaf pan and pour in the batter.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. (watch carefully)

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

The bread was delicious and I cannot wait to try again.

Try your hand at something different in 2013… and let me know what do think of this recipe on
www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace or on my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com

Happy new year!

Grain free banana chocolate crepes...

An experiment gone great!

I read about these pancakes on Pinterest, you take a banana and mash it with two eggs, then cook like silver dollar pancakes. They were tasty, but I thought what else could I do with this process and crepes were the answer!

Crepes ( /ˈkreɪp/) are a thin eggy pancake that can have either a savory or sweet filling, and they are delicious. I think that the process is a little daunting because they are very delicate and if you are used to a heartier product then it can be frustrating to attempt these at home. You can purchase a crepe pan or a crepe griddle, but if you have a good nonstick pan you can make them at home. 

Typically the batter has eggs, flour, butter, and milk, but since I am trying to eliminate grain from my diet this recipe is right up my alley!

I visited D.C. last spring and right outside the metro station was a little market with different vendors including a crepe stand. They are so nonchalant about preparing the crepe from pouring and spreading the batter to flipping and filling with whatever your heart desires. It looks easy, but once you taste the light and delicious but so very fragile dish, you will want more!

Crepes are popping up a little more often now, from our local farmer’s market in Grand Junction to the Halloween festival at Palisade High School (fundraiser for the French club), and people are going nuts over them.

Filling the crepe has no limits:

• Ham and Swiss with either a Dijon mayonnaise or a thin raspberry jam
• Nutella with strawberries and bananas
• Thin sliced turkey and cranberry sauce

And the list goes on and on.

Photo courtesy of my Iphone 4s

Grain free banana chocolate crepes

1 banana

2 eggs

Pinch of salt

Butter for the pan

Filling: 60% cacao Ghirardelli dark chocolate chips

Mash the banana and then mix in the eggs until you have a consistent batter.

Heat a heavy bottomed nonstick skillet (8 inch) over very low heat. You want the butter to melt but not brown. Once the butter is completely melted, pour in enough better to coat the bottom in a thin layer. Let the crepe cook slowly until the top starts to become solid, then carefully flip. At this point you can slide out on to a plate and start your next crepe (this recipe should make 2-3). 

While the next crepe is cooking sprinkle about 10-15 chocolate chips on the cooked crepe and roll gently. Repeat with the rest of the crepes. Enjoy!

Let me know if you try this and what worked for you! 

Maintenant, allez faire cuire quelque chose!

Trace

Something new... Stir fry with cauliflower rice

I often challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone and try new things. Whether it is a new food, or a new activity, I want to be able to evolve and expand my horizons. My boys have been a little timid in the past and I think that seeing me try new things and struggle or fail occasionally helps build their self-esteem and I hope it makes them realize that they can continue to improve and mold themselves even into their adult years.

Recently I have tried several new foods; I attended “Edesia. A Palisade Culinary, Wine & Spirits Adventure”. What an adventure to try new foods, wines, and spirits. Head cheese, caviar, pork belly, patty pan squash, ceviche… and the list goes on. I enjoyed most of what I tried but I have to tell you the Passion Fruit Panna Cotta from Il Bistro was by far my favorite sampling.

I also tried kombucha for the first time this week. Kombucha is a fermented tea beverage, so it is heady, effervescent, and supposedly great for your health… I was not a fan. I bought a variety that was juice and kombucha with chia seeds. I was hoping for this great experience and of course I wanted to feel energized and healthy from the probiotic nectar. I was put off by the aroma, the yeast was overpowering and the flavor was reminiscent of a spoiled drink. I know that I am probably not sophisticated enough to truly enjoy this drink, but at least I gave it a shot.

My point is there is always going to be new things to try and I suggest you give it a shot, it will not always work out, but you never know you might find your next obsession.





Here is a recipe that has something new for you to try. Let me know what you think!

Chinese Stir Fry with Cauliflower Rice
A quick and healthy Asian inspired dish


INGREDIENTS
1 lb fresh cauliflower shredded
24 ounces California blend
1 lb chicken tenders
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
salt and pepper to taste


INSTRUCTIONS
1. steam shredded cauliflower until just tender
2. cook California blend according to package
3. sauté chicken until done
4. mix soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil together set aside
5. Add chicken and California blend together and heat add soy sauce mixture
6. mix corn starch with cold water add to skillet stir to combine add bring to a boil
7. turn off mixture let rest 3-4 minutes, stir and serve over shredded cauliflower
8.
season with salt and pepper

I like this version because I can have a nice Asian inspired dish without the starch of the rice. Tasty, a little healthier, and easy to do!

Connect with me on my website at www.cookingwithtrace.com or on www.Facebook.com/cookingwithtrace
Now go cook something!
Trace

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Talk about fresh food...

Sooooo I was eatin' an apple today and a seed fell out. Not a big news story, not a little news story, just a little ol' seed. But wait...


What is up with that seed??? It has already sprouted..... Ohhhh, ahhhhh (you said that in your head didn't ya?)

So naturally I went out and filled a cup with dirt,



And planted that sucker. I am just guessing (because this little seed is an overachiever), that we will have apples by this time next week. I will be sure to update.

Happy Tuesday! Trace

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday experiments...

Today was busy, just like every weekend, we had basketball and basketball and then we had some basketball... Actually my wife and I did have a date night, thanks to Grandma for watching the boys Saturday night. We took a few minutes to take a picture or two and the we raced to see "The Vow".. let me just say that Channing Tatum kinda ruins it for every guy in the theatre. It was a good movie and we had a very nice time.

I love where we live.. the views are magnificent and the weather is great 95% of the time.

So on Sunday I wanted to make some thing new... I have been formulating a recipe for a couple of weeks and finally had the time. This is what I made:

Can you guess what it is? Give up? It is a chayote crisp. What the hell is a chayote? It is a mexican squash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote, it is like a vegetable pear. It is crisp and juicy, but there is no sweetness. I have done a couple of things like dicing and adding to soup, last night I fried it like a potato, and I saw in this month's issue of Food Network Magazine, there is a recipe for chayote-jicama salad. My wonderful El Salvadorian friend looked at me like I was going to grow a second head when I told her my idea of the dessert. So I had to give it a try. I peeled, seeded and sliced the chayote in a basic apple slice shape (is that an actual description?), tossed with cinnamon sugar and topped with a simple topping (butter, cinnamon, sugar, old fashioned oats). Baked it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and it looked amazing.

The taste was very bland... :( So I added a little pancake syrup and a pinch of salt and that made a big difference. I will add more flavor prior to baking next time.

Now before you get all crazy on me.. there was some indications that it would work. Check out this urban legend.

I like it and will be trying to incorporate the vegetable in more dishes.

Second experiment of the day...

Leftovers part II... my wife made a delicious dinner a couple of nights ago, it was diced pork in a light bbq sauce. I heated the meat in a skillet with the sauce and added a wedge of Weight Watchers Jalapeno cream cheese.

I let the sauce reduce and then spooned on to whole wheat hot dog buns with a slice of slice cheese. Popped them into the broiler and served...

Judging by the speed in which my 13 year hoovered these sammies down.. I am thinking this may be a keeper.

I have some more ideas coming up and I hope you enjoyed these random thoughts...

Now go cook something!

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Broiled grapefruit… yeah Broiled.. with an “r”

I have read several blogs lately about the idea of broiled grapefruit, and it is an intriguing idea. I saw one recipe ranging from simple (cut in half, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, and butter) to decadent (brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, oats, etc…) and while each recipe has its own merits I wanted something different.

I have never been a traditional grapefruit eater, I do use a grapefruit spoon or knife. I typically peel and eat them like an orange. If it is particularly tart I might sprinkle some sugar on the sections. However lately I have been peeling the fruit with a knife and cutting into sections. This way I can make it portable and fairly easy to eat. Here is a quick video on how to peel a grapefruit http://youtu.be/1tbf9fGAC10.

So I peeled my fruit and a sliced it into patties (?)

I mixed a pinch of salt with a  ½ teaspoon of sugar and about  ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon and the sprinkled on top of the grapefruit. Placed under the broiler for 5-7 minutes. 

I really liked the flavor, it was interesting to have a warm citrus and the little bit of spice was tasty. I think I will double the amount of topping and broil for just a minute or two longer. 

Enjoy! Now go broil something! 

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