Blueberry Banana Bread

Two ripe bananas and some perfectly ripened blueberries made up into a delicious bread. I found this recipe in Cottage Living magazine, December 2007 issue just last night and made the bread this morning. The only changes I made were: the recipe originally called for all-purpose flour and I used whole wheat and added 1/2 tsp. baking soda since baked goods made with whole wheat flour can be a bit heavy.

There's a little bit of fall in the air, even though it's still August, so it was nice to turn on the oven on a chilly Saturday morning.

Blueberry Banana Bread

2 large, ripe bananas
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1/3 cup buttermilk (I keep the powdered mix on hand)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup wheat germ
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
1 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas with a fork in a large bowl. Stir in sugar and next 5 ingredients. Let stand 5 minutes or until oats soften.

Combine flour, baking powder and baking soda in a small bowl. Add to banana mixture alternately with oil, stirring just to incorporate. Fold in blueberries. Pour into a greased 9x5-inch loafpan, and back 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Note: I used a glass pan so I baked it at 325 degrees and it took about 55 minutes.

Turkey Patty Melt Sandwich

Patty melts are delicious, but usually packed with saturated fat and calories. This version is still just as tasty but is made with healthy components. The recipe lists no measurements for the ingredients so you can make as many servings as you like.

Ground turkey (I prefer 93% lean turkey, the 99% seems too dry and tasteless)
Sliced onion
Reduced fat cheese slices (I used pepper jack and co-jack)
Whole wheat bread

Spray a pan or griddle with non-stick spray and preheat to medium-high heat. Saute onion until nice and brown. Remove onion from pan and set aside.

Form turkey patties and fry on both sides until nice and brown. Remove patties from pan and set aside.

Carefully wipe out pan with paper towel (it's hot!) and spray pan again. Place a slice of bread in the pan for each sandwich you are making. Then layer on each slice of bread in this order: one slice cheese, grilled onion, turkey burger, 2nd slice of cheese, 2nd slice of bread. Grill the sandwich in the pan a few minutes on each side until bread is browned and cheese has melted. Serve with ketchup and mustard, if desired.

Shrimp Fried Rice

This fried rice uses very little oil and lots of healthy, tasty ingredients. The recipe is an adaptation of this one Ellie Krieger's Fried Rice. Although I have made the original recipe and loved it, I simplified the ingredients and methods so that it goes a little quicker.

1 Tbl. canola oil
2 large cloves garlic, minced (I used jarred garlic)
1/2 onion, chopped fine (if we have green onions in the garden, I prefer them)
1 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
4 cups cooked brown rice
4 cups frozen veggies, microwaved according to directions (I used edamame and corn, but have used peas and carrots with good results)
1 pound frozen shrimp, cooked, tail-off, peeled and de-veined (thawed and rinsed and drained)
2 large eggs, beaten
4 Tbl. low-sodium soy sauce

Heat canola oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring, until softened and aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the rice, veggies, and shrimp. Add the ginger powder. Cook, stirring, until heated through, about 5 minutes.

Make a 3-inch well in the center of the rice mixture. Add the eggs and cook until nearly fully scrambled. Stir the eggs into the rice mixture, then add the soy sauce and incorporate thoroughly. Serve hot.

Serves about 6.

Zucchini Pancakes

I especially like to use food that is in season. It is typically fresher and has better flavor when you can use it very soon after it is picked. We have a garden and the zucchini is coming on fast and furious. There are many variations of zucchini pancakes. I didn't even use a recipe for these tonight but they turned out great.

Zucchini Pancakes

4 average sized zucchini, shredded to make about 6 cups
1 cup whole wheat pancake mix (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese

Mix these ingredients together in a very large mixing bowl and sprinkle about 2 teaspoons garlic powder over and gently stir in.

Lightly beat 4 eggs and add to zucchini mixture.

Spray non-stick cooking spray on a griddle that has been preheated to 350 degrees.

Place a mixing spoonful (about 1/4 cup) of batter in prepared pan and flatten slightly with mixing spoon. Flip with pancake turner after pancake turns dark brown. You may need to flip a few times to be sure it gets cooked through. Serve warm just plain or with low fat sour cream.

Makes about a dozen 4-inch pancakes.

We ate these with leftover Pork Sirloin from last night. They were topped with a sauce made of Dijon mustard and a little honey and some freshly ground black pepper, then broiled for about 8 minutes per side.