Banana Muffins

1/2 cup yogurt

1 large egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups mashed banana (2 to 3 large bananas)

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup oat bran

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping:

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon soft butter

Heat oven to 375°F.  Grease a standard muffin tin, or line with papers and grease the papers.

Combine the yogurt, egg, oil, mashed banana, sugar, and oat bran in a bowl.  Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg.

Work the topping ingredients together until the mixture is crumbly.

Whisk the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost full; the muffins won't rise much.  Sprinkle muffins with the topping. 

Bake the muffins for 20 to 24 minutes, until the muffins are set and browned.  Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from the pan and enjoy warm.

Makes 12 muffins.

From King Arthur Flour.

Turkey and Black Bean Soup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 yellow or sweet onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1-2 tomatoes, diced

1 can black beans, drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 quart chicken broth

Cooked turkey or chicken, shredded into bite-size pieces

Over moderately low heat, heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan or soup pot.  Add the onion and pepper to the pot and cook, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, cocoa powder, hot sauce, oregano, salt, pepper, maple syrup, tomatoes, black beans, corn, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the turkey to the pot, and simmer for 5 minutes.  

Can be served topped with grated cheese, sour cream, and/or chopped cilantro.

Serves 4.

Masala Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Onions

1 tablespoon ghee (or butter, or canola oil)

1-2 sweet or yellow onions, thinly sliced

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/3 cup milk

1 ounce cream cheese

2 teaspoons salt

3 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

¼ cup chopped cilantro (optional)

Heat the tablespoon of ghee in a skillet or wide saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the onions and cook, stirring often, until the onions are an even golden brown and softened to a marmalade consistency, around 30 minutes or longer.  Stir often and scrape up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan.  Splash a little water into the pan as needed if the onions start to stick.

Meanwhile, boil the potatoes in salted water to cover for about 20 minutes, or until you can pierce them through easily with a fork.

 When the potatoes are cooked, drain and transfer them to a bowl.  Mash the potatoes until smooth, adding the milk, cream cheese, and salt, and incorporating well.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter until it starts to froth. Add the garam masala, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook the spices for a minute or so in the butter, until they are fragrant; be careful not to burn them.  Add the spice butter to the mashed potatoes and mix well.

Stir in the caramelized onions, and top with cilantro if desired.

Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

From LickMySpoon.com with many changes

Caramel Popcorn

1-2 gallons popped popcorn

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup peanuts (optional)

Heat oven to 250 F.

In a saucepan, bring brown sugar, butter, and maple syrup to a boil.  Cook at a slow boil for 5 minutes without stirring.

Remove sugar syrup from heat and add baking soda, salt, vanilla, and peanuts (if using).

Pour over popcorn and toss to mix thoroughly.

Spread caramel popcorn on greased cookie sheets and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes.

Store in airtight bags or containers.

Caramel and Vanilla Cake

For the caramel sauce:

2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons water

2/3 cup butter, cut into small cubes

1 cup whipping cream

For the vanilla cake:

1 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk (or evaporated milk, for extra richness)

For the caramel frosting:

3 1/2 cups to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar

1/2 cup butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup caramel sauce

2 or more tablespoons milk

To make the caramel sauce:

Mix the sugar and water in a large saucepan (use a pan of about 3 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream).  Have butter and cream ready so it can be added quickly when needed.  Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light- to medium-amber color.  (Do not stir the boiling sugar, this can cause it to crystallize.  If the sugar starts to crystallize, use a pastry brush to brush water around the inside edge of the pot as it boils; you may have to do this several times.  Carefully swirling the pan occasionally is also helpful to avoid crystallization of the sugar.) 

When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir until the butter is melted.  Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.  Cool completely.

To make the vanilla cake:

Grease two 8- or 9-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.  Heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract at high speed with the whisk attachment until light and fluffy.  Slowly beat in the vegetable oil.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Fold in the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, adding the dry ingredients in three divisions and the liquid ingredients in 2 divisions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Do not over-mix the batter; stop mixing as soon as there are no lumps in the batter.  Pour batter into the two prepared pans.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

To prepare the caramel frosting:

Beat all ingredients together until smooth, fluffy, and a spreadable consistency.  Add more milk if too thick or more sugar if it too thin.

To construct the cake:

Cut each cake layer in half horizontally, to make four layers.

Reserve about 2/3 cup of the caramel sauce (1/2 cup for the frosting and the rest to drizzle on top of the cake).  Divide the remaining caramel sauce in 3 parts and use it to fill the three inner layers of the cake.

Assemble the cake, filling the layers with caramel sauce.  Frost with the caramel frosting and drizzle with remaining caramel sauce.

Serves 16.

From RockRecipes.com

Oatmeal Sandwich Bread Recipe

1 cup (227 grams) lukewarm water

1/3 cup (74 grams) lukewarm milk

1/4 cup / 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter

2 tablespoons (28 grams) brown sugar

2 tablespoons (43 grams) honey

1 cup (99 grams) rolled oats

1/2 cup (50 grams) rolled oats, ground – or oat flour

2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 1/2 cups (298 grams) unbleached bread flour

In a large mixing bowl, or in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough.  Knead the dough by hand (10 minutes) or by mixer (5 minutes) until it's smooth.  Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour; it'll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk.

Gently deflated the dough, and transfer it to a lightly oiled work surface.  Shape it into an 8" log.  Place the dough in a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan, cover the pan with loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until it's crested 1" to 2" over the rim of the pan.  Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 350°F.

Bake the bread for 35 to 40 minutes, until a digital thermometer inserted into the center registers 190°F.  If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 10 minutes of baking.

Remove the bread from the oven, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.  Store the bread well-wrapped, at room temperature, for several days; freeze for longer storage.

Makes 1 loaf.

From King Arthur Flour

Notes:

If you prefer oatmeal bread sweetened the traditional way, with molasses, simply substitute 3 tablespoons molasses for the brown sugar and honey.  The resultant bread will be darker in color, and slightly stronger tasting.

Want to make this loaf with the help of your bread machine?  Place all of the ingredients into the pan of your machine, program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start.  About 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle, check the dough and adjust its consistency as necessary with additional flour or water; the finished dough should be soft and supple.  Shape the loaf and bake it in your regular oven, as directed above.

Onion Tarts

Free-Form Tart Shells, made from Flaky Pastry Dough (4 7-inch or 2 10-inch shells)
2 ounces bacon (2 slices), finely diced
2 pounds yellow onions (3 large or 4 medium), sliced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs (sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, savory, or combination)
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 large egg

In a large (4-quart) saucepan, cook the bacon over medium heat until almost crisp.  Add the onions, sugar, and salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onions are cooked down by two-thirds, about 10 minutes.  Add 2 teaspoons vinegar, reduce the heat to medium-low, and continue to cook until the onions are an even golden brown and softened to a marmalade consistency, 15 to 30 minutes depending on the onions.  Stir often and scrape up any brown bits clinging to the bottom of the pan.  The onions need almost constant stirring near the end to prevent them from sticking and burning.  Stir in the chopped fresh herbs, allow the mixture to cool slightly, then taste and season with black pepper and additional salt if needed.  Another teaspoon of vinegar can be added if the onions seem overly sweet.  (The onions can be caramelized up to 2 days ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.)

Heat the oven to 350 F.  Stir the cream and egg into the caramelized onions until thoroughly combined. Divide the filling among the tart shells and spread it evenly with the back of a spoon.  Bake in the upper third of the oven until the filling is set, about 15 minutes for 7-inch tarts or 20 to 25 minutes for 10-inch tarts.  The filling should still be soft but not runny.  Let tarts cool slightly, then ptransfer the tarts to a cutting board using a large spatula.  Cut each into 8 or 12 wedges with a sharp chef's knife.  Serve warm or at room temperature.  

Makes 4 7-inch or 2 10-inch tarts.

From The Herbfarm Cookbook by Jerry Traunfeld

Note: To make without bacon, use 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil to caramelize the onions.