Banana Bread

Do I purposely let bananas get so ripe that I have no choice but to make banana bread? Maybe. Sometimes it's on purpose (like today), but other times I salvage super ripe bananas by baking banana bread. So next time you have really ripe bananas, don't throw them away, make banana bread too!

 The typical thing is "banana nut" bread, but I prefer chocolate chips instead of nuts with this. If you're a nut person, you can substitute crushed walnuts instead of the chocolate chips in this recipe. If you can't make up your mind, use half of each! My recipe is very simple, and includes only basic baking ingredients. Enjoy!

Ingredients: 1 Loaf

• 4 Ripe Bananas
• 1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, softened
• 2 Eggs, Lightly Beaten
• 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Cups All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 Cup of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 5x9 Loaf Pan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease your loaf pan with cooking spray.

Crush the bananas in a large mixing bowl with a spatula. Add the softened butter and mix together with the bananas. Next, mix in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract.

Now for the dry ingredients. Mix in the granulated and brown sugars first. Then, fold in the flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Continue mixing until all ingredients are well blended.  Finally, add in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into your loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour to1 hour and 10 minutes. Poke a tooth pick in the middle; if it comes out dry, it's done.

Remove from loaf pan and slice as you serve.

Homemade Whole Wheat Pizza, Two Ways

I bought whole wheat dough a few weeks ago to make a carb-friendly pizza at home. I froze the dough so I could use it when I wanted. Well, today I was forced to use the dough because we lost power from Hurricane Sandy, and the dough rose when the freezer went warm. At least I was able to salvage it - luckily, we got power back on Friday night, so I was able to keep the risen dough in the refrigerator for a couple days! Here are two ways to make delicious homemade pizza.

First, I made a fresh tomato pizza with 3 cheeses - super tasty! Next, I made a margherita pizza - one of the classics of Italy. Fun fact: it resembles the Italian flag - green=basil, white=mozzarella, red=tomato. In my margherita, I substituted the basil for oregano to change it up since I used basil in the fresh tomato pizza.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. For both pizzas, first drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on a baking sheet. Spread the dough evenly across the baking sheet, stretching and widening the dough with your fingers. Flip the dough upside down so that both sides get coated with olive oil.

1) Three Cheese with Fresh Tomatoes and Basil:

• 16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• 1-2 packs of Cherry Tomatoes, cut into quarters or halves
• ~2 Handfuls Fresh Mozzarella, enough to cover entire pizza, thinly slice
• 1 tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tbs Grated Pecorino
• Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
• Olive Oil

Spread the tomatoes evenly over the dough.

Sprinkle on the parm, pecorino and basil leaves. Cover the top with the mozzarella. Drizzle additional olive oil on top.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, until crust is crunchy and slightly browned. Slice into 6 pieces. Of course, I added crushed red pepper on top before eating.

2) Margherita, Topped with Pickled Green Tomatoes:

• 16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
• 1 Ladle of Tomato Sauce (you can get my recipe here - freeze any additional sauce!)
• ~2 Handfuls Fresh Mozzarella enough to cover entire pizza, thinly sliced
• 1-2 tbs Grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• Garlic Powder
• Dried Italian Oregano
• Freshly Cracked Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Pickled Green Tomatoes (optional)

Sprinkle some garlic powder evenly on the dough. Next, evenly distribute on the grated parmigiano. Carefully pour the tomato sauce across the pizza, spreading with your ladle or a spoon. Add the mozzarella on top - again evenly distributed. Sprinkle on the dried oregano and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.

Cook for 12-15 minutes, until crust is crunchy and slightly browned.  Slice into 6 pieces.

Optional idea - top off with pickled green tomatoes. It gives a nice acidity taste and crunch. My mom makes the best homemade pickled green tomatoes. She pickles them in olive oil, vinegar, oregano, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Lastly, of course, I seasoned the slice with crushed red pepper.