Banana Bread Pudding

You can use your favorite banana bread recipe, or make healthy banana bread from the recipe below

1. 4 cups diced banana bread
2. 2 cups milk
3. 3 eggs
4. 1 teaspoon Frangelico, or vanilla
5. 1 jalapeno seeded and diced finely
6. 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained, reserve juice
7. ¼ cup honey
8. ¼ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
9. 1 cup sour cream

Beat the eggs with the milk, Frangelico, honey and nutmeg.  Toss the banana bread with the jalapeno and crushed pineapple.  Place in large round cake pan.  Pour milk mixture over all and allow to soak in for several minutes.  Cover with plastic wrap and then cover tightly with foil.  Place on trivet inside pressure cooker with ½ inch water in bottom.  Place on high heat and when water is boiling, cover and bring to pressure.  Reduce heat to low and cook at pressure for 20 minutes.  Turn off heat and allow to cool slowly.  Remove cover, remove pan, take off foil and serve with sour cream mixed with the reserved pineapple juice.  Sounds weird, but add a half teaspoon of good hot sauce to the sour cream and it will add dimensions of new flavors.

Banana Bread

My favorite recipe is a WHOLE lot different than you may be used to.  Try it, you’ll like it!

1. 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour, freshly ground in Nutramill
2. 2 teaspoons baking powder (always use non-aluminum brand)
3. ½ teaspoon cinnamon
4. ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5. ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
6. 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
7. 1 stick butter
8. 1/3 cup organic evaporated cane juice.  Or sugar if you must.
9. 1/3 cup honey
10. 2 eggs
11. 2 teaspoons vanilla
12. 3 ripe bananas, peeled

Mix first 5 ingredients together in medium size bowl.  Add the nuts and stir together.  In Bosch mixer use whips and beat the butter, sugar or evaporated cane juice, honey together until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Add the bananas and mix on low just until broken up into small pieces.  Don’t puree them, just lightly chopped up.  Dump the liquid into the dry bowl and with as few strokes as possible, fold together lightly.  Divide into two loaf pans that have been sprayed with Vegalene to prevent sticking.  Smooth out top and if desired grate nutmeg onto top.  Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Cool and remove from pan.  Yuuuummmmmmm

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Sausage

This is a great way to utilize any leftover sausages from your barbeque or if you bought a mess of them at Southside Market out in Elgin while driving through coming home from Houston.  However you got them, this is a pretty elegant looking dish to use them up.

1. 1 chicken breast per person
2. ½ to 1 sausage per person
3. about ½ red onion sliced thinly
4. 1 bell pepper cut into thin strips
5. 2 cups chicken stock, homemade is possible
6. minced oven roasted garlic to taste
7. 1 cup cream, optional
8. 3 tablespoons arrowroot or corn starch mixed with ¼ cup water

   Cook the pepper and onion in a small skillet with a bit of olive oil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until beginning to soften.  Add some garlic if you desire.  Allow to cool.  Take each breast and lay flat on cutting board.  With the end of a sharp paring or boning knife, insert the tip into the thickest portion of the breast.  With a sawing motion, cut toward the thinner side of the breast, using yur free hand to hold the breast and gauge where the tip of the knife is at.  Don’t allow the tip to go all the way through the breast, just cut a small opening about 2 inches in the thick side.  Set aside.  Slice the sausages into thin slices.  Toss with the cooked peppers and onions.  Stuff into the breasts.  Take your Kuhn-Rikon waffle bottom pressure cooker and place on high heat.  When hot enough that droplets of water dance when dropped.  Place breasts onto waffle surface skin side down and allow to brown and form crust, about 3 minutes.  Turn over and place cover on pressure cooker and bring to pressure.  Reduce heat and cook at pressure for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool cooker in sink with cold water around edge.  Remove cover and take breasts out and place on serving platter.  In pan, add garlic and cook on high heat 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and cream if desired.  Bring to boil and then add arrowroot or cornstarch to thicken.  Serve over garlic mashed potatoes and drizzle some over the breasts.

   Nutritious Garlic Mashed Potatoes

   Cut some Yukon Gold potatoes in half and place in steamer basket that fits into pressure cooker.  Add ½ cup water and bring to a boil.  Place pressure lid on pan and bring to pressure.  Reduce heat to low and cook under pressure 20 minutes.   15 if small potatoes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool until pressure releases.  Take potatoes out and place in ricer.  Rice with about 20 cloves of garlic into large mixing bowl.  Oh all right, use 10 cloves if you must.  Mix the water from the cooker back into the riced potatoes and add some salt and white pepper to taste.  A bit of olive oil and/or butter along with some cream or milk makes it creamier and richer. 

   Green Beans in Sage Butter with Almonds

   To a half stick of butter add about 12 fresh sage leaves.  Heat the butter to melt and then keep over medium low heat until butter begins to brown, about 10 minutes.  Add a half cup sliced or slivered almonds and turn heat up to medium and stir every half minute or so until almonds brown.  Pour over some whole green beans you have steamed just until lightly tender.

Visiting Chef Roy will teach healthy cooking techniques to you, your group, or your company.  Just call to arrange Healthy Cooking!

Talk to David Oliverio about personal training to be the best you can be, www.DavidOliverio.com a good friend, a great athlete, and the city's BEST trainer around, bar none.