A New Life For the Over Ripe Banana

We've all been there, you buy a bunch of bananas and of course at least a few of them just don't seem to make it, and really how many times can you make banana bread! Now don't get me wrong I love banana bread and have made numerous variations, I just wanted to try something new, something different. I started looking around to see what I had to be creative with and found coconut, macadamia nuts, and of course the over ripe banana; and so the Coconut Macadamia Banana Muffin was born! It's the perfect portable breakfast or snack, and the perfect way to use up those stubborn bananas if you're not in the mood for another loaf of banana bread.
As I started to gather all of my ingredients I realized that I had run out of sugar, which is a horrible thing when you bake as much as I do,  so I substituted honey in a pinch and I think that it worked just wonderfully. This is a great recipe to use substitutions for, if you want to use a different kind of nut, or perhaps add chocolate chips, or omit the coconut if you wish. Once you've found the perfect combination you have the perfect go to muffin!

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup over ripe banana (mashed)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (melted)
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut (plus more for topping)
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts (toasted)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. Whisk together in a large bowl; banana, butter, egg, vanilla, honey, and coconut until well combined.
3. In a separate small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in flour mixture to the banana mixture until just combined. Stir in macadamia nuts. 
4. Set 10 muffin cups with papers and fill about 3/4 full with batter. Top with a sprinkling of sweetened flaked coconut if desired.
5. Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely and enjoy!

Pineapple Pork

I was sitting in the kitchen trying to think of something to use up some leftover pineapple, I had made a pineapple tart from Fine Cooking magazine a couple days before (it was amazing by the way) and apparently  bought too much pineapple. I didn't have much to work with as we hadn't gone grocery shopping yet so I worked with what I had on hand and I have to say that I think that it came out pretty good! I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer, the leftover pineapple, and plenty of spices to work with. I came up with a great ginger spice rub and topped it with the sliced pineapple and a bit of honey and it was delicious. We even had some leftover pineapple tart and enjoyed that for dessert. It was the perfect combination for a quick, easy and delicious dinner.

Spicy Ginger Rub
2 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garlic powder

Ginger Pineapple Pork Tenderloin
2 1lb. pork tenderloins
1 cup thinly sliced pineapple
Spicy Ginger Rub
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp canola oil

1. Preheat oven to 375. Coat pork with oil and place on a baking sheet.
2. Rub spice rub all over pork until it is completely coated.
3. Place pineapple slices on top of and surrounding pork and drizzle with honey.
4. Roast for about 30 minutes or until a thermometer reads 155.
5. Slice thinly and serve with your favorite mashed potatoes!

Soup's On, Italian Style

Well Winter has finally arrived here whether we were ready for it or not. While we still haven't seen much snow here, the cold weather has set in. Of course as soon as it gets chilly outside all I want is a big bowl of soup to warm me up. Pasta Fagioli is one of those meals that just hits the spot, it is filling and hearty and pretty simple to make for a quick weeknight meal.
One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it is very easy to substitute ingredients for whatever you have on hand. You can use basically any type of bean, and if you don't have pancetta in the house you can substitute bacon or even prosciutto. I have made this soup with many different combinations and every time it has come out delicious. Make sure you make a big batch of this soup as it gets eaten up very quickly!

Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients
4 oz. Pancetta
1 medium onion (small dice)
3 cloves garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 15 oz. can petite dice tomatoes
2 15 oz. cans canellini beans (rinsed and drained)
4 15 oz. cans chicken stock
1 cup ditalini pasta
2 bay leaves, 1 tsp rosemary, and 1 tsp. peppercorns (tied into a sachet of cheesecloth)

Directions
1. Saute pancetta, onions and garlic in butter and olive oil about 3 minutes or until onions are softened and pancetta is browned.
2. Add beans and tomatoes and stir until combined. Add in chicken stock and sachet of herbs and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
3.Transfer about 1 cup of the bean and tomato mixture without liquid to a bowl and puree with an immersion blender until smooth.
4. While pureeing the bean and tomato mixture bring soup to a boil and add ditalini to cook for about 10 minutes or until al dante.
5. Once ditalini is al dante add the bean puree back into the soup. Stir well and serve with your favorite bread!