• 1 egg
• 1 cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
• 1 cups skim milk
• 1 large banana, very ripe, mashed*
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp apple pie spice
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

* When bananas are going bad, instead of throwing them out put them in the freezer.  Don’t do anything to them, just straight in the freezer.  When you need bananas to make banana bread or banana pecan pancakes, just pop how many you need out of the freezer, let thaw on the counter for about 20 minutes, then slice down the skin and peel it off.  They will be mushy and ready for your recipe! Oh, they turn BLACK inside the freezer, that is okay!

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients together until just combined.  There will be a few lumps in the batter, that’s okay!

1. Heat a pan or griddle and coat it with butter
2. Ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle into about 6″ circles                                                                                                                                                                        
3. Cook until the edges of the pancake look slightly dry and there are dryish bubbles on top of the pancake (like this).  Be careful not to have the pan too hot and not to overcook
4. Flip the pancakes and cook an additional minute or so
5. If you are working in batches, move the cooked pancakes to a sheet pan in a 200 degree oven to hold while you finish
6. Serve with maple syrup and bacon!

Ingredients

• 1 pork tenderloin (about a pound)
• 1/4 cup Lysanders pork rub (or seasoning of your choice)
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tsp flour
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup water or stock
• 1 ounce chopped prosciutto
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme

Directions

1. Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch thick slices (its best to slice it when is very cold)

2. Coat the pork medallions with the seasoning mix (its easiest to put the seasoning or rub in a zip top back and shake it!)

3. Sear the pork medallions on both sides. Don’t be shy, get a GOOD sear on there!

4.  Next, move the pork medallions to a casserole dish (oh, and preheat the oven to 375)

5. In the still hot pan, place the vegetable oil

6. Add in the flour and stir it around to make a roux

7. Once you have the roux made, add the wine and water (or stock)

8. Add the prosciutto and mix in the herbs and spices and let simmer for about 5 minutes

9. Pour the sauce over the pork medallions in the casserole dish and bake at 375 for about 25 minutes.

10. Serve with rice

Cut 3/4 to 1 lb of chicken into small pieces

Place 1/4 cup of flour, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper in a ziplock bag, then place the chicken in the bag and shake to coat

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a large pot.  Once hot add the chicken and flour mix and stir occasionally until brown the chicken

Once the chicken has browned, add 1 cup of chicken broth

Cut one large russet potato into medium large chunks

Add the potatoes to the pot

Next add in about 2/3 of a package (about 5 oz)  of dried cheese tortellini

Add the tortellini to the pot along with 2 cups water, 1/2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp rosemary, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic  and salt to taste.

Simmer for at least an hour, the longer the better, I think it would also be good in a crock pot.

I served mine with some fresh baked bread.

“What’s that?”

“Chicken in white wine and lemon sauce”

Matthew gives me a skeptical look.

“It will be good, you’ll like it.”

“It doesn’t  sound very good” he said, looking kind of sad.

“Trust me, you’ll like it”

“Ok” he said, still looking sad.

So I…..

Mixed 1/3 of a cup of flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and  1/2 tsp garlic powder in a bowl

Pounded some chicken breasts out flat

Dredged the chicken in the flour mixture

Melted 1tbsp of butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan

Put the chicken in the pan

Waited a few minutes and flipped it over

Waited until it was nice and golden and removed it to a plate

and proceeded to make the sauce

You are supposed to use “rinsed capers”.  For those of you who have never worked with capers, they are tiny, not easy to rinse. Here is how I did it.

I then added the capers, about 3 tbsp worth, to the juice of one lemon, 1/2 cup of white wine and 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth

Now, I am going to deviate for a moment and tell you what I SHOULD have done, not what I DID.

Remember the pan you cooked your chicken in?  Look at all the yummy butter and chicken bits left in it.

Mmmmm….

Okay, stop drooling and take about a tablespoon (maybe two depending on how much oil/butter is left in the pan) and make a roux.  I can’ t show you this, because I didnt do it, and my sauce did not get thick so I had to add the flour in after and do many tiring things to get the lumps out.  So do as I say, not as I do.  Once you have the flour incorporated into the oil in a roux, add the liquids (and capers).

And you’ll get a sauce that looks much nicer than this one

Now I returned the chicken to the pan for a few minutes to heat back up and get all saucy!

Finally I plated it up with a bit of pasta with the sauce over it, some crusty bread that I toasted a bit and a Caesar salad.

Then we sat down to eat.

A few minutes later Matthew looked over at me and says ‘This is good.”

“I told you so” may have slipped out.  I am only human after all.

Get the pdf of this recipe

Ingredients

• 3 cups bread flour (I usually mix white and wheat half and half but use whatever you like, as long as its bread flour)
• 1 tbsp instant yeast
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup warm water

Throw all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

Mix in the water. It will look like a mess!

Coat a large bowl or other container with oil and throw the ugly dough in it, turning to coat.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave out in a warmish (room temperature) place for 12-24 hours.  You will see it start to rise in a couple hours but leave it alone!

Once the allotted time has passed (you’ve slept and gone to work and come home probably), turn the dough out onto a floured surface.  Turn the dough over on itself once or twice.  DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH!  All you are doing is bringing it together.

Now, you can either make one loaf using a dutch oven or cast iron skillet which will end up looking something like this

Or you can shape it and make loaves or rolls.  I was making baguettes this time, so I shaped it into two long logs.

Once its shaped you want to let it rest, covered with a tea towel  for about 30 minutes.  I didn’t leave this one rest long enough and I’ll show you in a minute what that does.

It will puff up a bit more as it rests.

Bake at 425-450 for approximately 2o minutes.  It does very well if you cover the pan in foil to hold in the steam, makes lighter, aerier bread.

Now, let me show you the difference  not letting it rest long enough and not covering it in foil makes.

Bread not rested well and not covered in foil

Well rested, “steamed” bread

See all the nice holes!  That’s good bread!  (and yes, that one is mine too, just a different batch from awhile back)

I made some yummy french bread pizza from my bread for dinner tonight!

Get the pdf of this recipe

First, pound out some chicken breast fillets flat.

Breadcrumb Mix

• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp grated parmesean/romano cheese
• italian seasoning
• 2 tbsp margarine
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Spread the crumb mixture over the flattened chicken breasts

Roll up the chicken around the breadcrumbs (jelly roll style)

Slice each roll into 3 or 4 pieces (depending on the size), and thread 3 or 4 slices on a skewer.  Then sprinkle with some of the remaining crumb mixture

Put the chicken in the oven at 375 for about 25-30 minutes.

Meanwhile put water for pasta on to boil and start the sauce

Sauce

• 2 tbsp margarine
• 2 tsp garlic
• 3/4 cup lemon juice
• salt
• pepper

Mix everything together in a small sauce pan and stir while the butter melts.   I then transfered it to a bowl and used the immersion blender to make it smooth and a bit more homogoneous.

Plate the chicken and pasta, drizzle sauce over both.

Get the pdf of this recipe

Ingredients:
1 whole egg
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup onion – white or purple, diced
1 cup portabella mushroom – chopped
1 whole pork tenderloin, approximately 1 pound
6 ounces thinly slice prosciutto ham
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
2 sheet puff pastry, thawed completely
spice mix
1/2 tsp each: rosemary leaves, cumin seed, mustard seed. grind in food processof

Directions
1.Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 400 degrees F.
2.Whisk egg and water in a small bowl, set aside.
3.Make the spice mix.
4.Saute the onion and mushroom in butter, low heat until onion translucent and mushroom very soft.
5.Trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat and silver skin. Slice the tenderloin down the middle lengthwise, creating 2 separate pieces. Lay the tenderloin pieces next to each other head to tail, so when laid back together they are the same size at the ends.
6.Lay out a 12 by 16-inch piece of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the pieces of prosciutto in the center, overlapping them enough to create solid layer that is as long as the tenderloin.
7.Top with a second piece of parchment, and using a rolling pin, roll over the prosciutto to help adhere the pieces to each other.
8.Remove the parchment paper and sprinkle the prosciutto with the salt, pepper, and thyme. Set the tenderloin down the middle of the prosciutto.
9.Spread the sauteed onion/mushroom mix in between the 2 pieces of tenderloin and push back together so the mix is held between them.
10.Using the parchment paper to assist, wrap the prosciutto around the tenderloin to completely enclose in a package.
11.Sprinkle the counter with flour and roll out the pastry to 12 by 14 inches.
12.Spread the spice mix thinly over the pastry and lay the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin in the center of the pastry on the spice mix.
13.Fold the puff pastry up and over the top of the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose, brushing the edges of the pastry with the egg wash in order to seal.
14.Turn the tenderloin over so the side of the tenderloin with the double thickness of pastry is underneath.
15.Pinch the ends of the pastry to seal.
16.Brush the entire pastry with the egg wash.
17.Place the tenderloin on a parchment lined half sheet pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of at least 140 degrees F.
18.Remove the tenderloin from the oven, transfer to a cooling rack and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 6 slices center cut bacon
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 4 slices low fat provolone or cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1/8 cup breadcrumbs
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 4 healthy life buns, toasted

Directions

1. Fry bacon
2. Move bacon to paper towel to drain
3. Remove all but 1tsp of bacon grease from pan
4. Saute onions in bacon grease
5. Chop the drained bacon
6. In a large bowl place the turkey, bacon and onions
7. Add egg and bread crumbs
8. Add salt and pepper (and any other spices you like)
9. Mix well
10. On a sheet of wax paper portion out the mixture into 8 equal portions
11. Flatten out 4 of the 8 portions
12. Break each slice of cheese into 4 pieces & place in the center of each of the 4 patties
13. flatten out the remaining 4 pieces of mixture and place one on top of each of the cheese topped patties
14. Squish it up around the edges so the cheese is totally enclosed
15. Heat the same pan you used to fry the bacon and onions  (medium-high-ish)
16. Place the patties in the pan
17. Cook about 7-8 minutes, then flip and cook another 7-8 minutes
18. Mix the Worcestershire & water and pour into the pan.
19. IMMEDIATELY cover with a lid
20. Cook an additional 4 minutes on medium heat (you can be toasting your buns at this time)
21. Check the temp of the burgers, needs to be at least 165!
22. Move from the pan to the toasted buns

Nutrition (approximate based on MY ingredients, yours may vary!)

Mostly Vegetable Lasagna

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1/2 large onion
• 1 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup portabello mushrooms chopped
• 2/3 cup yellow or red bell pepper strips
• 1 box frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2/3 jar of low calorie marinara sauce
• 1 ounce prosciutto ham, chopped
• 5-6 no-boil lasagna noodles
• 1/2 container of low-fat ricotta cheese
• 1 ounce goat cheese
• 1/4 cup egg beaters
• salt
• pepper
• Italian spice mix
• 1/4 cup low fat shredded mozzarella

Directions

1. Saute vegetables in the butter until onions start to caramelize
2. Drain the spinach and squeeze as much of the water out as possible
3. Mix the ricotta, goat cheese and egg substitute in a bowl, add a bit of Italian spice mix
4. Add the garlic, salt and pepper to taste to the marinara sauce
5. In a small loaf pan, ladle enough marinara to cover the bottom of the pan
6. Place a lasagna noodle on top of the sauce
7. Spread a thin layer of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodle
8. sprinkle about 1/4 of the sauteed vegetables
9. add in the prosciutto
10. Add a thin layer of spinach
11. Ladle marinara over the layer
12. Repeat steps 6-11, 3 or 4 times (depending on how much ingredients you have), ending with a noodle on top. Layer marinara over the last noodle then top with the shredded mozzarella

Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Baking
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and place aluminum foil over the pan, tenting it a bit so it does not stick to the cheese. Place the loaf pan on a middle rack and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let sit 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve with some nice garlic bread

Nutrition (approximate based on MY ingredients, yours may vary!)

Calories: 286
Calories from Fat: 134
Total Fat: 14.9g
Saturated Fat: 8.3g
Trans Fat: 0.0g
Cholesterol: 47mg
Sodium: 512mg
Total Carbohydrates: 22.5g
Dietary Fiber: 3.5g
Sugars: 6.3g
Protein: 16.7g