Zesty Cook » walnuts

Bread and A Banana… Or {Banana Bread}

zesty — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:00:01 +0000

The end of the week is here! This week flew by, hard to believe we are in May already. Guess what I just remembered last night? It is mother’s day on Sunday. Opps sorry Mrs. Zesty – I will get on it as soon as possible and surprise you for Sunday. I have a couple of ideas in mind so it will just be a matter of execution
on Saturday.

As for this sudden craving I had… banana bread. I had some lonely looking bananas hanging in the freezer that were just aching to be warmed up and cooked. What better way to use up bananas with on of my favorite breads in the whole world. Moist, tender, soft, fluffy banana bread! Give this recipe a try if you have a craving like I did and I am pretty confident you will not be disappointed.

Today, I thought I would share with you my take of a classic bread – Banana Bread! One of my all-time favorite loafs and a great way to use ripened bananas.

Every now and again I feel the need to add some nuts to my Banana Bread recipe for a different texture and flavor combination. With this loaf I chose the “Walnut”.

Ingredients

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tsp. baking soda
1/4 Tsp. salt
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup white sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
4 Mashed overripe bananas
1/4 Cup walnuts

Method

Preheat Oven to 350°.
Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and white sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended, then toss in the walnuts.
Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool in pan for a bit, then flip it out onto a wire rack.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When bananas are on their last leg on your counter, a great place to store them for either smoothies or baking is in the freezer. They freeze very well and it will help prolong their useful life.

I hope you get some time in the near future to try this banana bread. As I mentioned earlier, it is one of my favorite loafs to make and eat. A slight problem is that I tend to eat the whole loaf. I especially love the two end pieces. Do you like the end pieces?

Weekend is upon us… any big plans for you? I hope you have fun with whatever you choose to do and I will see you back here on Monday!

Oh, one last thing, if you haven’t checked out our recipe e-book yet, you can download it here for free.

Take care

zesty

Banana Walnut Bread

zesty — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 09:00:39 +0000

Happy Wednesday! WOW what a week. I am pretty excited to see the holiday around the corner for tomorrow. I had a lot of fun this week especially the blogging aspect of it. Despite the fact that work and zestycook.com consumes a large majority of my waking day… I love it! No complaints from being busy over here. Do you like being busy?

Today, I thought I would share with you my take of a classic bread - Banana Bread! One of my all-time favorite loafs and a great way to use ripened bananas.

Every now and again I feel the need to add some nuts to my Banana Bread recipe for a different texture and flavor combination. With this loaf I chose the “Walnut”.

Ingredients

2 Cups all-purpose flour
1 Tsp. baking soda
1/4 Tsp. salt
1/2 Cup butter
1 Cup white sugar
2 Eggs, beaten
4 Mashed overripe bananas
1/4 Cup walnuts

Method

Preheat Oven to 350°.
Lightly grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and white sugar.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.
Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended, then toss in the walnuts.
Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.
Let bread cool in pan for a bit, then flip it out onto a wire rack.

ENJOY!

Holiday is upon us… any big plans for you? I hope you have fun with whatever you choose to do and I will see you back here on Friday!

Oh, one last thing, if you haven’t checked out our new recipe e-book yet, you can download it here for free.

Take care

zesty

Asparagus Bacon Walnut Salad

zesty — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 12:00:44 +0000

When I need a brain break, I just think about eating and cooking.

This asparagus bacon walnut salad really follows the zesty motto…. quick and easy yet packed with flavor. This asparagus dish will easily work as either a side dish or a salad depending on both your mood and your dinner plans.

It literally takes no time to make and requires very little preparation. In this particular case I used turkey bacon as it was on sale. Even though I have never tried it before, I enjoyed it immensely. I noticed a number of similar qualities to real bacon minus the grease.

As a little treat to compliment the salad is homemade rosemary focaccia bread that I picked up at the bakery…. yum. This stuff was amazing.

I don’t eat asparagus very often but every time I do I always wonder why I don’t buy it more often. Perhaps it’s because it can be fairly pricey at the local grocery store.

See below for the brief instructions on how to make this dish.

Ingredients

Asparagus (about 12-15 pieces)
4-5 slices cooked turkey bacon (chopped)
1/4 Cup walnuts
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar

Method

Preheat pan to medium-high heat.
Add Olive Oil to warm pan then add bacon, asparagus and heat together for 5-7 minutes.
Once Asparagus is tender toss in the walnuts.
Cook through for 2 minutes and finish with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When cooking with asparagus do not over cook them. I like to shock them with high heat for only 5-7 minutes to allow them to heat through but also keep the crunch.

I am on the road tonight so stay tuned or a Virginia post on Friday. Have a great day.

Take care

zesty

Apricot Pork Pasta with Feta

zesty — Fri, 14 May 2010 12:00:39 +0000

Come here Friday and give me a hug! Ahhhh thank you. Happy Friday to you!

After visiting the new local market last week, I left with a nice pork roast that I was planning to roast for sandwiches, stir-fry and whatever else rolled through my brain. This dish was an ad hoc lunch prepared in less than 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon.

A couple of days prior, I slow cooked the pork roast for about 8 hours with a combination of Apricot Jam, Rosemary and splash of apple juice. To say the least – the meat was amazing! So tender, juicy and full of flavor.

Ingredients (Pork Roast)

Pork Roast
1/2 Cup Apricot Jam
1 Tbsp. Dried Rosemary
3 Tbsp. Apple Juice

Method

Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and set to low and cook for 8 hours. Your final roast should look similar to this below. Oh so good!

Ingredients (Pasta Dish)

2 Cups cooked Pork Roast
1 Cup Button Mushrooms
1 Cup Broccoli
1 Cup Baby Spinach
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1/4 Cup Feta Cheese
2 Cups Spiral Pasta
1 Tbsp. Hoisin Sauce
2 Tsp. Soy Sauce
1 Clove Garlic
1 Tbsp. Ginger
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Method

Preheat Large Pan on Medium- High Heat and add olive oil.
Add pork pieces and mushrooms, sautee for 3-4 minutes until the pork and mushrooms caramelize.

Add Ginger and Garlic, Cook for 3 more minutes
Add Soy Sauce and Hoisin Sauce

Add Orange Juice and Broccoli – stirring to coat the broccoli ( be sure to add a sprinkle of salt on the broccoli to ensure it stays bright green.
Add Spinach – cook for 1 minute while stirring ( If you find the hoisin sauce is sticking to the pan which is quite possible due to all the sugars – add a tablespoon of hot water to the hot pan and de-glaze the pan and get all those great flavors.

Add Walnuts and cooked spiral pasta (you can use whatever pasta you have on hand as well).

Plate and top with Feta Cheese.
Enjoy!

As part of the zesty tradition, I can’t wait to hear what people both think of this recipe as it is so simple but quite tasty and also what’s your favorite type of pasta. Again happy Friday and I hope you have a great weekend.

Take care

Zesty

A Weekend Walnut Brownie!

zesty — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:00:06 +0000

Oh my goodness it is Friday. Last evening was spent at the house prepping and cleaning all the outside walls of saw dust and wood shavings. Why you might ask? Well because the spray foam insulation team is arriving today at 8:30 am and will be raring to go… I hope!

It only took a few hours to somewhat tidy up and make all the corners accessible. I am going back first thing this morning to ensure I didn’t miss any spots as it was kind of dark and my light burnt out.

To take us into the weekend….. I have a special treat brewing in the oven. How about a walnut decadent brownie? I thought you might like that. This is super easy to make and also very simple create gluten free.

Below is the recipe as well as my simple instructions to get this in the oven. Get ready to enjoy. I also had a chance to try some new vanilla that was sent to me from the fine folks at Shining Dog Vanilla. This is Pure Vanilla Extract made from certified organic vanilla beans. It contains no added sugar or fructose. and is quite delicious.

Ingredients

1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
4 Large eggs
2 Cups sugar
1 Tsp. vanilla
1/2 Tsp. salt
1/2 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 Cup coarsely chopped walnuts

Method

Preheat oven to 325°. Lightly butter 13x9x2-inch baking pan.
Melt butter and chocolate in a heavy medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until chocolate mixture is smooth. Cool.
Using mixer, beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy.
Beat in chocolate mixture, vanilla and salt.
Add flour; beat just until blended and then toss in the walnuts.
Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.
Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean ( 30-35 minutes )
Remove and let cool.

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: If you do not have chocolate you can always substitute and use cocoa. You may find that the brownie will be slightly more bitter and less smooth as well.

So I am pretty pleased it is Friday. We are planning an apple picking day tomorrow if the weather is suitable. The weather has been terrible the last week so hopefully it is decent for a day in the orchard. I am sure if we make it there – there will be some apple recipes coming your way.

Ohhhhhh I almost forgot. Today is the deadline for the POM Tea giveaway. Be sure to enter. Have a great weekend.

Take care

zesty

Maple Walnut Salmon Over Beet & Goat Cheese Greens

zesty — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 11:00:08 +0000

Hi there Zesty readers! I’m Angie (from www.angiealltheway.com) and I’m so pleased to be guest posting for Zesty today and sharing with you a dish that I haven’t stopped thinking about since a meal I had at the Bier Market while in Toronto in June. I thought I would try my hand at making my own version of it.

Being Canadian (and especially being a Maritimer), there are some things that we love to shout from the rooftops:

You haven’t tried maple anything until you’ve tried Maple Butter. *drool*
I give you:

Maple Walnut Salmon Over Beet & Goat Cheese Greens

INGREDIENTS (PER PERSON)

The Salmon:

1 salmon fillet (or however many people you would like to serve)
Sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp Maple butter (you can use maple syrup, but maple butter is where it’s at)

The Greens:

2-3 Cups of mixed salad greens or baby spinach
1 beet, peeled, cut into bite size pieces
3-4 tbsp crumbled goat cheese
1/4c walnuts

2 tbsp maple butter (to candy the walnuts)

The Vinaigrette (Maple Balsamic) – optional:

*this makes about 1c of vinaigrette but is fantastic for salads or roasted root veggies)

5-6 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 – 4 tbsp Pure maple syrup
1/2c Extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Steam the beets until fork tender.
Melt a few tbsp of maple butter in a small pan (or in the microwave) and coat evenly over walnuts. Set aside on a piece of tin foil to set (only takes about a minute).
Meanwhile, season the salmon with salt & pepper and baste with the maple butter.
Grill the salmon on a grill pan (or bake it in the oven) over medium – high heat being careful not to let the maple butter burn.
Plate a few handfuls of greens on your plate, top with steamed beats, candied walnuts and crumbled goat cheese.
Serve salmon over the salad and drizzle with the Maple Balsamic vinaigrette (optional).

I know you will enjoy this as much as I did and even more, how easy it is to make even though it looks gourmet!
Enjoy!

Super Easy War Cake

zesty — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:00:56 +0000

So, you might ask yourself as I did, how did this cake get the name “WAR CAKE”. I asked my mom the same thing and she explained, “This cake is called War Cake because there are no eggs, butter, or milk among the ingredients, items often in short supply during war time.”

This recipe has been handed down through a few generations. War Cake is nothing fancy but what a delicious moist loaf it is. It goes amazing with a pat of butter and a cup of tea.

The combination of walnuts and raisins really set this loaf apart and give it a great contrast. The spice mixture adds a great dimension as well. This loaf really is super easy. Toss in the ingredients and throw it in a pan. For this loaf I tend to use a bigger pan like a bundt pan to avoid the center from drying out.

Ingredients

1 lb. Raisins
2 Cups Boiling Water
1 Tbsp. Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Shortening
1 Cup Cold water
4 Cup Flour
2 Cup Sugar
1 Tsp . Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cloves
2 Tsp . Cinnamon
1 Tsp . Nutmeg
1 Cup Walnuts, chopped

Method

Simmer the raisins and the boiling water for 15 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients.
Bake in a bundt pan, at 325 degrees, for about 1 hour, or until well browned.
Let Cool, before slicing

ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: With this cake to ensure it did not stick, I used both parchment paper in the bottom of the pan and I added shortening to the middle of the bundt pan.

Big News

The new zestycook design will be released on Monday

The E-Book will be launched late next week as well.

I will be catering a party for 14 tonight so I will have lots of fun recipes to share with you. I will do a cater week in the near future and talk about the whole process.

Have a great Friday and a nice weekend.
Take care
zesty