Tag: Year-Round

Chocolate Chip and Walnut Banana Bread

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Not all banana bread is created equal. Some banana bread veers a little too healthy, resulting in a cardboard-like texture. Hard pass. This banana bread recipe, however, manages to straddle the line between delicious and healthy: it’s not too sweet or buttery, but it’s studded with dark chocolate so you’re not missing any decadence. A mix of flours keeps the texture balanced.

Ingredients:
  • 4 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 cups oat flour
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
  • 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees and coat a 9″x5″ loaf pan with cooking spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash the bananas using a fork until they are the consistency of applesauce, then stir in the egg, vanilla, and maple syrup.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the oat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the banana mixture and mix until fully combined, then gently fold in the chocolate chunks and walnuts.
  4. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan, then bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 days or in the fridge up to 5 days.

Ma Po Tofu, Version Two

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I’m a fiend for ma po tofu. It’s easily one of my favorite Chinese dishes of all time. Actually, it’s one of my favorite dishes, period. My original version isn’t particularly authentic but is loosely adapted from one of the OGs of Chinese-American cooking, Bay Area legend Martin Yan himself.

This version, however, tastes closer to something you might find in a Sichuanese restaurant. Both are spicy, comforting, and perfect over a bowl of rice.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns
  • 4 ounces ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon minced ginger
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons zha cai (preserved radish), minced
  • 2 tablespoons doubanjiang (spicy chili bean paste)
  • 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken stock
  • 1 16-ounce package silken tofu, diced into large bite-size pieces
  • 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
  • Steamed rice, for serving
  1. Heat the avocado oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is smoking hot, add the Sichuan peppercorns. Stir-fry for 5 seconds, until fragrant, then add the ground beef. Stir-fry and brown the beef, about 3 minutes, then add the ginger, garlic, and preserved radish to the wok.
  2. After about 1 minute, add the doubanjiang and Shaoxing wine and stir, then add the chicken stock; mixture should be saucy, like a ragu. Lower the heat and let the mixture simmer for 3 minutes. Add the tofu to the wok and gently stir to not break up the tofu pieces. After 4 minutes, add the green onions to the wok, gently mix, and serve warm with rice.

Korean-Style Seafood and Green Onion Pancakes

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These are not the most beautiful seafood and green onion pancakes, but they are the most versatile. Adapted from a J. Kenji Lopez-Alt recipe, these savory pancakes can be made with nearly any combination of seafood, including canned tuna or salmon, making it easy for a quick weeknight dinner. Serve them warm or serve them room temperature, but be sure to serve them with the tasty dipping sauce.

Ingredients:

For the dipping sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice or black vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 green onion, sliced
  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger

For the pancakes:

  • 8 ounces mixed seafood (I recommend canned tuna, oysters, mussels, or surimi)
  • 6 green onions, split lengthwise and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 ounces (about 3/4 cup) flour
  • 1 ounce cornstarch or potato starch
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 6 ounces (about 3/4 cup) cold water
  • 1 egg
  • Avocado oil, for pan-frying
  1. Make the dipping sauce: combine all the ingredients and stir until the sugar dissolves. Set aside.
  2. Make the pancakes: combine the seafood, green onions, flour, cornstarch, sugar, water and egg in a large mixing bowl. Stir rapidly with a spoon just until no dry flour remains (do not over mix). The batter should be thin enough to flow when you tilt the bowl.
  3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the bottom of a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add just enough batter that you can spread it into a thin pancake with the back of a spoon (you should be able to make 2 10-inch pancakes or several smaller pancakes). Let the pancake cook without moving until the bottom of the pancake is set, about 2 minutes.
  4. Continue to cook, swirling the pancake around to encourage even browning until the first side is browned, about 5 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully flip the pancake. Continue cooking until the second side is also browned, about 4 minutes longer.
  5. Slide the pancake out onto a cutting board. Repeat steps 3 through 5 for remaining batter. Cut into wedges with a knife or pizza slicer and serve with the dipping sauce.

Arroz Rojo (Mexican Rice)

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This arroz rojo recipe couldn’t be easier to make, and it tastes like it came straight from the restaurant. Use the best-quality tomatoes you can get for this quintessential side dish, as it makes all the difference.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 2 tomatoes, cored and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 cup long-grain rice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Place stock, tomatoes, 1 clove garlic, and onion in a blender and puree until smooth. Set tomato puree aside.
  2. Heat oil in a 4-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining garlic and rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato puree, season with salt and pepper, and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, 25-30 minutes. Gently fluff rice with a fork and serve.

Seven-Layer Bean Dip

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Remember the ’90s? “Ethnic” food meant Chinese chicken salad, fajitas, and various ~pizza creations~. Everyone’s so creative!

That being said, I’m nostalgic for some of the finer culinary delights the 1990s offered us. Pasta salad, imitation crab in everything, and seven-layer bean dip should have come with us to the new millennium. Even though bean dips are not as ubiquitous as they once were, there’s no reason why you can’t easily recreate it at home. Serve this with chips and you’ll wonder why we still don’t wear hypercolor and fanny packs with everything.

Ingredients:
  • 1 15-ounce can refried beans
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 1 cup chunky salsa
  • 1 cup guacamole
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 3-ounce can sliced black olives, drained
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 4 green onions, sliced
  • Tortilla chips, to serve
  1. Combine beans and jalapeno and spread onto a 12-inch casserole dish. Layer the salsa, guacamole and sour cream over beans. Sprinkle with olives, cheese, tomato and green onions.
  2. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with tortilla chips.