Who Do I Think I Am, Betty Crocker?!

I’ve been on a baking kick lately, which is surprising since that was usually Lindsey’s deal when we were growing up. I like having portable breakfast-type items around the house so Justin and I can grab them and go in the mornings.

I came across a banana bread recipe a couple weeks ago that looked too easy to be good, but I gave it a shot. I didn’t splurge on buying nuts since I wanted to try it out first. I’ll definitely make it again and definitely with nuts!

Banana Sometimes-Nut, Sometimes-Not Bread
1 ½ Cups Flour
1 ½ Tsp Baking Powder
¼-½ Cup Chopped Nuts (Walnuts, Pecans, etc) (I omitted until recipe was deemed worthy of using expensive nuts...hey gotta save the $$ for my wine!)
¼ Tsp Baking Soda
¼ Tsp Cinnamon
¼ Tsp Nutmeg (I added)
1 egg (I used ¼ cup Egg Substitute)
1 Cup Mashed Bananas
¾ Cup Sugar (I used ¼ cup Splenda Brown Sugar and ½ cup Splenda)
⅛ Tsp salt
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil (I used ¼ cup unsweetened apple sauce)

Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Then combine. Pour into loaf pan.

Bake for 50-55 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 10 Servings....

Calories		121.1
Total Fat		.4 g
Protein		2.8 g

I know, super easy, right? And super good! I love it with my healthier substitutions so I doubt I’ll ever revert to the unhealthier recipe. Gotta save those calories for my wine!

Whole-Lotta Ricotta Frittata

(Okay, so maybe it's just a normal amount of ricotta, but work with me here people!)

I found this recipe randomly looking through the August 2008 Good Housekeeping magazine. When I first showed the recipe to Justin, his response was, "There's nothing in it!" (Translation: not enough meat and vegetables.) I completely agreed. They called it a "Crustless Tomato-Ricotta Pie," but when I called to consult with my Mom, as I often do before cooking 80% of my dishes, she renamed it a "Ricotta Frittata!"

I had never made a quiche-like dish before and I'm so glad I gave this a shot! It is so good! I really like it without the crust...it lightens up the calories and tastes great without it! Justin LOVED it, especially because it's easy to heat up in the morning and take with him to the hospital. I did make a couple changes in my version, which I'll note below. And when I first made it, I forgot to take the "After" picture, so I only have the "Before". But, I'm making one later today so I'll be sure to take pictures!


1 container part-skim ricotta cheese
4 large eggs
¼ C freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I used Parmesan)
½ t salt
⅛ t coarsely ground black pepper
¼ C low-fat (1%) milk (I used skim milk)
1 T cornstarch (Didn't have this! Thanks to Mom, found out 2T of flour would do the trick!)
½ C (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ C (loosely packed) fresh mint leaves, chopped (I used parsley)
1 lb ripe tomatoes, thinly sliced (I used 3 tomatoes)

Preheat oven to 375°. In a large bowl, whisk ricotta, eggs, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper until blended. In measuring cup, stir milk and cornstarch until smooth; whisk into cheese mixture. Stir in basil and mint. Pour mixture into nonstick 10-inch skillet with oven-safe handle. (I used a cake pan!) Arrange tomatoes on top, overlapping slices if necessary. Bake pie 35-40 minutes or until lightly browned and set around edge and center is puffed. (After baking for 45 minutes, mine was a little runny still on top so I let it cook a little longer. I think my final cook time was around 53 minutes. Just keep an eye on it!) Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

I added chopped ham, spinach, and mushrooms to the egg mixture, then layered thin slices of zucchini and squash underneath the tomato layer, and topped with chopped green onions. Today I'm going to try it with turkey sausage, mushrooms, spinach and red pepper!