Banana-(Walnut) Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I made these last weekend and they are officially the first thing I baked in the new house. What a joy with so much more counter space. I left the walnuts out because 1.) I didn't have any and 2.) I really just prefer things without nuts. I also used milk chocolate chips instead of the semisweet chocolate chunks. They were still delicious!

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tsp. coarse salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1-1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana (about 1 large)
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped into 1/4 inch chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together flours, salt and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside. Put butter and sugars into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats, chocolate and walnuts (optional).

Using a 1-1/2 inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway though, until golden brown and just set, 12-13 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks; let cool completely.

Salmon Pasta Salad

Ok, so maybe it's time to update this thing? I just haven't been in the mood to take pictures of food lately. Oh well. Here's one for ya. I wanted to do something different with the salmon so I decided some sort of pasta salad sounded good. You can really put any veggies you want in here. I searched a few recipes and ended up combining a few to come up with a tasty dressing. We wanted a mayo-free dressing to keep it on the healthy side.

1 lb. pasta (elbows, rotini, etc.) - I used Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Fusilli

2 (8-10) oz. salmon fillets or 2 (7.5 oz.) cans of salmon

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp. dill weed

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. thyme

1-2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow)

1 cucumber, seeded and chopped or half of an English cucumber, chopped

1-2 celery stalks, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box. In the meantime, set the broiler to high and salt and pepper both sides of the salmon. Broil the salmon for 5-6 minutes per side or until it flakes apart.

For the dressing, whisk together the oils, vinegars, dill, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and mustard. Cut up all your veggies and toss them in the dressing.

When the salmon has cooled slightly, either flake apart or lightly chop to break it apart. Add this to the dressing and toss.

Finally add in the pasta and parsley and toss once again to evenly coat everything.

Skillet Chicken Souvlaki

It was one of those nights where neither of us felt like making dinner. I flipped through a few magazines and came across this recipe. It was quick, easy and tasty.

1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 cups vertically sliced onion (about 1 medium)
1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper (we used a red pepper instead)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup grated English cucumber
1/4 cup 2% Greek-style yogurt (such as Fage)
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. grated lemon rind
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Add chicken to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until done. Remove from pan. Add 1 teaspoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes. Add chicken, garlic, and oregano; cook 30 seconds.

Combine cucumber and next 6 ingredients (through 1/8 teaspoon salt). Serve chicken mixture with yogurt sauce, warmed pita, and tomato slices.

Crispy Breaded Shrimp With Garlicky Beans

This was a pretty easy recipe. The original recipe called for rosemary, but I'm not a HUGE fan of rosemary so I used thyme instead...plus that's what I had on hand anyway. I also didn't have any arugula either, so I just made a salad to go with it.

1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary (thyme)
kosher salt and pepper
5 tbsp. olive oil
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 clove garlic, chopped
1, 19-oz. can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 bunches arugula, trimmed

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the breadcrumbs, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper and 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Transfer shrimp and any excess crumbs to a baking sheet. Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are crispy, 10-12 minutes.

Heat the remaining oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the beans, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the arugula, and toss to combine. Divide the beans among individual plates and serve with the shrimp. Sprinkle any extra breadcrumbs from the pan over the top.

Honey Glazed Salmon

I found this recipe browsing through the Cooking Light website. I love salmon so I can pretty much eat it any way it's cooked. This was pretty good. I thought it was an interesting combination of ingredients.

2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets (about 1 inch thick)
Cooking spray
Thyme sprigs (optional)

Prepare grill or broiler. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Brush honey mixture over skinless side of fish. Place fish on a grill rack or broiler pan coated with cooking spray, and cook 6 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Butternut Squash Pizza

This was really good and only used a few simple ingredients. If you like butternut squash, I highly recommend you try this....go....now. I didn't follow these directions exactly because I used the cooking directions on the pizza dough instead. I didn't raise the oven to 450 degrees either...glad I didn't because it probably would have burned otherwise.

1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled
1 small yellow onion, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick rings
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 1-pound package refrigerated pizza dough
1 tbsp. cornmeal
1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup fresh ricotta

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the squash into 1/2-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice into 1-inch chunks. Place the squash and onion on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the oil, season with the salt and pepper, and toss. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roll the dough out 1/4 inch thick. Clean the baking sheet and sprinkle it with the cornmeal. Place the dough on top. Scatter the squash and onion mixture over the dough, sprinkle with the thyme, and add dollops of the ricotta. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Slice into wedges.

Grilled Flank Steak Soft Tacos with Avocado-Lime Salsa

Jim finally found some flank stead, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I can't tell you how many cooking shows and recipes I see that call for flank steak, yet I can never seem to find that cut at the store. Is there another name for it? Anyone know? I would greatly appreciate any info on that. Anyway, I had cut this recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine awhile back and decided to give it a try. Nothing fancy and was pretty good.

STEAK:
1 tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. grated lime rind
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
Cooking spray

SALSA:
1 cup diced peeled avocado
3/4 cup finely chopped tomato
1/3 cup finely chopped Vidalia or other sweet onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. grated lime rind
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4tsp. hot pepper sauce (such as Tabasco)

REMAINING INGREDIENTS:
8 (6-inch) corn tortillas - I used flour tortillas
2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage

To prepare steak, combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Score a diamond pattern on both sides of steak. Rub chili powder mixture evenly over steak. Cover and chill 1 hour.

Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Place steak on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 8 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.

To prepare salsa, combine avocado and next 7 ingredients (through pepper sauce) in a medium bowl. Warm tortillas according to package directions. Spoon steak mixture evenly over each of 8 tortillas. Top each taco with 1/4 cup salsa and 1/4 cup cabbage.

Classic German Potato Salad

Jim found this recipe in our local newspaper. I didn't think I liked German potato salad, but this was good stuff.

2 lbs. redskin potatoes, cooked, cooled and sliced
1 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tbsp. cooked bacon bits
3/4 cup water
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cider vinegar
4 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
3/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

In a large bowl, place the cooked, sliced potatoes.

In a small nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and bacon bits and saute until onion softens, about 4-5 minutes. Place onion-bacon mixture on top of potatoes and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the water and flour until dissolved. Add the vinegar, sugar, celery seed, dry mustard, salt and pepper and continue to whisk until combined. Pour the vinegar mixture into a saucepan and cook over medium heat until bubbly; boil and stir for one minute. Pour sauce over potato and onion-bacon mixture and gently stir to coat. Serve warm.

Shrimp and Asparagus

Asparagus...one of my favorite things. Add in some shrimp and pasta and you got a yummy meal! We served it with butternut squash. Another easy recipe to prepare.

1 pound fresh asparagus
1 (16 oz.) package egg noodles
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup butter - I only used a few tablespoons of butter
1 tbsp. lemon juice - I used lime juice instead
1 pound medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
1 pound fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced - I only used a handful of mushrooms since I don't really like them
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

In a small saucepan, boil or steam asparagus in enough water to cover until tender; chop and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to full boil, place the pasta in the pot and return to a rolling boil; cook until al dente. Drain well.

In a large saucepan, saute garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until the garlic is golden brown. Place butter and lemon juice in the saucepan. Heat until the butter has melted. Place the shrimp in the saucepan and cook until the shrimp turns pink. Place the mushrooms and asparagus into the saucepan, cook until mushrooms are tender.

Toss the shrimp and vegetable mixture with the egg noodles and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Seared Tuna with Wasabi-Butter Sauce

I know, I know. It's been FOREVER since I've posted anything over here. I seriously don't know where the time goes. But anyway, let's get back into it. Jim made this dinner and O.M.G. So good!! He also brought me flowers...it was a good day.

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar - we didn't have any so used rice wine vinegar instead

10 oz. white wine

1/4 cup minced shallots

1 tbsp. wasabi paste, or to taste (Jim ended up adding a little more)

1 tbsp. soy sauce

1 cup unsalted butter, cubed

salt and black pepper to taste

1 tbsp. olive oil, or as needed

1 cup chopped cilantro leaves

6 (6 oz.) fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick - we only had two steaks

Combine the white wine vinegar, white wine and shallots in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Strain out shallot and discard, return liquid to the pan.

Stir the wasabi and soy sauce into the reduction in the pan. Over low heat, gradually whisk in butter one cube at a time allowing the mixture to emulsify. Be careful not to let the mixture boil. When all of the butter has been incorporated, stir in cilantro, and remove from heat. Pour into a small bowl, and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brush tuna steaks with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place in the hot skillet, and sear for 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Be careful not to overcook, this fish should be served still a little pink in the center. Serve with sauce.