Repurposing Food: Bananas into Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My niece, Camryn, friggin' loves bananas. Every single time I take her to the grocery store with me, she asks for them. I bought her banana jam from our local orchard and she was ecstatic. She consumes them in any way, shape, or form. What I'm trying to say is, I almost always have a shitload of bananas in my house. Sometimes she eats them all, and sometimes Cam "forgets", or so she says. Whatever.

So, you know I hate wasting food. Currently, we have two bananas that are crazy over ripened and two is not really enough to make anything. I'll end up freezing those two until I come across some more forgotten bananas. Yes, it's okay to freeze certain fruits without any detriment. Nanners are one of them. My favorite thing to make out of bananas is banana bread. Chocolate chip banana bread, to be specific. If I have enough ingredients, I'll make one plain and one with chocolate chips. (How many times do you think I can say "bananas" in one post?)

My bud, Dahlia, of Makita Studio (holla!), mentioned that she made this recipe on instagram one day. I had the ingredients so I decided to try it out. Sidenote: I did not try this specific one out. I almost always end up changing at least half of the ingredients because I either a) don't like 'em or b) don't feel like using them. What's funny is I posted a pic of my finished product to her, said I changed a bunch of stuff, and she said she did, too! Haha!

Here is my adapted recipe:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

(Yield: 2 loaves or 24 regular sized muffins)
Print this recipe

• 

  In the oven, gettin' a tan.

• 1 cup butter, unsalted and softened
• 1 1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 c. honey
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise <----WTF? NO.
• 1 tablespoon vanilla (the real extract, not "vanilla flavoring")
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk 
• 6 super ripe bananas (I'm talkin black peel ripened), mashed
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, or however the hell many you want, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, completely optional (especially since I hate walnuts. Try pecans!)
• 
  
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a separate bowl. Set aside.
• 
  
• In another large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well with each addition. Scrape the sides of the bowl down. Add bananas, buttermilk, and honey. Blend the flour mixture into the banana mixture; stir slowly and just enough to evenly combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
• Fill loaf pans or muffin tins until 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown (Tip: or when a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean) about 50 minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes, depending on your oven.
• 
  
• Important things to remember:
• DON'T OVER MIX! You'll end up with rubbery banana bread and that's gross. (If you'd like to know why, ask me in the comments.)
• 
  
• Tip: Create an even split top on your banana bread by running a butter knife or a small offset spatula down the center after panning, but prior to baking. Creating the divot will allow the bread to rise evenly. (You'd still end up with a split top if you didn't do this, but you don't know where exactly it will split.) Also, remember to rotate pans mid-bake.
• 
  
• Another tip: Don't have buttermilk? Use regular milk and lemon juice. (The ratio is usually 1 oz lemon juice per every 8 oz milk; In this case, you'd want 1 tablespoon 2 teaspoons of buttermilk, 1/2 tsp. lemon juice. Mix together and let sit for a few minutes, then add.) 
• 
  
• Cool loaf or muffins in the pan until cool to the touch, move to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve with honey butter (1/4 c. honey, 2 sticks unsalted butter…whip until combined!) or jam, preserves. Anything your little heart desires.
• 
  
• You should come out with something looking like this:
• 
  

or this:



Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins (atop some rouge velvets that I made for my friend's birthday!) Sorry, I forgot to take a pic before wrapping them up. I was rushing to hop on a plane to Vegas! Oops. Anyway...

Bon appétit or whatever,

• 
  
• 
  

Repurposing Food (aka Making Stuff out of Leftovers)

So, you've met Thing 1, huh? She is a PIECE, I swear!

Anyway, as she and I've explained, there's many a mouth to feed in this household. I try as hard as I can to make sure nothing goes to waste because it literally pains me when I have to throw something away.

Two of my most common repurposing situations include leftover baguette and leftover sauces. (Usually, these are the things that people throw away immediately if not consumed. No one likes stale bread and what's the point of keeping a sauce if the item it came with is gone?) Most say "garbage", and I'm like, "SCORE!" What's that saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure?"

Anyway, my leftovers went from this:

Stale bread (cubed)  tossed with a crapload of parm, Newman's Own salad dressing, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, garlic powder, and fresh garlic. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400, checking mid-bake and giving 'em a little flip.

After you do that, you end up with this:

CROUTONS! Literally everything is so much cuter in a jar, too. Yesssss.

I experimented with this batch, as I usually do every batch. I've yet to find a consistent combination that I am willing to use over and over again…because everything in my pantry and fridge is also inconsistent. But again, if it was, that'd be totally unfun. I usually use some type of oil, mainly extra-virgin olive oil from Trader Joe's or one from my local orchard so everything sticks together. 

Important things to remember:

- Less is more: When adding all of your oil and seasonings, add half of what you've got first, then gradually add the rest. Stuff is pretty potent regardless, you shouldn't ever end up with crappy tasting croutons.

- Make sure that your bread is evenly coated, and that your garlic is not too small (it'll burn otherwise). If you do it right (this is where the mid-bake flip becomes important), you'll end up with nuggets of roasted garlic in there, too. Your breath will stink, but you won't care. Super sweet and roasty, and the friggin best.

- Let croutons fully cool before storing in a airtight container. Also, be sure to taste them to ensure that they're completely dry. If they're not, throw 'em back in the oven for a few more minutes. If you're scared of burning them, leave the croutons in for longer at a lower temperature. What you don't want is a moist center with a crunchy outside. (That's what she said?) The moisture from the center will make your croutons go bad faster. (Even though these won't last a day, I bet, that's still no bueno.)

I didn't give you quantities on purpose, play around with this one. If you like more cheese, add more cheese. If you want no oil involved, don't add it. They'll still be croutons, but some stuff might not stick. Be warned.

So easy, practically free, and from scratch. Can't get much better. Add to your next Caesar salad, or as a snack for the children. OR pulse them in a blender or food processor, and BAM- you've got bread crumbs, WHAT!!! 

There are so many possibilities! 

P.S. I'll post about the sauces next time! I got too juiced about the croutons that I forgot about them! Oopsies!

P.P.S About to post about the giveaway!

Chicken Adobo & a Rant on Food Waste

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is wastefulness. More specifically, food waste. It's a waste of time (usually my time) and money, among other things. I come from the culinary world, and food waste meant time and hard earned money down the drain. Hard work should never go wasted.

One of the most crucial parts of cooking for so many people (8-12) at least 3 times a week is keeping food waste as low as possible. My main asset to the family is turning nothing into something. Majority of meals include a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. Luckily, we live in a straight farm town, and veggies are readily available. 

The day I came up with this blog, I was making Chicken Adobo in a crock-pot. My mom used to make this Filipino dish, and my Grandma before her. Everyone in our family has their own versions: chicken only, chicken/potatoes, adding hard-boiled eggs. All different, all great in their own right. You can do that, too! Change it up to make it yours. 

Chicken Adobo 

(can be substituted with beef*, pork**, etc.) 

-yields 20 servings (divide into 4 for a 5 person dinner)

My weapons of choice: 1 crock-pot, 1 cutting board (or two), 1 chefs knife, 1 really good peeler.

4 lbs. chicken thighs (boneless, skinless…will fit in the crock-pot better and faster cooking time!)

20 garlic cloves, crushed

1 yellow onion, chopped

1-2 c. vinegar (Heinz white distilled, not apple cider)

2-3 c. soy sauce (Kikkoman, the best and only brand I ever use. You can use their low-sodium if you want to cut down on salt)

5-7 bay leaves

5-7 medium Russet potatoes, peeled medium diced (smaller you cut 'em, shorter the cooking time) Pictured: Russets and reds. I had a few leftover so I decided to use them.

4-6 c. white or brown rice, cooked
Steamed vegetable of your choice, I chose broccoli!

Set your crock-pot to 6 hours on HIGH. Throw the garlic cloves and onion in. 

Add vinegar and let it warm up (about 7 minutes). Prep your chicken in the meantime; trim off all extra fat.

Add soy sauce and bay leaves. Taste. 

Sidenote: If it makes your eyes water, and clears your sinuses, you're going the right direction. (My family likes tart and tangy Adobo, so 1-2 c. is good for them. It may not be for you, so start with 1 cup. Go from there). 

Add chicken, stir it up, and make sure the liquid covers as much as it can. 
If it doesn't immediately, don't worry. It will. 

Add potatoes on the outside ring of the crock-pot. Cover and let it ride.

 About 3 1/2 hours in, give it one full stir. Serve with some rice and veg (suggestion: we are big broccoli eaters). 

* Cook on low for 8 hours, use stew meat if it's available ($15 per 4 lb. package)

** Cook on low for 8 hours

Important things to remember:

- Do not stir frequently while using a crock-pot. Doing so depletes the temperature by 25 degrees each time. Ever heard the saying, "A watched pot never boils"? YEAH. 

- Tip: Vinegar mellows out as it cooks. So, even though it's super eye-watering at first taste, it will turn out to be way smoother at the end of cooking time. You can always adjust at the end, too. That's the beauty of cooking! You can change things and make it seem like you did it on purpose :P

And hey man, clean up is easy. Remember you're working with poultry, so make sure your work area stays tidy and sanitary. Cross-contamination is not the business.

Total for this meal: $21.66 for 20 servings including starch and vegetable. That's two dinners for 8 people, which comes out to less than $1.50/person per night.


Print this recipe

Want the breakdown? I will post it if you want! Let me know in the comments :)

Hope you try this one out, it's forrealzies bomb. Let me know if you do!

Happy Cooking! (Sorry, Julia! Still working on it)

Sincerely,

We've only just begun...

Hello! Hello!

How do people come up with blogs? There's literally millions out there. This one in particular is fun because it's "A Tale of Two Sisters". The idea popped into my head while making dinner for my family of  8.  In so many words, one will handle all of the money-saving tips (you know those commercials where "______ is my anti-drug"? Hers is saving money. We'll call her Thing 1.)  What's mine, you ask?:

I'll be dishin' out budget-friendly meals for you folks. Extra pun intended. Yup. I went there.

So, stay tuned! Like I said, we come from a big mixed-up (not to be confused with, messed up...although sometimes we're that, too) group, and we feed, clothe, and house them all. It's a family affair. 

If you have any suggestions or questions, feel free to email us at thing1@thefrugalasians.com or thing2@thefrugalasians.com. 

Happy Cooking!

Wait, no, that's Julia Child. Crap.

(Note to self and sister: We gotta come up with something better.)


Uh bye...Uh, til next time?…Sincerely,