Watermelon Poke Bowl

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon honey
• ¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 6 cups watermelon, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
• ½ cup vegan or regular mayonnaise (optional)
• 4 cups hot cooked short-grain white rice
• 2 ½ cups chopped cucumber
• 1 ¾ cups sliced radishes
• 1 cup hot cooked shelled edamame
• 2 avocados, halved and sliced
• Thinly sliced green onions
• Black or white sesame seeds (optional)

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

• In a medium bowl, whisk together lime zest and juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, ginger and honey. Slowly pour in vegetable oil, whisking until emulsified. Add watermelon and gently stir to coat. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
• Using a slotted spoon, remove watermelon from marinade. If desired, make a sauce by stirring 2 tablespoons of the leftover marinade into mayonnaise.
• To serve: Divide rice among four bowls. Top with marinated watermelon, cucumber, radishes, edamame and avocados. Drizzle with mayonnaise sauce. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

*MidwestLiving, July/August 2021

Deviled Egg Potato Salad

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds cubed russet potatoes, cooked

3 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons pickle brine

2 tablespoons yellow mustard

3 celery stalks, chopped

4 scallions, chopped

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Paprika, to taste

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

While potatoes and eggs are cooling, mix together the other ingredients in a small bowl. Add the potatoes and toss. Stir in the hard-boiled eggs. Top with paprika.

*Food Network Magazine, June 2021

Banana Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Banana Cake

• 3 large ripe bananas (about 1 and 1/2 cups mashed)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature*

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 8 ounces full-fat block cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, plus an extra 1/4 cup if needed
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

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PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch pan.
• Make the cake: Mash the bananas. I usually just use my mixer for this! Set mashed bananas aside.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Set aside.
• Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high speed until smooth and creamy – about 1 minute. Add both sugars and beat on high speed for 2 minutes until creamed together. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined, then beat in the mashed bananas. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in three additions alternating with the buttermilk and mixing each addition just until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter will be slightly thick and a few lumps is OK.
• Spread batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top of the cake is browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
• Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to cool completely. After about 45 minutes, I usually place it in the refrigerator to speed things up.
• Make the frosting: In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. If you want the frosting a little thicker, add the extra 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar (I add it). Spread the frosting on the cooled cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving. This helps sets the frosting and makes cutting easier.
• Cover leftover cake tightly and store in the refrigerator for 5 days.

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Notes:

• Make Ahead Instructions: Prepare cake through step 5. Cover the cake tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature, make the frosting, frost, and serve. Frosted cake freezes well, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, bring to room temperature or serve cold.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is required for this recipe. You can make your own DIY version of buttermilk if needed. Add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough room temperature whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 and 1/2 cups. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as moist or rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
• Cupcakes: I’ve gotten a few questions about turning this cake into cupcakes. For about 2 dozen cupcakes, fill the cupcake liners halfway and bake for about 20-22 minutes. Same oven temperature.
• Bundt Cake: You can bake this batter in a 10-12 cup bundt pan, but I find it’s not quite as moist when baked in the bundt shape. Bake for 50-65 minutes, give or take. Use a toothpick to determine doneness. Same oven temperature.
• Layer Cake: If you want to make a 2 layer cake, divide batter between 2 greased 9-inch cake pans, and bake at 350°F for 26-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

*www.sallysbakingaddiction.com

No Bake Granola Bars

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ¾ cups old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking oats
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (if using regular table salt, scale back a bit)
• 2 cups mix-ins* (nuts, seeds, chocolate, shredded coconut or dried fruit)
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter or almond butter
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Line a 9-inch square baker with two strips of criss-crossed parchment paper, cut to fit neatly against the base and up the sides. The parchment paper will make it easy for you to slice the bars later.
• Place the oats in a large mixing bowl**. Add the cinnamon and salt, and stir to combine. Set aside.
• Now we’ll blitz the mix-ins briefly in the food processor or blender (or, you can chop them by hand). Add any large nuts (like almonds or pecans) first and blitz for a few seconds. Then add the rest and run the machine for a few more seconds, until the ingredients are all broken up into pieces smaller than your pinky nail. Pour the mix-ins into the bowl of oats.
• In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, measure out the nut butter. Top with ½ cup honey and the vanilla extract. Stir until well blended. If you must, you can gently warm the liquid mixture on the stovetop or in the microwave, but make sure it’s close to room temperature before you pour it into the dry mixture (this is especially important if using chocolate, since it will melt).
• Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Use a big spoon to mix them together until the two are evenly combined and no dry oats remain. This takes some arm muscles, but you can do it! If the mixture was easy to mix together, that’s a sign that you need to add some more oats—sprinkle in more oats until you can’t incorporate any more.
• Transfer the mixture to the prepared square baker. Use your spoon to arrange the mixture fairly evenly in the baker, then use the bottom of a flat, round surface (like a short, sturdy drinking glass) to pack the mixture down as firmly and evenly as possible.
• Cover the baker and refrigerate for at least one hour, or preferably overnight. (The oats need time to soak up some of the moisture so they aren’t sticky.) When you’re ready to slice, lift the bars out of the baker by grabbing both pieces of parchment paper on opposite corners. Use a sharp knife to slice the bars into 4 even columns and 4 even rows.
• Wrap individual bars in plastic wrap or parchment paper (if you store them all together, they will stick to one another). Bars keep well for several days at room temperature, a couple of weeks in the fridge, or several months in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer for best flavor.

NOTES

*MIX-IN OPTIONS: Any combination of nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.), seeds (pepitas or sunflower seeds), chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate, shredded coconut and/or dried cranberries or cherries. For the bars shown here, I used 1 cup pecan halves, ½ cup pepitas, ¼ cup shredded coconut and ¼ cup roughly chopped dark chocolate. Keep in mind that anything larger than your pinky nail will need to be broken into smaller pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, chop them by hand.

**GRANOLA BAR TEXTURE: If you’re using old-fashioned oats and would prefer a more smooth, less chewy texture (shown in my photos), blitz your oats in a food processor for 3 to 5 seconds to break them up. Then, add them to the bowl.

Recipe Retrieved From: https://cookieandkate.com/best-granola-bars-recipe/