Cooking With Kendra: Old-Fashioned Banana Bread Loaf

 Old-Fashioned Homemade Banana Loaf (with Chocolate Chips, Pecans, and Maple Extract)

During our road trip to Pennsylvania and back, we bought bananas a few times. The last batch ripened quickly, but fortunately, we made it home just in time to bake some Banana Bread. Banana Bread is a simple and speedy recipe—no proofing or fermenting required—just a few basic pantry staples and a couple of overripe bananas.

Here's what you need:

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup soft butter, margarine, or shortening

• 2 eggs

• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon maple extract

• 3 tablespoons milk of your choice (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)

• 1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 bananas)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix the sugar, butter, eggs, and maple extract together thoroughly.

Stir in the mashed bananas and milk.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, then stir well.

Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped pecans.

Pour the batter into a well-greased 9x5x3" loaf pan. Let it stand for 20 minutes before baking.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm, room temp, or cold. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Substitutions can be made for the chocolate chips and nuts, such as using walnuts or peanut butter chips. For the extract, you can substitute vanilla for the maple extract. Use vegan eggs, egg replacement, more bananas or applesauce (1/3 - 1/2 cup) to veganize the recipe. YMMV on the cooking time and density with changes made.

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Try This Killer Pickled Slaw Recipe!

 

We eat a lot of tacos and taco inspired dishes. They are literally just so versatile and tasty. We could have tacos for BLD and never eat the same thing twice or get tired of 'em. This incredibly easy to make quick pickled slaw is fantastic on tacos, burgers, and sandwiches.

The pictured tacos are made with charred flour tortillas, a ground turkey and pinto bean mixture, onion, pickled slaw, and cilantro.

Ingredients:

1 cup vinegar
1 tablespoon of sweetener of choice
salt to taste
1 small pepper of choice (jalapeno, fresno, banana, shishito, etc.)
1 small bag pre-made coleslaw mix (or a few handfuls from the big bag)

Pickled Slaw: In a bowl, add 1 cup of vinegar, a pinch of salt, and about a tablespoon of sweetener of choice. Stir to dissolve. Then, add one small pepper thinly sliced (jalapeno, banana, fresno, cayenne, any kind). Lastly, add in a few big handfuls of pre-made "coleslaw mix." Toss to combine. Let it set for at least 20 minutes before using. We prefer to strain ours before using it, but that's totally up to you.

Beautyberry: Jelly AND Mosquito Spray Recipe

My husband has a sweet customer on his route that let us pick all of her beautyberries in exchange for some Beautyberry Jelly. From root to tip, the Beautyberry can be used for many different purposes. I like to make the berries into a jelly and use the leaves in a mosquito repellent. The raw berries taste very medicinal, but once cooked, the jelly tastes like a cross between Wild Grape Jelly and Cranberry Jelly. I'll be making the jelly soon.

Beautyberry Mosquito Repellent

Ingredients:
1 C torn up or crushed Beautyberry leaves
4 oz rubbing alcohol (I use 91%)
Mason Jar
Small size spray bottle

1. Put leaves into a mason jar
2. Cover the leaves with the rubbing alcohol and let stand for a couple of days in a cool, dark location
3. Strain the mixture, discard the leaves
4. Pour into a mini personal sprayer

Notes: This can cause skin reactions for some people. It can also stain skin and clothing. do a test spot before heavily applying. This recipe can be doubled.

Long time no see!!

Unfortunately, it has been years since I have made a post on this blog :(  A lot has happened!!

We moved, closed our construction business, started new jobs, Kendra's Kreations is still running!  Right now we're in the middle of the Covid 19 global pandemic so things are strange and weird all over the place!

Come find me on Social Media:

• https://kendraskreations.net/
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwkWc-U_u2WzCNsJgRdwSQQ
• https://www.instagram.com/kendraskreationstexas
• https://www.pinterest.com/KendrasKreation/
• https://www.facebook.com/Kendras.Kreations.Texas/
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/kendras.kreations.texas

• https://www.samsclub.com/r/rvd5btz
• http://www.mydoterra.com/kendraskreations
• https://squareup.com/i/KENDRASTex

Strawberry Vegan Ice Cream

Ingredients:
* 2 1/2 cups frozen or fresh strawberries
* 2/3 cups white sugar
* 1 tablespoon orange juice
* 1 cup almond milk, divided
* 1/2 cup coconut milk (located in the dairy section)
* 1/2 teaspoon coconut extract
* 2 teaspoons corn starch



How to:
* Heat 2 cups of strawberries in a pot with the sugar and juice.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes (until the sugar is fully dissolved).  Remove from heat and let cool.  Once cooled puree in a blender.  Then pour into a bowl.
* Mix 1/2 cup almond milk and corn starch in a small bowl, set aside.
*Heat 1/2 cup almond milk, 1/2 cup coconut milk & coconut extract until simmering.  Add the corn starch & almond milk slurry to the heated milk.  Keep on low-med heat for about 5 minutes, whisking often to prevent burning.
*Pour milk mixture into the strawberry mixture bowl.  Let the milk & strawberry mixture set in the fridge for about 30 minutes, to cool even more.
*Chop the last 1/2 cup of strawberries - add to your strawberry & milk mixture.  Pour all into your prepared ice cream maker.  Let it run for about 25 minutes.
*Eat now or put your ice cream in a freezer container until you are ready for use.


***I topped mine with mini chocolate chips.  My husband topped his with chocolate syrup.  I bet toasted coconut would be delicious also.  You could change this up to make this your recipe.  Use different milks, extracts (vanilla, orange, almond) or berries (blueberries, raspberries) - limitless options!

Tango - Mayo based dip

I love making up different kinds of mayo's for sandwiches & dips. This Tango dip is my latest concoction.


Tangy Mayo aka Tango
*1 C plant based Mayo
*1 garlic clove grated (with a hand grater or Microplane)
*1 T lemon juice (1/2 - 1 lemon)
*1 t fresh black pepper
*1/4 t kosher salt
*1/2 t dry dill weed (not the seeds)

Mix all in a bowl and let set in fridge for about 15 minutes. The flavors meld together pretty well after 15 minutes. This will keep in the fridge for a few days.

This is an amazing dip for Sweet Potato Fries.

PS - DILL IS REALLY EASY TO GROW - YOU COULD GROW DILL FOR THE 2011 FOOD CHALLENGE.

Southwestern Stuffed Bell Peppers

4 medium to large bell peppers, any color - your choice 

1 lb "meat" 

1 clove fresh garlic, minced 

1 small to medium onion, diced 

1 pkg of your favorite taco seasoning mix (or Kendra's Kreations Taco Seasoning)

1 T chili powder (optional) 

1 regular can of corn 

1 6 oz can of V8 

1/4 c water 

Directions: Cut tops of bell peppers off (save for soup or compost) remove seeds & ribs (compost). Rinse peppers. In skillet, cook ground meat with onion and garlic until meat is cooked through. Drain any extra fat. Add can of corn, taco seasoning package, chili powder, V8 and water. Simmer about 5 min. Divide the mixture into each of the bell peppers & place in a 8x8x2 pan. Bake at 350 for about 25-30 minutes. Eat. You could add cheeze, tomatoes, sour cream, crumbled tortilla chips, cilantro... (Pictured: On two of them I added cheeze slices & crumbled tortilla chips on all four)

Just BEET It

I've heard that our taste buds change every seven years. I found a beet receipe that I thought I would try....to see if my taste buds had changed since I was a kid. It was labeled "The Best Beet Recipe". Perfect, right?! I, of course, changed it up a little and posted below is what I came up with. By the way, this is my first time ever to cook beets. It is a pretty easy recipe. 

 ***KK's Pretty Good Beets - If You Like That Kind Of Thing*** 

* 3 beets, boiled in plenty of water for 1 hour with three bay leaves and 1/4 t kosher salt - then peeled (discard the bay leaves and water when the hour is up) 

* one medium yellow onion 

* juice from one orange 

* one minced clove of garlic 

* 1/4 c honey/agave 

* 1/2 T grated fresh ginger 

* 1/4 t fresh thyme 

* 2 T EVOO 

*S & P to taste 

 Heat the EVOO in your pan on med-high heat. Cut each beet in half. Lay the flat side down and slice into half moon discs. Then cut each moon disc in half - length wise. (Kinda like steak fries). Slice your onion in half moon slices also (halved onion rings). Add your onion and garlic to heated oil in pan. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add the beets. Add orange juice, thyme, ginger and honey/agave. Simmer on med to med-low for about 10 minutes. Taste. Add S & P - how much you like. I added just a pinch of kosher salt and a few turns from the pepper mill. 

 My taste buds haven't changed much since I was a kid. I thought this dish was pretty good for a beet recipe. I guess I just don't care for beets. I will eat what I cooked so it doesn't go to waste. Whatever I don't finish will go to the compost though. I know my husband will not eat this - just because it is beets. If you try it let us know! We want to know your thoughts. My husband just walked in my office. "Um, I know I usually taste everything you make. I'm not tasting that." Haha!! We've been together over 15 years. I know him all to well. =)