Chocolate Chip Banana Pound Cake

Happy Father's Day!

My Dad loves bananas and I think at this point I've worn out every banana bread recipe out there! So... I made him a pound cake! I've never made pound cake before and since I only had enough bananas to make one loaf, I didn't get to actually taste it. So, I'm not sure how it turned out. However, it smelled divine and was very heavy so I think it was a success! My mom said the term "pound cake" comes from an old recipe which literally called for one pound of butter, one pound of sugar, one pound of flour, etc... Lucky for my Dad's arteries this cake does not contain a pound of butter! Although, like I said, it was certainly heavy! I will have to wait for the reviews to see how it tastes...

Strawberry Rhubarb Compote

adapted from Martha Stewart's Rhubarb Raspberry Recipe

Round two of Rhubarb! I decided to make a quick and simple compote which can be served warm or cold, over ice cream, yogurt, toast, oatmeal, or by itself with a spoon... :) It's perfect and VERY easy!

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar (could have used even less; original recipe called for 1 cup)
1/2 pound fresh rhubarb (sliced in 1 inch thick pieces)
1 pint strawberries (halved or quartered, depending on size)

Directions
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring 1/2 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar and the rhubarb to a simmer. Cook until rhubarb is tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Fold in strawberries. Let stand until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Yum!

Fish Tacos!

For Family Dinner this past Sunday we decided to make fish tacos! We were inspired by this new restaurant near out house called Surfside, that has the most amazing fish tacos! Everything came together really well considering we didn't follow any particular recipe.


First, we marinaded fresh tilapia fillets in lime juice, orange juice, lime zest, olive oil, salt and pepper. We grilled the tilapia and then divided the fish into soft corn tortillas. Each plate was accompanied by a grilled lime (a trick we learned from Surfside!).

Then we set out two different homemade salsas: corn/black bean and pineapple/mango, plus shredded green cabbage (tossed in red wine vinegar, salt and pepper) and sour cream. Then everyone was encouraged to build their own tacos! We also made a giant bowl of coconut rice on the side (which was quite a hit!).

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Ingredients

2 large, ripe mangoes (diced)
2 cups pineapple (diced)
4-5 tomatillos (quartered)
4 scallions (finely chopped)
1 small red onion (diced)
Fresh cilantro (chopped)
Juice of two limes
Zest of one lime
1/2 cup pineapple juice
salt and pepper

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients
4 ears of corn (grilled and shaved)
1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
2 medium tomatoes (diced)
Juice of two limes
Zest of one lime
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
Salt and pepper

Coconut Rice
adapted from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
3 cups long-grain white rice
2tablespoons unsalted butter
2 (13- to 14-oz) cans unsweetened coconut milk
1.5 cups water
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Melt butter in a saucepan over moderately high heat. Add rice and cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in coconut milk, waterand salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, 20 minutes, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

One of my favorite combinations- strawberry and rhubarb! The grocery stores around here have been stocked full of rhubarb the past few weeks and I have lots of plans for these long, red stalks while I can get my hands on them!

I decided to start with an oldie but a goodie!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 pint strawberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, granulated sugar, and orange zest and juice in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

In another bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Rub butter into flour mixture with your fingers until it is well incorporated and large crumbs form. Add oats to combine.

Pour rhubarb mixture into a baking dish and cover with crumb topping. Bake until topping is brown and crisp and juices are bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Garden Update

The garden is finally taking shape! We planted tomatoes, squash, yellow and red pepper, eggplant and of course, lots of herbs! now they just need to GROW so we can hopefully enjoy some out bounty by the end of the summer!