Hands down, this is the easiest recipe on this site, with the fewest ingredients: one. I stumbled upon this recipe for banana ice cream on the same day I noticed a few sad bananas sitting in the kitchen, and it seemed too crazy-majickal to pass up. Freeze bananas, blend bananas. That’s pretty much it. It turns into “ice cream”. Really. The texture is awesome — not icy, not dry: creamy goodness without any cream. The original suggests blending until the consistency is like soft-serve ice cream, but I stopped blending sooner, as soon as the bananas formed a solid mass and jumped above the blades. If you have some over-ripe bananas in the kitchen and you’re not in the mood for banana bread, I highly recommend this treat.

Lisa:

What? It worked? No way!

Chris:

How crazy is this? It looks and feels just like ice cream!

Lisa:

If you don’t like the taste of bananas, though…

Chris:

Yeah, it’s banana-y. But if you don’t like that taste, I’d hope you wouldn’t prepare a recipe where that was the only ingredient.

Lisa:

Next time you should totally add in a little peanut butter or something.

Chris:

Honey might be good, too — yeah, let’s do it.

Lisa:

Wahoo! Also, I just realized you made it through this entire conversation without making any banana puns.

Chris:

Yeah, I didn’t see the a-peel.

Banana Ice Cream
2 over-ripe bananas
Optional: honey or peanut butter

Peel the bananas and cut into small pieces. Freeze for a few hours. Stick in a food processor and pulse until crumbly, scraping down the sides as needed.
At some point the bananas will turn from crumbles to a solid mass and rise above the blades (similar to making dough in a blender) — you’re done! Scoop into a bowl and enjoy!

It’s that time of year that some wait on pins-and-needles for… hatch chile season!  The roasters are out in full force at several grocery stores in the area, and with a freezer full of chiles, I wanted to find a recipe off the beaten “green chile stew”/”green chile enchiladas” path.  This recipe is adapted from Real Women Eat Chiles and has quite the eye-appealing presentation. Tilapia, catfish, or any other firm-fleshed whitefish is baked in a corn husk with freshly-cut corn, hatch chiles, green onions, and lime. Simple and delicious.

I promise not to make any corny puns in this recipe review. 

Lisa says:

I’m pretty sure that counts as one, so too late. 

Chris says:

Ah, crap. Oh well — so I was describing this dish to someone and he said it almost “sounds like a tamale”, which is exactly what it’s called in the book. 

Lisa says:

“Sounds like a tamale” is a strange name for this recipe.. 

Chris says:

Okay, *now* who’s being silly? Yeah, you. No, it’s called “Tamale-style catfish”. 

Lisa says:

Ah, because of the wrapping with the husk and steaming and such. 

Chris says:

Yes! Anyway, I think the presentation of this dish is pretty cool. 

Lisa says:

Agreed — but don’t let that detract from the delicousness. I love the corn and hatch chile combo on top, and the fish is perfectly cooked. 

Chris says:

More than just a kernel of truth there — no dryness. That corn husk seemed to keep all the moisture in. 

Lisa says:

You were just waiting to make a corn pun, weren’t you? 

Chris says:

Or a corn pone — yum! 

Tilapia with Fresh Corn and Hatch Chiles
2 ears of fresh corn
1/4 cup hatch chiles (more or less, depending on your desired heat level)
1/4 cup green onions
1/2 lime
2 tilapia fillets
ancho chile powder, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Carefully peel back the husk from each corn cob. You will use it for baking the fish.
Cut the ear of corn off the stem just above the end of the cob, leaving the husk intact. Set the husk aside. Cut the corn off the cob and combine with green chiles, green onions and the juice of a quarter of a lime.

Rinse the fish and pat dry. Place one fillet inside each of the corn husks. Top each with one-half of the corn mixture and close the husks over the fish, overlapping slightly.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Cut the remaining lime lengthwise into 2 wedges. Serve the fish in the husk with a lime wedge on top.

2 Servings

I love when Lisa gets on a “I’m gonna bake treats” kick. This week she spotted this recipe @101 Cookbooks for a tasty coffee cake with an interesting twist — it includes fresh rosemary and thyme, which happen to be the two plants we’ve actually managed to keep alive in our garden. Perfect!

Whoa, what’s up stoner?

Lisa says:

Excuse me?

Chris says:

It smells like you’re baking space cakes or something in here.

Lisa says:

Nice try — but not quite. Different herbs — rosemary and thyme.

Chris says:

In coffee cake? What the?

Lisa says:

I know, interesting, right? But you have to taste this.

Chris says:

Omigod this is awesome. It doesn’t really come across super-herby, but I definitely smell it. Why is the inside so yellow?

Lisa says:

Hmmm, not sure… the lemon zest? Don’t you love the crumble on top? So addictive!

Chris says:

Are you sure this is just rosemary and thyme? This coffee cake totally gives me the munchies.

Lisa says:

Believe what you want — just save some for me!

Maple Blueberry Coffee Cake
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3 tbsp rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
1/4 tsp fresh lemon thyme, chopped
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup maple syrup, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature
zest of one lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/3 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp fresh lemon thyme
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees, rack in the middle. Butter a 1-pound loaf pan, and line with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, thyme, and rosemary. Set aside. In a separate large bowl beat the butter with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Drizzle in the maple syrup and beat until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as you go. Beat in the egg, lemon zest, and vanilla extract, scraping the sides again. Add half of the flour, stir, and just a splash of the buttermilk. Stir again, then add the rest of the flour and stir in the remainder of the buttermilk, until everything just comes together and then very gently fold in one cup of the blueberries. Scrape the batter evenly into the prepared pan and set aside.

To make the streusel topping, place the flour, butter, brown sugar, rosemary, thyme and pecans in a food processor and pulse until the topping is just past sandy/crumbly, yet still moist looking. Crumble 2/3 of it over the cake batter, sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup blueberries on top of that, and then add the last of the crumble. Delicately pat in place with your fingers.

Place the coffee cake in the oven and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool for five minutes and then remove it from the pan to cool on a rack.

We had banana leaves left over from the Steamed Salmon recipe, and I happened to stumble across this tasty-looking pork dish a couple of days before a PEPS potluck, so it was a no-brainer to make it our contribution.  I’m still partial to the Carnitas that we’ve made a few times previously, but this recipe is easier, and actually tasted better the next day as leftovers.

I love finds like this, that come out of trying to use up something we bought for a different recipe — banana leaves!

Lisa says:

I love recipes that list 20 cloves of garlic in the ingredients list.

Chris says:

That too — between the garlic, citrus, and achiote paste, the pork has a pretty distinctive flavor. I really like it, it’s different.

Lisa says:

You’re right, it’s different and it’s delicious — so what’s the deal with the ‘real’ recipe?

Chris says:

Oh, so traditionally you’re supposed to roast a whole suckling pig in a hole in the ground.

Lisa says:

(…)

Chris says:

Yeah, I thought you’d be fine with pork shoulder.

Cochinita Pibil
1 3.5-oz package of El Yucateco Achiote Red Paste
20 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup of freshly-squeezed lime juice
1/2 cup of freshly-squeezed orange juice
5-6 lbs boneless pork butt
1 package of banana leaves, defrosted

Combine the achiote paste, garlic, lime juice, and lemon juice in a blender, and puree until smooth. Cut pork into large square portions, leaving much of the fat (you can always remove any fatty pieces after it’s cooked) cover with the paste mixture, and marinate in refrigerator overnight, 12-24 hours.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line a roasting pan with overlapping banana leaves, letting them hang over the sides. Put the pork and marinade inside, wrap the leaves over the top, then top more overlapping leaves on top to create a sealed package. You should also then line the roasting pan with foil to prevent steam from escaping.
Cook 3.5-4 hours, until pork shreds easily with a fork.
Serve in tacos with pickled onions (recipe here), guacamole, and a *very* spicy hot sauce.

8 Servings

This is seriously one of the easiest and tastiest salmon recipes we’ve ever made.  Adapted for two from the excellent Good Fish: Sustainable Seafood Recipes from the Pacific Coast by Becky Selengut (from whom I received a private cooking lesson, jealous much?), salmon fillets marinate in sake and mirin before being steamed along with mushrooms and onions.  The marinade is reduced to make an addictive, aromatic sauce.  We served the salmon with some roasted fingerling potatoes. Highly recommended!

I wonder if people think we just don’t cook anymore?

Chris says:

I barely do…

Lisa says:

Yeah, well I do all the time… I guess we just need to keep adding new recipes to the mix, like this one…

Chris says:

Totally! I’m so glad I picked up this book — all the recipes look fantastic.

Lisa says:

This salmon is awesome. I love the sauce on top. And hooray for mushrooms!

Chris says:

I love recipes that look fancy but are super-simple like this. I guess the hardest thing was finding the banana leaves — which smelled really good while this was steaming, by the way.

Lisa says:

Yeah and that wasn’t even that hard — hooray for HT Market!  By the way, it was total torture that the house smelled so good while I was stuck upstairs putting Cason to bed.

Chris says:

I do what I can…

Steamed Banana Leaf Salmon
1/4 cup sake
1/4 cup mirin
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp lime juice
salt
2 6-oz. sockeye salmon fillets, from the belly
banana leaves, cut into two 8.5 x 11″ pieces
1 oz shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, tops sliced thin (heaping 1/4 cup)
1/4 cup thinly sliced onion
2 tsps unsalted butter

In shallow glass dish, combine the sake, mirin, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, and salt. Add the salmon and marinate for about 30 minutes.

Lay the banana leaves out and place half the mushrooms and onions on each. Top with a piece of salmon, reserving the marinade. Top each salmon piece with a tsp of butter. Fold the sides of the leaves over the fish and then tuck under the top and bottom to make a packet. Place the two packets into a steamer basket. In a medium saucepan over high heat, add 2 cups water; when it boils, reduce the heat to a simmer, place the steamer basket into the pan and cover. Cook for about 8 minutes per inch of thickness.

Meanwhile, add the marinade to a small saucepan over high heat and reduce until it gets syrupy, about 10-15 minutes. Remove the salmon packets from the steamer basket and let them rest for a few minutes. Check for the level of doneness you like. Open each packet and top with some of the sauce.

2 Servings

This last side-dish from our Thanksgiving in May roundup comes from Ellie Krieger, who often features lower-fat versions of classic recipes.  Since we had about two gallons of butter in our stuffing, it was nice to pretend that we were having a light meal with the addition of this Sweet Potato and Pecan Casserole.  The pecan topping was delicious and crunch-tastic.

Well, it’s over, this Thanksgiving of ours… 

Lisa says:

Noooo, it can’t be! 

Chris says:

Don’t worry, it’ll live on in leftovers and blog posts. 

Lisa says:

Blog posts? Yeah, right… with the kid coming, we won’t have time for that. 

Chris says:

Don’t you see? It’s perfect! We probably won’t get to posting it until late spring, or even summer! Then we’ll be able to look back upon these dishes and salivate all over again! 

Lisa says:

Oh, so like instead of “Christmas in July”, we’ll have “Thanksgiving in May”? 

Chris says:

Exactly. 

Sweet Potato-Pecan Casserole
3 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes (about 5 medium), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/3 cup honey
1 large egg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground ginger
salt
1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mist an 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.

Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a pot with a large steamer basket in place. Put the sweet potatoes in the basket, cover and steam until tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl and let cool slightly. Add the honey, egg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, the nutmeg, ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt; whip with an electric mixer until smooth. Spread the sweet potato mixture in the prepared baking dish.

Mix the brown sugar, pecans and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl; sprinkle over the potatoes. Bake until hot and beginning to brown around the edges, 40 to 45 minutes.

Eat.

8 Servings

I gotta say, this is a great turkey sub…

Lisa says:

What? This isn’t a sandwich…

Chris says:

Sigh… “sub” as in “substitute”.

Lisa says:

Yeah, I know. It’s called playin’ around. Heard of it? Anyway, I agree. It’s awesome! I heart the shrooms.

Chris says:

Well *I* heart the cranberries.

Lisa says:

I suggest we make this again some time… perhaps in May, when Thanksgiving is all but a hazy memory…

Chris says:

How about June? I’m predicting a busy first half of the year.

Lisa says:

May, June, Nachatta, Colada, whateva. It’s all good, as long as it happens eventually!

Chicken Nachatta

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup thinly-sliced red onion
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, (approx. 1 lb)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp light brown sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup heavy cream

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook until tender and somewhat browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Coat the chicken breasts with the flour, patting to remove excess.
Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat to medium-high. Add the chicken breasts and brown, 1-2 mintues. Turn the chicken over, add the brown sugar to the skillet, and stir so that it melts. Add the chicken broth and boil until reduced by half, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the Marsala, mushrooms, onions, and dried cranberries. Bring to a boil, add the cream, and lower the heat to medium. Simmer until reduced by half and the chicken is cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Transfer to plates and top with the pan sauce.

Welcome back to Thanksgiving in May! This is the most buttery, herby, shroomy, deeeelish stuffing we’ve enjoyed in a long time. I went searching for a new stuffing recipe and when I stumbled upon this one at food52 I knew I found our winner. The most difficult part of this recipe was tracking down a loaf of challah in the days leading up to the holiday.

Oh my god, I forgot about this one. 

Chris says:

Not me — I loved how buttery it was, and the texture was awesome — almost like a bread pudding. 

Lisa says:

Yeah! Crisped on top and soft inside, SO GOOD. 

Chris says:

Holla back, challah bread! 

Lisa says:

Unnecessary. 

Chris says:

Oh I don’t think so. 

Challah, Herb and Mushroom Stuffing
1 large loaf of challah
2 cups celery, diced
2 cups onion, diced
2 cups cremini mushroom, diced
8-10 sprigs thyme, chopped
1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley
3 cups vegetable stock
4 oz melted butter, plus more for buttering the baking dish and parchment
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Cut the challah into 1″ cubes. Leave the cubes out on a parchment lined sheet pan, on the counter, to get stale, at least overnight and preferably 3 days.

Melt 3 oz of butter in a large heavy pan. Saute the onions until wilted, add the herbs, celery and mushrooms and cook until just slightly cooked thorough.

In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, vegetables, melted butter and vegetable stock, and salt and pepper. Test for seasoning and adjust.

Press stuffing into a large buttered baking dish. Cover with buttered parchment and then foil. At this point, the stuffing can be held for several hours, but should be at room temperature before baking.

Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes, the last 10-15 minutes without the foil and parchment, to crisp the surface.

Devour and collapse into a butter-coma.

Everyone’s heard of “Christmas in July”, but I’m proposing “Thanksgiving in May” — why? Well, frankly, I’ve been sitting on these pictures and recipes for six months now, and I finally have the time to post them. Since we’re already being a little nutty, let’s also start with dessert — this insanely good Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie, which Lisa made after seeing the recipe on 101 Cookbooks. The original recipe suggests using freshly ground spices, and it does make a difference. I’m not sure how long this pumpkin pie lasted in our kitchen, I’m guessing “not long”.

It’s. About. Time. 

Chris says:

Hey, we’ve been busy! 

Lisa says:

I know, but that Thanksgiving dinner was so awesome! 

Chris says:

Well, now you can virtually re-experience everything. 

Lisa says:

Seriously, I need to make this again. Until the blog is presented in Taste-O-Vision™, I’m just going to be craving this non-stop. 

Chris says:

I’m in! 

Hazelnut Pumpkin Pie
1 store-bought pie crust
2 cups hazelnuts, toasted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 15-oz can pure pumpkin puree
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 extra large eggs PLUS one for glaze, lightly beaten
1 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Puree 1 1/2 cups of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor until they turn into a hazelnut paste and set aside. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and set aside separately, to top the pie after baking.
To make the pumpkin pie filling, whisk together the brown sugar, spices, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the pumpkin puree, and vanilla. Now stir in the eggs and coconut milk until just combined. Set aside.

Place the pie crust in the pan, and then crumble the hazelnut paste on top of the pie dough and gently press it into a thin layer across the bottom. Use the last egg to brush the edges of the pie dough. Prick the pie dough a few times to prevent air bubbles. Finally, fill the pie crust with the puree mixture and bake for about 50 minutes. The center of the pie should just barely shake when you move the pie, and the edges should be set.

Let the pie cool a bit, then serve topped with whipped cream and chopped hazelnuts.

This chowder recipe is from Sunday Soup: A Year’s Worth of Mouth-Watering, Easy-to-Make Recipes, a book Lisa’s mom got for us on a recent visit. We’ve already made two or three recipes, and all have been delicious. Salmon, potatoes, asparagus, what’s not to like?

Yum! I love asparagus season. And in a salmon chowder? Sweet!

Lisa says:

So good! And it’s similar to the one my brother made in that it’s mostly broth, with just a bit of half-and-half. Not super creamy.

Chris says:

Well, it’s awesome — man, I love coming home to food!

Lisa says:

It’s kinda funny how much more often I’m cooking now that we have a kid.

Chris says:

A lot of things are “funny” now that we have a kid. Like how early we eat, how fast we have to scarf everything down, how tired we are, how…

Lisa says:

…how awesome he is?

Chris says:

Exactly. Worth it!

Salmon and Asparagus Chowder
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb yukon gold potatos, unpeeled, washed, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 cup finely chopped sweet onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1/4 inch slices
4 oz asparagus, tips removed and reserved, stalks cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup half-and-half
8 oz salmon, skinless, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
kosher salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp chopped dill

Heat the butter in a large dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add in the potatoes; cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, decrease the heat for low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes.
Use a fork or the back of a wooden spoon to mash the potatoes. Add the chicken stock and kick the heat back up to medium, stirring well.
Bring to a simmer and add the green onions and asparagus, keeping the tips aside. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the asparagus is tender, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the half-and-half, reserved asparagus tips, and salmon. Turn off the heat and cover.
Let sit for 4 minute or so until the salmon is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve and top with chopped dill.

4 Servings