Le Fou Frog

Banana pancakes

Libby — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 06:05:36 +0000

I always buy bananas. I’m not sure why. I only eat one or two and then let the rest get all brown and squishy. Perfect for banana bread or putting them in pancakes. As someone who thinks absolutely nothing of having cookies for breakfast, these pancakes are a wonderful alternative and they freeze really well.

1 cup water
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1-2 tbsp butter
1 1/3 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup oat bran flour
2 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 mashed bananas

Stir the water, oats and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Cook until mixture is thick, stirring pretty much constantly so the oatmeal doesn’t stick to the pan, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool. Stir in whole wheat flour, sugar, oat bran flour, eggs, cinnamon, baking powder, and nutmeg. Mix in bananas.

Heat griddle over medium-high heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. Drop batter onto griddle by generous 1/2 cup for each pancake; spread batter to 4- to 5-inch rounds. Cook pancakes until brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Place on baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve pancakes with syrup and/or greek yogurt.

Mussels in a spicy red sauce

Libby — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:47:02 +0000

I love grocery stores. I enjoy wandering up and down aisles looking at whatever might be unfamiliar or impulsively buying some food I think I wouldn’t be able to live without. Therefor, I tend to have some very interesting things in my freezer and sometimes in the pantry. I was faced one Friday evening with nothing to do and 3 pounds of frozen mussels. The following is the result of combining about 5 different recipes.

2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1 oz drained and rinsed bottled capers
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
3 lb mussels

Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a large, heavy pan over medium heat about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, capers, olives and wine and simmer. Stir every once in a while to break up tomatoes. Heat until the sauce is thickened, around 15 minutes. Meanwhile, cook linguine or other pasta according to package directions.

Increase heat to medium high and add mussels, then cook, covered, until mussels are cooked through.

Serve linguine with mussels and sauce.

Non-Vegetarian Black-Eye Pea Stew

Libby — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:24:00 +0000

I often say that I could quite happily be a vegetarian if it weren’t for bacon. So why not add bacon to a classically vegetarian meal. This ended tasting a bit like a cross between baked beans and french onion soup ~ a wonderful end to a frigid winter day.

1/3 lb. salt-cured pork (or thick-cut bacon, boiled to remove some of the salt)
1 lb. onions, thinly sliced
2 cups frozen black-eyed peas
2 cups lentils
2-3 bay leaves
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook the bacon pieces in a large heavy skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until the pieces are brown and crispy. Remove the bacon and reserve. Pour off all the fat except for just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet. Meanwhile, boil the black-eyed peas and lentils for about 5 minutes.

Return the pan to the heat and all the onions; toss to coat. Cover and cook until the onions get a bit wilty and have started to release their juices. Uncover and saute until the onions are a golden brown, around 20 minutes. Be sure to scrape up the browny bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the drained peas and lentils to the pan, along with the bacon, bay leaves, chicken broth, balsamic vinegar and sugar. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook, until it resembles a stew, somewhere around 20 minutes. Add lots of freshly ground pepper.