Chocolate Chip Banana Bars

 

When you have an abundance of ripe bananas, you should give this classic from Gran's book a whirl. This is the easiest recipe and is great for smoko or add yoghurt or ice cream for a yummy dessert. There are plenty of bananas in this recipe so I think you can call it a healthy snack to go with your cuppa...

INGREDIENTS

• 5 very ripe bananas about 1 2/3 cup

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup oil any type
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup chocolate chips divided

METHOD:

Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease or line with baking paper, a 40cm x 25cm tin.

Peel bananas and mash. Stir in brown sugar, oil, milk and eggs until combined. Add in dry ingredients and stir. Fold in 1/2 the chocolate chips.

Spread the batter into the prepared tin and sprinkle remaining chips on top. Bake 18-22 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely and cut into squares.

Makes 24 bars.

Enjoy xx

TIPS:

• I use chocolate drops or buttons because gran used to but i'm sure it would be just as scrummy with chips if that's what you have to hand.
• Using coconut oil gives a lovely flavour
• replace the flour with wholemeal flour to make them a little more filling
• Eat one while they are still warm and the chocolate is all melty... so good (this reminds me so much of gran, she always let us take one before they ahve cooled on the bench!)

Beef Thai Green Curry - slow cooker

With beef that litterally falls apart, pumpkin, beans, and a rich aromatic sauce this is the ultimate mid-week comfort food that you will roll out time and time again. Perfect for busy working people, it takes hardly any time to throw together and is the perfect end to a chilly winters day. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1kg of stewing steak cut into 2cm chunks, fat trimmed
• 1 Brown onion, finely diced
• 2 Tblsp Thai Green Curry Paste
• 1 Tblsp Crushed garlic
• 1 Tblsp Minced Ginger
• 1 Tblsp Lemongrass paste or fresh chopped lemongrass
• 1 Red chilli - finely diced or 1 tsp of chilli flakes
• 1 Tblsp Fish sauce
• 1 Tblsp Raw honey
• ¾ cup Coconut milk
• ¾ cup Beef stock/broth
• 4 fresh Kaffir Lime Leaves
• ¾ tsp Salt
• 1 cup diced Pumpkin - 1cm x1cm
• 20 long Green beans - chopped
• 2 cups spinach
• 2 cups Jasmine rice

METHOD:

Brown the meat in a pan, once browned put in slow cooker. Int othe same pan, add the onion, garlic, ginger and chilli and lemongrass. Stir through for 2-3 minutes until it smells delicious. Add to the slow cooker and stir through the meat to combine. Add all of the remining ingredients and stir to combine.

Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Once its cooked, stir through the baby spinach.

Cook the rice and serve. 

TIPS:

• Curry Paste: 2 Tblsp Thai Green Curry Paste makes a mild curry. To make it medium, add another tblsp of paste. I use the Valcom brand.
• Lemongrass paste: I use the tubes that you find in the fresh food section by the fresh herbs.
• Kaffir Lime leaves: Find them in the vege department or in a bottle in the specialty food section. You can swap it out for lime peel or leave it out altogether.

Brunch Toast Cups

 

Gran used to make these for us in the school holidays and she said she used to use them as a smoko option for the shearers when they were farming. They have become my weekend go-to for a light lunch or if I know we need something quick or transportable (and little people love them too!). They are perfect for sending off in the lunch bag with the farmer for days of mustering when they need the energy but a hot lunch isn't an option and you can put pretty much anything in them, making them perfect for using up left overs too. 

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pieces of bread
• Butter for spreading on the bread
• 1/2 tin of spaghetti
• 1/4 cup chopped spinach
• 2 rashers of bacon (New Zealand farm raised please)
• 6 eggs (or 3 eggs mixed with 1 cup cream)
• 1 cup Grated Tasty Cheese

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Grease a large muffin tin. Butter the bread and place butter side down into the muffin tin. Mix the spaghetti and spinach together and then spoon into each bread cup, using even amounts in each. Chop the bacon and place even amounts in each cup. The eggs can be cracked in to each cup whole or beaten and pured into each cup. I prefer beaten because it soaks into the bread and makes it a little bit like french toast. Top with grated cheese. Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes.

TIPS:

• I prefer beaten because it soaks into the bread and makes it a little bit like french toast
• If you are short on eggs or like a more french toast texture, beat three eggs and 1 cup of cream together and pour evenly into cups and let it soak into the bread.
• Swap the spaghetti for baked beans
• Swap the bacon for slices of cooked sausage (or keep both!)