A New Cook Book!

A couple days ago I was at Savers looking for a new cook book. To my great merriment I found one that is AWESOME! and I only paid 3 dollars for it. Oh Savers...how I love you.

Anyway, this weeks menu is completely from this book and so far, so good.

You can buy this book on amazon for a few dollars!

Fiery Fusilli

Ingredients:

8 oz fusilli noodles (I couldn't find any at the store so I used mini farfalle aka bowties)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

2 banana chili peppers, minced (use gloves when handling)

4 plum tomatoes, diced

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers (I omitted this. Too spicy for me :)

1 large red pepper, diced

1/8 teaspoon salt

Cook pasta as directed. Drain and place in large serving bowl

Meanwhile, warm oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic banana peppers and sweet red pepper; cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley and oregano; cook 4-5 minutes until the tomatoes begin to release their juice. Add chickpeas, broth and crushed red peppers;cook 2 minutes. Pour sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with salt.

Banana-Pecan Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I used sifted whole wheat flour)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk or soured milk

1 large egg, separated

1 tablespoon oil

1 cup chopped ripe banana, about 2 bananas (I used puree bananas. Warm banana chunks=ew)

2 table spoons chopped toasted pecans (I used walnuts)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Using a whisk, blend together.

In a small bowl, combine milk, egg yolk (egg white should be in a separate bowl), and oil. Mix well and add to the flour mixture, stirring until just combined. Beat egg white until they form peaks. Fold in bananas and pecans. Then fold in whipped egg white. The batter will be lumpy.

Coat skillet or griddle with cooking spray. Set to medium-high heat until hot. Pour about 1/3 cup of batter per pancake. When bubbles appear on top and the edges are barely dry, turn the pancakes over and finish cooking. The pancakes are done when the centers spring back when touched.

We topped ours with strawberries, blueberries and homemade syrup.Enjoy!