Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins #MuffinMonday

The bananas are very subtle in these chocolate banana mini muffins. What they don’t add in flavor though, they make up for in texture. These little guys are soft, tender and light. And oh, so chocolatey, with both cocoa and chocolate chips.

There are advantages and disadvantages to cooking and blogging as a hobby during this pandemic. The good part is that I can keep the family well fed and happy with home-cooked meals and treats. The bad part is that now I can’t have friends and extended family coming over for meals and that means leftovers that might get wasted.

I’m here to tell you that I’ve found a solution! About a week ago, I posted a notice on the neighborhood social site NextDoor, saying:

“Paying it forward with baked goods. Hi, neighbors! I am an avid baker with a food blog. The fun for me is creating recipes which my family and friends enjoy but because my mom has various autoimmune issues, we've been trying to stay to ourselves these past few months. This means that I have more baked goods than we can eat from time to time. I'd love to share with people in the neighborhood who could use a treat. Please pm me if you know someone in our neighborhood that would appreciate it and/or deserves it, with their name and address. I will drop fresh cookies, cake or muffins, etc. off whenever I bake, right on their front porch. Bonus points if you tell me why you think they need/deserve a treat and I'll try to get around to everyone in time. (I'll add a note saying which neighbor nominated them to receive baked goods. Please say if you don't want me to mention you by name and I'll just say, "a neighbor.") Please let me know if there are any dietary restrictions as well. Many thanks in advance!”

So far, I have dropped off treats to two very deserving neighbors: shortbread peach jam squares and these mini muffins. I am baking some super rich brownies today for a third!

Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins

Even if you aren’t typically a fan of bananas, I encourage you to give these muffins a try. They don’t really taste very much like banana but they are completely delicious. This recipe is adapted from one at All Recipes.

Ingredients 
1 1/2 cups or 187g all-purpose flour
1/2 cup, firmly packed, or 100g dark brown sugar
1/4 cup or 30g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large ripe bananas (about 1 cup or 250g)
1/2 cup or 120ml canola or other light oil
1 egg
1/4 cup or 61g Greek yogurt
1/4 cup or 45g semisweet chocolate chips

Method
Preheat the oven to 375°F or 190°C. Prepare your 24-cup mini muffin pan by greasing it or line it with paper liners.

Mash your bananas with a fork.

Whisk the mashed bananas, oil, egg and yogurt together in a mixing bowl.

Lightly whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in another mixing bowl to combine.




Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients bowl, using the tip below.

Tip: Tired of your chocolate chips falling to the bottom of your muffins? Try this trick: drizzle just the tiniest bit of the oil onto the chocolate chips and stir until they are shiny. Add these to the dry ingredients and stir well to coat.

Fold the wet ingredients into flour mixture until just moistened.

Divide batter among the muffin cups. I love my little scoop for this job but if you don’t have one, a spoon will do.

Bake the muffins in your preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 12-15 minutes.

Cool in the pan for a few minutes then remove the muffins from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack.

Enjoy!

Check out all of the great muffins my Muffin Monday friends are sharing today!

• Berry Oatmeal Muffin from Passion Kneaded
• Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins from Making Miracles
• Easy Chocolate Chip Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Jalapeño Corn Bread Muffins with Cheddar Butter from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Red, White & Blue Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Sour Cream Lemon Muffins with a Rosemary Glaze from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Sourdough Corn Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm

#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

Pin these Chocolate Banana Mini Muffins!

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Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani #FishFridayFoodies

This Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani is a fragrant dish of well-seasoned seafood quickly seared till golden then mixed with long-grained basmati rice. It’s one of our favorite one-pot meals!

We love biryani but I must confess that it’s not a dish I make very often, primarily because, aside from egg biryani, my favorite kind is made with lamb. Lamb biryani means cooking the meat first, long and slow, in which case I’m probably just going to make lamb curry or lamb stew and serve them with white rice.

It’s just occurring to me that maybe I need to try a lamb biryani in my Instant Pot. I still think it would take longer than this relatively quick bay scallop shrimp biryani.

Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani

If you are using frozen shrimp and scallops in this recipe, make sure to thaw and drain well before you begin. Since we want to get a good sear with color on them, I’d even suggest patting them dry with a paper towel before seasoning. I’ve adapted this recipe from the shrimp biryani in At Home with Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients
2 cups or 385g long-grained basmati rice
1 lb or 450g bay scallops
1 lb or 450g medium raw shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 small bunch fresh cilantro
5-6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons canola oil or other light oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 2/3 cups or 630ml store-bought or homemade shrimp or fish stock
4 cardamom pods
3 inch or 7.5cm stick cinnamon

Optional to serve:
Fried onions – can be purchased at most Asian markets

Method
Discard any hard stems from the cilantro and then mince the tender stems finely. Chop the leaves roughly and set aside a small handful for garnish at the end.

Rinse and strain the rice with cool cold water until the liquid that comes off the rice is clear. When done, drain the rice. I have a special tool for this that I bought when I lived in Brazil, where it got use daily. It’s called, no surprise, a “lava arroz” which means, wash rice.

You can use a colander or strainer, if the holes are small enough. Finally soak the rinsed rice in more cool water for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, combine the scallops and shrimp with the minced fine cilantro stems, garlic, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a generous few grinds of black pepper. Toss well. Set bowl aside for 5 minutes.

Heat large non-stick skillet over a high heat. Add a small drizzle of the oil and then about a quarter of the shrimp and scallops and sear them quickly. You are looking for a little brown color so avoid stirring for the first minute or so. Check for color with a pair of tongs.

Just starting to brown! 

Cook another minute and tip them into a bowl. Continue with the rest of the shrimp and scallops until all are seared and in the bowl. Add in the lemon juice and the bigger pile of chopped cilantro.

Mix well.

Add 2 tablespoons oil to your skillet. (You will see that I changed pans here. This is because I don’t have a tight-fitting lid for my non-stick skillet. If you do, you can continue in the same pan. I did deglaze my original pan with a little of the stock so I wouldn’t lose the brown bits left behind there.)

Give the cardamom pods a slight bash with your pestle or the flat side of a knife. You just want to crack them open a little. Add the cinnamon to the pan along with the cardamom pods. Fry over a medium heat for a couple of minutes.

Pour the stock into the pan and turn the heat up. Assuming you’ve used the same pan, use a wooden spoon to dislodge any brown bits on the pan.

When the liquid comes to a boil, add the rice and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Stir well, and then cover the pan tightly, reduce the heat to your lowest simmer, and cook for 25 minutes.

Turn off the heat and leave the pan to rest covered for 10 minutes. Remove the lid of the pan. You can discard the cinnamon stick and the cardamom or leave them in. Up to you.

Distribute the scallops and shrimp over the top of the rice and scrape in any juices that have accumulated in the bowl. Cover and set aside for another minute or two.

Stir the mixture gently.  Sprinkle with the reserved cilantro leaves and some crunchy fried onions.

Enjoy!

Check out the other lovely biryanis my fellow Fish Friday Foodies are sharing today. Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe and our group leader Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm.

• Bay Scallop Shrimp Biryani by Food Lust People Love
• Instant Pot Shrimp Biryani by Making Miracles
• Prawn Biryani + Homemade Naan by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Seafood Biryani by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Shrimp Biryani by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Tandoori Prawn Biryani For One by Sneha's Recipe

Would you like to join Fish Friday Foodies? We post and share new seafood/fish recipes on the third Friday of the month. To join our group please email Wendy at wendyklik1517 (at) gmail.com. Visit our Facebook page and Pinterest page for more wonderful fish and seafood recipe ideas.

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Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf #BundtBakers

This spicy salmon shrimp loaf is a new take on my popular salmon shrimp burger recipe, baked in a Bundt pan. It is tender and juicy so you don’t need the pink sauce, but I highly recommend it nonetheless.

Often when I’ve read recipes for a salmon loaf, they are either made with canned salmon or are more mousse than loaf, or God forbid, both.  This one is neither. It’s a “meaty” flavorful slice and the perfect main course for your family or even a dinner party. (Anyone remember what those are?) I served this with some buttered baby new red potatoes and sautéed yellow squash so it was a colorful meal indeed.

Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf 

If you are using raw frozen shrimp to make this loaf, make sure to thaw and drain it thoroughly before starting. In order to protect the shrimp from freezer burn, a coat of water is usually added to the outside of the shrimp. Unless thawed and well drained, that water will add too much liquid and your loaf may fall apart.

Ingredients
For the loaf:
Canola or other light oil for greasing pan
3-4 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs for coating pan
1 1/2 lb or 680g salmon fillet – weight after skinned and bones removed, if any
1 1/4 lbs or 567g raw shrimp – weight after peeling and cleaning
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
2 slices fresh whole-wheat sandwich bread
1 medium onion, chopped (my weighed about 170g)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon crushed red chili pepper
1 teaspoon mustard powder
Fine sea salt
Black pepper
6-8 green onion tops, minced

For the salsa rosada or spicy mayo:
1/2 cup or 120ml good quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup or 60ml ketchup
2 teaspoons hot sauce – or more to your taste
Optional – a little grated onion

Method
Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your 10- cup Bundt pan by brushing the inside liberally with canola or another light oil. Sprinkle on the dried breadcrumbs to coat. Set aside.

Lay your salmon and shrimp out on a cutting board and season them with salt and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Put the slices of bread into your food processor and process until they are large fluffy crumbs.

Add in the onion, eggs, chili pepper, mustard powder and a few good grinds of fresh black pepper.

Pulse until all is well combined.

Cut 1/3 of the salmon and 1/3 of the shrimp into small pieces.

Add the salmon and shrimp pieces to the food processor mixture. Pulse until you have a thick paste. Tip the mixture from the food processor out into a bowl.

Cut the balance of your salmon and shrimp into 1/2 in or 1 cm cubes. Add them to the paste bowl along with the green onions.

Mix well with a spoon or spatula. I like to fry a little of the mixture to taste for seasoning at this point. If it needs more salt or black pepper add some and mix well. (This is a generous tablespoon in one of those tiny pans made for one egg.)

Spoon the mixture into your prepared Bundt pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 45-50 minutes or until cooked through and firm.

Meanwhile, make your salsa rosada by mixing all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve.

Remove the loaf from the oven and leave it to rest for about 8-10 minutes. Run a wooden skewer around the edges and middle of the Bundt pan to loosen the loaf. Cover the pan with a serving platter and invert quickly.

Garnish the loaf with chopped green onion tops and put out the salsa rosada so people can drizzle some on for themselves.

Enjoy!

This is a very unusual BundtBakers month! At the instigation of our host, Sneha of Sneha's Recipe, we are baking "meat" loaves instead of cake. Check out all the great recipes below! 

• Beef Veal & Pork Meatloaf Bundtlets from Sweet Sensations
• Classic Bundt Meatloaf from Making Miracles
• Dates, Peanuts Meatloaf Bundt from Patyco Candy Bar
• Homemade French Onion Soup Bundt Meatloaf with Ham & Sausage from Sneha's Recipe
• Mini meatloaves with Strawberry Rhubarb Glaze from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Spicy Salmon Shrimp Loaf from Food Lust People Love

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all of our lovely Bundts by following our Pinterest board. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about BundtBakers can be found on our home page.

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Beef and Smoked Sausage Goulash (Instant Pot)

This flavorful beef and smoked sausage goulash is made in an Instant Pot, first up is the wonderfully rich meaty tomato sauce and then the (uncooked!) pasta is added. No fuss, no trouble, very delicious!

Growing up, goulash was one of my favorite meals.  Just a simple Bolognese sauce made with ground beef, mixed up with elbow macaroni. Kind of like Hamburger Helper but cooked from scratch. It was the perfect one-bowl kid food.

I’m not sure how this dish, so different from traditional Hungarian goulash got called by the same name, but speculation online is that they have beef and paprika in common and this version is properly called American goulash. I honestly don’t remember paprika in my mom’s dish though. All I know is that I loved it.

During our kitchen renovation a couple of months back, I was prepping and cooking in the laundry room on top of the dryer and washing machine, with a single hot plate, a slow cooker, an Instant Pot and a rice cooker. Meals got very creative in that small space!

From an appliance that I barely touched for the first four years that I owned it, my Instant Pot became my new best friend.

Beef and Smoked Sausage Goulash Instant Pot

If your family members don’t eat spicy foods, by all means substitute canned, diced tomatoes for the Ro-Tel, which comes in mild, original and hot. In any case, you can also use the store-brand equivalent. What I actually used this time, one of each:

Ingredients
For the sauce:
14 oz or 397g smoked sausage (Our favorite is Holmes Smokehouse with jalapeño)
1 medium onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 1/2 lbs or 1134g ground beef
2 cans (10 oz or 238g each) Ro-Tel diced tomatoes or store brand equivalent
1 can (6 oz or 170g) tomato paste
3 tablespoons dried Italian herbs
2 bay leaves
8 oz or 225g mushrooms

For adding the pasta:
1 beef stock cube
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 lb or 450g mini penne or elbow noodles

Optional for serving:
Parmesan cheese, grated
Crushed red pepper
Fresh parsley

Method
Cut your smoked sausage into half moon slices. Peel and chop your onion finely and mince the cloves of garlic.

Set your Instant Pot on sauté and add the olive oil to the pot along with the sausage. Cook the sausage, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick, until it’s well browned.

Add in the chopped onion and minced garlic and give the whole thing a good stir.

Sauté for a few minutes or until the onion and garlic are soft and translucent. Use a slotted spoon to remove them to a bowl and set aside.

Add the ground beef to the Instant Pot.

Sauté until the meat is cooked through and well browned, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Ideally, it will even be crunchy in places. Drain the cooked beef and discard the grease created as the beef and sausage cooked.

Trim any hard ends off of the mushroom stems and slice the rest. Add them to the Instant Pot along with the sausage, onions and garlic, Ro-Tel, tomato paste, Italian herbs and bay leaves.

Use the Ro-Tel can to measure and add 1 1/2 cans of water to the pot. Give it all a good stir.

Put the lid on the Instant Pot and set it for 30 minutes on normal. When it finishes cooking, safely release the steam by putting a folded dish towel over it and releasing slowly.

Crumble in the beef stock cube and add 2 cups or 480ml water to the pot. Stir well until the stock cube is dissolved. Add in the salt and baking soda. Finally, add the pasta to the pot and stir very well, making sure the pasta is well covered by the liquid.

Put the lid back on and set the Instant Pot for 4 minutes. Once it’s done, put your dishcloth over the vent again and do a quick release. Stir well and remove the bay leaves before serving.

Top with grated Parmesan and parsley, if desired. We also love a sprinkle of crushed red pepper.

Enjoy!

It's MultiCooker Monday so I'm joining my fellow bloggers in sharing recipes made with our favorite small appliances like Instant Pots, air fryers, pressure cookers, slow cookers and even toaster ovens! Many thanks to our organizer and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime.

• Beef and Smoked Sausage Goulash from Food Lust People Love
• Instant Pot Ground Beef and Pasta from Making Miracles
• Black Eyed Pea Hummus from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Sweet Potato Fries using the Breville Smart Oven (air fryer) from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Crockpot Veggie Fajitas from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Spinach & Masoor Dal - Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Saucy Taco Chicken Wings from Palatable Pastime
• Toaster Oven No-Knead Rolls from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

Multicooker Monday is a blogger group created by Sue of Palatable Pastime for all of us who need encouragement to make better use of our small appliances like slow cookers, Instant Pots, Air Fryers, rice cookers and sous vide machines. We get together every third Monday of the month to share our recipes. If you are a food blogger who would like to post with us, please request to join our Facebook group.

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