Ben's Banana Burrito

In 2nd grade we had to memorize a poem and recite it for the class. This was mine:

BANANANANANANA, by William Cole. 

I thought I'd win the spelling bee 

And get right to the top

But when I started spelling Banana

I didn't know when to stop. 

I know that is a random tangent to start with, but anytime I type out the word "Banana" I think of this poem and it makes me smile.

To get to the point, I like bananas, but I like them a whole lot more when they are paired with probably the best food ever created NUTELLA!!! Ben think's I am crazy for how much I love nutella because I"ll just eat spoonfulls of it sitting on the couch or while studying. What can I say, it's delicious.

Anyway, Ben makes really good breakfast and even though this one is super simple it is sooo good! Melty and warm on the inside but crispy on the outside!

He just spreads the peanut butter or Nutella (using both is the best) on the inside with the sliced banana and wraps it up. Then he toasts it in a hot, dry pan to brown the outside and warm up the inside so it is all gooey and crispy.

Really simple, execution is super easy, but it is the genius idea that counts!

Homemade Roasted Tomato Sauce

This is one of my favorite things to cook, period. But for those of you who need a specific recipe... sorry, I don't have one. This sauce is the epitome of my "taste as you go cooking." Here in this post today, I wrote roughly what I would usually do for a basic tomato herb sauce.

Like I said, this is the basic tomato sauce, but I like to mix it up depending on the day and what veggies I have around. It is really fun to get creative and add in some roasted red peppers or mushrooms when you have those available!

This sauce is quick and great on noodles for an easy dinner with a side salad. BUT this sauce has great flavor and picks up other flavors really well. I love using this sauce on grilled chicken with a slice of melted cheese...almost like chicken parmesan except faster, easier, and without the extra mess or extra calories of breading and frying the chicken. It freezes and thaws great, too.

When I first started making this in college I was only cooking for myself. I would make a whole batch of it, and freeze it in little mason jars or Tupperware. The stuff thaws well and tastes great up to 6 months later (probably longer, just never makes it that long before I eat it all)! I've used it on eggplant Parmesan, too, and it was a huge hit with my boyfriend's family.

I've thought too about making it into a base of a tomato or roasted red pepper soup... I'll have to let you know if that works out. Let me know if you try it first and tips for success!

Basic ingredient list:

• 2 Pints Cherry Tomatoes
• 1/2 White or Yellow Onion
• Garlic (~5 cloves)
• Fresh Herbs of Choice (basil, rosemary, thyme and oregano are all good) 
• If you don't have fresh herbs around, you can also use dried  italian seasoning or herbs de Provence
• Red pepper flakes (just a pinch)
• Red wine (~1/4 cup drizzled)
• Balsamic vinegar  (a little drizzle maybe a tablespoon or two)
• I usually do EITHER red wine OR balsamic... could do both I guess, just may be a little acidic
• Salt and Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese

Here's how it goes:

1. Rinse and dump: the cherry tomatoes into roasting pan or cookie sheet. Just make sure it has a little edge at least so things don't roll away into the bottom of your oven
2. Chop and dump: roughly chop your onion, smash the garlic cloves (don't need to chop), and chop fresh herbs and throw them all into your pan. If you're going to add red peppers or mushrooms or anything else at this point, just rough chop and throw it all in!
3. Drizzle and shake: drizzle some olive oil, red wine or balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and shake it all around to coat them a little
4. Roast in oven and do something else for a while: I usually roast them for ~30-45 min at 350 degrees. Just till the veggies are tender and the tomatoes are popping open
5. Blend it and Taste it: This is where I get to use my little rocket blender, or my boyfriends mom's awesome ninja blender... anything with blades and buttons will work. Pour all the stuff from the pan into the blender including all the juice. Blend it all up and add olive oil until it's the right consistency for you. I usually blend in some freshly graded Parmesan cheese at this point. Taste it and add whatever else you want. 
6. EAT IT

1. Need ideas: noodles, chicken, baked tilapia or other white fish, roasted vegetables, spaghetti squash, dipping sauce for appetizers, eggplant Parmesan, with a spoon. 

Really simple, really quick, really delicious.

Let me know what yummy combinations you've come up with!

Flank Steak with Chimichurri

I have always been intrigued by Chimichurri. It was this, supposedly, magical Argentinian sauce I had always heard of, but never tried. From what the ingredients were, I knew I would probably love it... but until a couple of years ago I had never tasted the stuff!

Then, within a short amount of time, I tasted about 3 different versions... and, while they were good, they tasted totally different! It was mind blowing. I thought it was supposed to be this classic dish, so I figured they would all be fairly similar. Wrong. Some were way more parsley-y, others with much more cilantro, and one was more of a vinegar based liquid with little fresh herb to speak of. I like the cilantro kind the best, myself!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Chimichurri... it is an Argentinian sauce used on grilled meats.  It is usually made out of lots of fresh herbs (parsley, oregano, and cilantro) and is often bright green, in my experience. That is the extent of my knowledge... sorry to disappoint. 

So, my secret is out... I'm by no means a Chimichurri expert. However, I wanted to come up with a recipe that I liked and could make with my fresh herbs in the summer time!

I took what I liked in different kinds that I've tried and made a combo of about 6 different recipes to come up with this... a pretty freaking fantastic Chimichurri, if you ask me! I won't be searching for recipes anymore... this one is a keeper. 

Flank Steak marinade

• 1/4 c. vegetable oil
• 2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
• 2 Tbl. worcestershire sauce
• 3 Tbl. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. mustard (I used a spicy dijon)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper steak immediately before grilling

Marinade the flank steak overnight (or if you don't have time, at least for a couple of hours). 

Preheat your grill to high heat. Take the steak out of the marinade and salt and pepper both sides right before grilling. For medium rare steak, grill about 5-7 min on each side. 

Take meat off the grill and cover with foil, to let it rest.


Chimichuri Sauce

• 2 Tbl. fresh oregano
• 1/2-2/3 c. chopped cilantro
• 1/2-2/3 c. chopped parsley
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 4 Tbl. fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
• 1 minced shallot
• 2 Tbl. red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flake
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• salt to taste

Basically take all of the above ingredients, and blend them together until the consistency is like a sauce. Super easy... and REALLY YUMMY!!! Fresh light flavors great for summer grilling season and I got to use all fresh herbs from my garden!

Let me know how you like it!