Banana protein muffins

 I started using this recipe 

https://nutritionistmom.com/blogs/blog/banana-oat-protein-muffins-low-fat?srsltid=AfmBOoreb0bofjtX2X6DDPmPizVhbyYKgRJ7qw06hTo3bk9EiHOe5Tut

But then went a little rogue. Here's what I actually used in the recipe 

80g organic oats

80g 1:1 gluten free flour 

3 scoops (100g) vegan protein powder (I used Hy-Vee vanilla pea protein powder)

1/4 cup honey 

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt 

 4 medium over-ripe bananas

3 Tbsp ground flaxseed 

2 large egg 

1/2 tsp cinnamon 

2 tbsp. Olive oil or coconut oil, melted

I baked the 12 muffins in the 350 deg F oven for about 25 minutes. 

They turned out ok, but I will have to refine the recipe. They are not super sweet but at the same time, sweet enough to be tolerable. I can definitely taste the protein powder, so not sure about that either. Texture-wise, I think they are pretty good, not gummy, but not super light/delicate.

Carrot ginger soup

 https://www.loveandlemons.com/carrot-ginger-soup/

I left out the onion, maybe used a little too much salt. I think next time I want to try roasting the carrots first.

Senshi's fluffy pancakes

 https://youtu.be/acxpQIAnp6U?si=mJFvbCKO21vL4ZdG

The Fluffiest Pancakes You'll Ever Eat:

1 1/4 Cup Cake Flour 

2 Teaspoons Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 Tablespoon Granulated Sugar

1/2 Teaspoon Iodized Salt

1 Cup Whole Milk - Room Temperature

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg, Room Temperature

In a measuring cup, combine the milk and lemon juice and allow to sit for 5 minutes to curdle. 

Meanwhile in a mixing bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, granulated sugar and iodized salt. 

Once the milk is curdled a bit, pour into the flour mixture, add the oil, the egg, and mix together with a spoon until no large clumps remain. Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before cooking. This allows the cake flour to absorb the liquids and will result in a fluffier, lighter pancake. Heat a pancake griddle or nonstick skillet, once hot pour 1/3 cup of batter and cook for 2 minutes on both sides. You'll know your pancakes are ready to flip when bubbles form, rise and pop in the center of your pancakes. 

Baked French toast

 https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/overnight-french-toast/

I omitted the streusel topping, kids and parents seemed to like it.

Lemon macarons

 https://chelsweets.com/lemon-macarons/#recipe

I think making macarons may become a new year tradition! This year we had lemons to pick from our lemon tree, so the kids asked for lemon macarons.

I used the recipe above and opted for no lemon curd and I used lemon juice from half a lemon in the buttercream instead of the heavy cream.

New Year's Black Eye Peas

 https://www.africanbites.com/black-eyed-peas-recipe/#recipe

I made this vegetarian and gluten free by using Beyond sausage and a vegetable bullion and used the instant pot (15 min on high with natural release), but otherwise followed the recipe. Also, the store didn't have collard greens, so I used kohlrabi greens. Served with cornbread(https://whats4supper2night.blogspot.com/2023/02/skillet-cornbread.html) Ebon was skeptical but had a second helping and the kids didn't really like it, but I thought it was really good!

Coconut curry chickpeas

 https://www.seriouseats.com/chickpea-coconut-and-cashew-curry-recipe

I skipped the cashews, so it probably could have been creamier, but it was pretty good and very easy/fast.