Chard, potato, and white bean stew

I've been trying to use up things in the freezer and some white beans were calling my name. It has been generally colder and rainy than normal this spring, so I found this recipe for Chard, potato, and white bean stew.
I used cooked beans and did this in the instant pot, so it was quite a bit faster than the original instructions. After sautéing the onions and garlic, I did 4 min on high with a quick release with the potatoes, beans, herbs, and 4 cups of water. This took a while to come to pressure, but once done, I added the chopped chard. I also didn't use the stems so as to appeal more to the picky eaters.  I probably could have left the beans and added with the chard because they got even softer. Overall I thought it was good. Leela ate most, but didn't like the chard. Ebon ate some, probably out of pity. Not sure if I will make this again, but it's definitely a good use for chard and beans.


INGREDIENTS

1 cup dried white beans, soaked for 6 hours or overnight in 1 quart water 

A bouquet garni made with 1 bay leaf, a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme, and a Parmesan rind, tied together with kitchen string

Salt

1 generous bunch red chard (3/4 to 1 pound)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste), sliced
1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving

PREPARATION

1. Drain the beans and combine with 1 quart of fresh water in a casserole or Dutch oven. Bring to a simmer. Skim off any foam, then add the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour. Add 1 teaspoon salt.
2. Meanwhile, stem and clean the red chard leaves in 2 changes of water. Rinse the stems and dice. Set aside. Cut the leaves in ribbons, or coarsely chop, and set aside.
3. Heat the olive oil in a heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the onion and chard stems. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the potatoes and stir together, then transfer to pot with the beans. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 30 minutes, or until the potatoes and beans are tender. Taste and adjust salt.
4. Add the chard and thyme leaves to the pot, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. The chard should be very tender. Stir in freshly ground pepper to taste and the parsley. Taste, adjust seasonings and serve, passing the Parmesan to sprinkle on the top.

Banana Bread

I have been trying (and failing) to cut back on sugar consumption, but I wanted to make a banana bread. My previous go-to recipe called for a cup of sugar per loaf, so I searched the interwebz for something a little heathier. I found a recipe from Cookie and Kate, a blog I follow, that sounded pretty good.

I followed the recipe pretty well, though, I used about three bananas that I had previously frozen then thawed to use. I had to leave while it was baking and wasn't there for the end, when I had set the timer for 55 min. Not everything in the middle cooked all the way, so something needed a little more heat or more time. Other than some of the middle not getting completly done, I thought it turned out really good, it definitely wasn't too sweet. Leela really liked it too. I will definitely try this one again.

INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
• ½ cup honey or maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
• 1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
• Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices…

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit (165 degrees Celsius) and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you’re adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you’d like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven’t added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.

Sprinkles!

Leela loves sprinkles and Ebon occasionally brings home cookies from a bakery close to his work. The other day he promised that we could bake some, so we did last night. I used this recipie from none other than Just Add Sprinlkes!

It was a very easy recipe (Leela enjoyed helping), and I thought they turned out great. They did need to sit after baking for a bit to cool off. Ebon ate one too soon, while it was still warm, and he thougth they weren't done baking- too soft in the middle. After they completley cooled, they were fine and I consumed way too many of them!

Also I have recently developed a paranoia that the recipie links will disappear, so I'm going to start including the recipe in the body of the post.

INGREDIENTS

1. 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened to room temperature)
2. 1 cup Sugar
3. 1 Large Egg (room temperature)
4. 1/2 tablespoon Pure Vanilla Extract
5. 1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
6. 2 1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
7. 1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
8. 1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
9. Additional sugar or sprinkles for rolling-about 1 cup.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Stir dry ingredients together for a few seconds to just mix it together. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together using a hand held mixer or stand mixer on medium speed. Mix for 2-3 minutes so butter is light and fluffy. Add in egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Continue mixing until egg and both extracts are combined. Turn the mixer speed to low and slowly add in dry ingredients. Continue mixing on low speed until dry ingredients are fully incorporated and cookie dough is formed.
4. Pour additional sugar or sprinkles (or both) onto a small plate for rolling. Scoop 1.5 tablespoon sized dough balls and roll each one in between your palms to make a circular shape. Roll individual dough balls in sugar/ sprinkles until completely covered. Place dough balls on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart, you may need to make smaller batches at a time. Using the bottom of a small drinking glass, light press on top of each cookie to slightly flatten it. Do not completely flatten, cookies should still be thick. Bake for 10 minutes.
5. Remove cookies from oven and all to cool for about 15 minutes so the cookies have time to firm up slightly. Serve immediately.