Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins

This is a semi-homemade twist on a classic. It has to be one of the simplest recipes I have ever made; I'd even argue it is basically fool proof. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 box of vanilla cake mix

3-4 overripe bananas

1/3 cup of vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup of chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine box cake mix, oil, 3 eggs and chocolate chips. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a separate small mixing bowl, peel 3 bananas and use a fork to mash into a liquidy pulp. 
3. Add bananas to cake mix. 
4. Pour batter into cupcake pans with liners (if you don't have liners, grease the pan first). 
5. Bake for approx 20-30 mins at 350 degrees. 

Spaghetti Squash Stuffed Peppers

Two Ways

Spaghetti squash provides an excellent low carb alternative to pasta and rice. It is extremely simple to prepare and it's mild flavor gives it a tremendous amount of versatility. Normally, one would stuff green peppers with meat and/or rice but I decided to try a lighter version of this classic dish. Since I am currently only cooking for one (haha!), I decided to split this batch up and spice it two different ways (Indian and Italian) so that I wouldn't get tired of it. I used the same base filling for both and added slight variations on the veggies to enhance the spices used. For the Indian style peppers, I omitted the mushrooms because typically you don't find those in Indian cooking. If you haven't tried spaghetti squash yet, it is a must!

Ingredients:

Indian Style Peppers
1/2 cooked spaghetti squash (approx 2lbs raw)
1 cup of frozen cauliflower/broccoli/carrot mix
1 cup of frozen peas
1/8 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 can of Garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
2 large green peppers
1 packet of Tikka Masala simmer sauce
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tbsp of ground ginger powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tbsp of chilli flakes (depends on the spice level you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste

Italian Style Peppers
1/2 cooked spaghetti squash (approx 2lbs raw)
1 cup of frozen cauliflower/broccoli/carrot mix
1/2 cup of fresh chopped button mushrooms
1/8 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 large green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups of spaghetti sauce
1 tbsp italian seasoning
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp oregano (you can add more if you like but I am not a huge oregano fan)

 

Directions:

1. Prepare the spaghetti squash by cutting it in half long ways. Use a metal spoon to scrape out the seeds and inside "guts." Sprinkle each half with seasoning of your choice. I usually use salt, pepper, chili flakes and garlic powder. Place each half, open side down, on a greased baking sheet. I always cover my sheet in foil to prevent a mess on my pans.
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Bake the spaghetti squash for approximately 40 minutes at 375 degrees. 
3. Once the squash is cool enough to handle, use a fork to scrape the squash into a large mixing bowl.

4.Prepare the green peppers for stuffing by simply cutting off the tops and using a spoon to gently scrape the seeds and white flesh out of the pepper. Rinse all peppers thoroughly.

5. In a medium frying pan, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into a pan over medium-high heat. Divide spaghetti squash in half. Add in ingredients listed for Indian style peppers. This will be onions, peas, squash, cauliflower mix and garbonzo beans. 

Indian Style Filling

         

Indian Spices

Italian Spices

6. Once the mix is heated through, spoon it into two of the large green peppers.  Repeat previous steps with vegetable mix for Italian style peppers if desired. 

7. Bake peppers at 350 degrees, covered with foil, for approximately 25-35 minutes until tender. 

Enjoy!