Shredded Wheat Banana Bread

3/4 cup sugar (I use 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
4 tablespoons buttermilk
4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup flour (whole wheat works well)
1 1/2 cup crushed shredded wheat (leftover from cereal works)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sugar and wet ingredients. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients (except nuts). Add dry ingredients to wet and mix. Add walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9x5 loaf pan and bake for 60-75 minutes. Or pour into greased muffin tins (makes about 18) and bake for 25 minutes.

Meatballs

1 pound ground beef
1 cup Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups pasta sauce

Mix all ingredients using your hands then shape into 15-16 balls. Place on cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. Place tomato sauce in a skillet and turn stove to low. Place meatballs in sauce and cover and simmer another 15-20 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti or on subs with provolone cheese.

Asian Green Beans

1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon oil
3 gloves minced garlic
1 tablespoon white sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and boil green beans for 5 minutes. Drain beans and immerse into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. In the meantime mix sugar, soy sauce, and balsamic vinegar.

Heat a pan over medium heat then add both kinds of oil and then garlic. Saute for a minute then add green beans and the soy sauce mixture. Saute until beans reach desired crispiness.

Chile Rellenos

Sauce:
1 14.5 oz can tomatoes
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup chopped white onion
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chiles:
1 1/2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon dried oregano
6 poblano chiles, charred, seeded, and deveined *see Cook's Note
2 egg whites, at room temperature
1 egg yolk, at room temperature
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions
Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes or till done with other steps. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.

In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

Notes
To char the chiles (or any fresh chile): Put the chiles over a gas flame or underneath the broiler and cook until they are blackened on all sides. Enclose them in a plastic bag and let stand for 10 minutes to steam, which will make them easier to peel. Peel, stem, and seed the chiles (use plastic gloves!) Once peeled, the chiles may be chopped, sliced or stuffed.

Eggplant Parmigiana Sandwich

1 large firm eggplant
Salt
1/2 cup flour
2 large eggs
2 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup olive oil
6-10 soft rolls, warmed in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 5 minutes before serving
3/4 cup part-skim Mozzarella, shredded
2 cups prepared marinara sauce, warm

Directions

Slice the eggplant crosswise about 1/2-inch thick - make slices as consistent as possible. Season eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 1 hour then rinse with water.

Beat eggs with a fork and place in shallow bowl. Place flour in another plate and bread crumbs in another. Then dip the eggplant slices in flour, then egg then seasoned bread crumbs, covering all surfaces, and set on cookie sheet.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan and allow it to heat up. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking.)

Add the breaded eggplant slices to the pan cook 3-4 minutes. Flip and put the cheese on and cover. Cook till the other side is browned and the cheese is melted.

Remove from frying pan and place onto paper towels to blot any excess oil.

Place 2 or 3 eggplant slices onto warmed roll, top with warm marinara sauce.

Falafel

Chickpeas:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1 carrot, peeled
1 rib celery
1/2 onion
Kosher salt

Falafel:
1 1/2 teaspoons coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2 to 3 grates lemon zest
1/2 Spanish onion, small diced
Flour, for dusting
Kosher salt

Garnish:
Pita bread
Chopped lettuce
Diced tomatoes
Peeled, grated cucumbers
yogurt Sauce, recipe follows
Directions

Peanut or other neutrally flavored oil, for frying

To cook the chickpeas: Drain the chickpeas from the soaking water and place in a medium saucepan. Toss in the garlic, bay leaf, carrot, celery, and onion. Add water to the pan until it covers the chickpeas by about 2 inches of water.

Put the pan on a high heat and bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the chickpeas are very soft and tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Turn the heat off.

Season the water generously with salt and let sit for 15 minutes. Drain the chickpeas from the cooking liquid and remove the veggies, and bay leaf and discard.

To make the falafel: In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas until they look coarse and grainy but are NOT a puree.

Transfer the pulsed chickpeas to a mixing bowl and add the cilantro, parsley, breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest, onions and spices. Gently stir to combine. Taste the mixture to see if the mix needs seasoning, season with salt if needed.

Form the mixture into balls the size of walnuts and gently press to make patties. Lightly dust with flour on both sides and pat off excess. Place the patties on a sheet tray and let hang out in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or over night.

Add oil to a large straight-sided saute pan until the oil is about 1/2-inch deep. Bring the oil to a medium-high heat. Add the falafel to the pan and fry them on both sides until they are brown and crispy.

Remove the falafel from the pan and dry on paper towels.

Serve the falafel in pitas with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and yogurt Sauce.

Yogurt Dipping Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt to taste

Gnocchi with Sage-Butter

1 package potato gnocchi
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
grated Parmesan cheese to taste

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the gnocchi pasta, and cook until they float to the surface, 2 to 3 minutes; drain.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, and cook until the garlic has softened and is beginning to turn golden brown. Stir in the sage, salt and pepper for a few seconds, then add the cooked gnocchi. Toss gently with 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Garnish with remaining Parmesean cheese.