what to do with ripe bananas

Mark Chocolate Chip Banana Cake
recipe adapted from Half Baked Harvest
makes a 9" square cake

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs 

4 ripe bananas

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

1/4 honey

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup dark chocolate or semi sweet chocolate chips

METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Grease a 9" square brownie pan. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, add eggs and scramble with a fork. Add bananas and mash. Add coconut oil, honey, vanilla, cinnamon and mix well. 

4. Fold in flour mixture and then chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

5. Cool cake in pan for 15-30 minutes before serving.

easy moist vanilla cake

Vanilla Bundt Cake
makes 1 large 9.5" Bundt cake or 1 small 7" Bundt cake + 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1 package yellow cake mix

1 small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

4 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup (8 oz container) sour cream

1/2 cup avocado oil

1/2 cup water

METHOD:
1. Preheat your oven to 325F. Grease and flour cake pan and line your muffin tin with cupcake liners (if making the smaller Bundt). Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, add all ingredients and beat on high for 2 minutes or until well combined. 

3. Cupcakes - fill liners half full with batter.

4. Bundt - pour remaining batter into the greased cake pan. Tap and smooth out batter to make sure it's evenly distributed. Place cake pan onto middle rack of oven and bake 50-55 mins for a large Bundt, 20-25 mins for a small Bundt. After 15 minutes, place muffin tin on top rack and bake for 8-10 minutes. Both are done when a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

5. Let cupcakes cool in pans for 5 minutes and Bundt cake for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before frosting (optional).

VARIATIONS:

• Dark Chocolate Pistaschio - use dark chocolate cake mix, pistachio instant pudding, and add 1 cup dark chocolate chips.

Ground beef topped with egg over rice

Cantonese Minced Beef
serves 6 as part of a main dish

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground beef

2 green onions, sliced

1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine

1 cup frozen green peas/carrots, rinsed and drained

2 tsp chicken broth

1 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

Marinade:

1 tsp avocado or olive oil

2 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

1 tsp light soya sauce

1 tsp dark soya sauce

2 tbsp oyster sauce

4 tbsp water

METHOD:

1. In a medium glass bowl, add ground beef and all the marinade ingredients. Use a fork and mix well. Set aside.

2. In a non-stick wok, over medium high heat add ground beef. Using a wooden spatula, spread and break apart the beef. Don't disturb for 1 min until the edges start browning.

3. Add only the white parts of the sliced green onion and flip the beef. Continue breaking up the beef for another minute.

4. Drizzle cooking wine around the edge of the wok and stir fry for 10-20 seconds. Add peas/carrots and chicken broth, continue to stir fry for another 30 seconds. Add oyster sauce, mix well. Turn off heat and drizzle in sesame oil for finishing.

5. Serve over a bowl of steamed rice and top with a fried egg. You can drizzle sweet soy sauce as a condiment.