It can’t get any easier.  Of course I already have a recipe for Banana Pancakes, which I still make and love.  However, you can’t beat the simplicity of this recipe.  Quick to throw together and great for little ones (especially babies).

What better way to start your Valentine’s Day than with these fun and tasty pancakes.  Kids will love them, even spouses will be impressed.  Let’s face it, with Valentine’s Day falling on a weekday, there isn’t much time for a gourmet breakfast!  No need to cook fancy, just cook with love :)

To make these heart shaped pancakes, all you need are metal cookie cutters (not plastic!).  If that is all you have, then cook the pancakes like normal and use the plastic cutters to create heart shapes in the cooked pancakes.

3 Ingredient Banana Pancakes

• 2 over ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter
• dash of cinnamon (opt)

1. Whisk together all ingredients.
2. Cook on a greased griddle or pan on low-medium heat.  For heart shaped pancakes, simply place cookie cutter directly on pan and fill with pancake batter.  Leave cutter on until it is mostly cooked.  Gently remove cookie cutter and flip pancake.
3. Serve with fresh banana slices, walnuts and warm honey syrup.

Be sure to check back soon, I’ll be sharing my Molten Chocolate Lava Cake recipe and other romantic dinner ideas!

I only eat chicken wings on rare occasions, mainly because there is no place that is “safe” for me to eat them.  Unless a restaurant has a dedicated gluten free fryer, which never happens…. I’ll be honest, most of the time when we make wings, I have my husband set up his fryer pot, that we use to deep fry our turkey’s (and yes it’s as amazing as it sounds).  There is nothing quite as satisfying as fresh out of the fryer, crispy chicken wings.  But sometimes its just not that convenient to do this, so I figured out a way to “oven fry” the wings and make them crispy.  The trick is a super hot oven, a little bit of oil and salt and pepper.  Another tip, do not overcrowd your sheet tray.  The wings will start to steam rather than crisp up and then you will end up with a soggy wing (bleh!).

Another secret I am going to share is my tasty glaze recipe.  I’m telling you, it’s so good and good for you.  That’s right, I said it, wings are good for you.  Fresh ginger is key to making your wings flavorful.

Sticky Honey Ginger Wings

• 2 dozen chicken wings
• olive oil and salt (for coating)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1-2 teaspoons  freshly grated ginger*
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• scallions

1. Preheat your oven to 500.
2. Coat your wings in olive oil and season with kosher salt.
3. Lay wings in a single layer on your sheet tray.
4. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn your broiler to high.
5. Cook another 5 minutes or so until golden in color.  Flip once during the cooking time so both sides get good color.
6. Meanwhile, while your wings are cooking, prepare your glaze:  Melt together your butter and honey.  Whisk in the fresh ginger (starting with 1 teaspoon*) and salt.
7. Immediately toss hot wings into your sauce in a large bowl, generously coating them.
8. Garnish with freshly chopped scallions.

*fresh ginger can range in spiciness, each ginger root is a little bit different… so I suggest starting with 1 teaspoon and adding more if needed.  Also if you have the chance to deep fry your wings, do it!  It’s ok to indulge every once in a while :)

*the wings pictured are “oven-fried” chicken wings

These meatballs make the perfect appetizer or a fulfilling meal, served over steamed rice or “cauliflower” rice.  My version of sweet and sour meatballs uses fresh pineapple… I try to stay away from anything in a can these days.  I also added red chili flakes for a special kick, however you can easily adjust the amount to reach the level of heat desired.
This dish is also wonderful  served as an appetizer at a party.  Just prepare it through step 4, then place all ingredients in the crockpot and let simmer on low all day!  Or make it a few days before and reheat in your crockpot.

Sweet N’ Sour Meatballs

• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup almond flour, packed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Sauce

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon ginger, freshly grated
• 1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 tablespoon honey (opt)
• 2 teaspoons coconut flour, packed (opt)
• salt to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Prepare meatballs:  Whisk together eggs, spices and almond flour.  Add ground beef and combine using your hands.  Shape into 60 small meatballs.  Place on a sheet tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned.
3. While meatballs are cooking, start your sauce:  In a large dutch oven or pot saute the onion and bell pepper in 2 tablespoons oil until tender.  Add garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Stir in chopped pineapple.  De-glaze pan with the apple cider vinegar.  Add water and red chili flakes.  Bring to a boil.
5. Add browned meatballs and simmer on low for 1-3 hours.  The longer you cook it the better.  The pineapple will cook down and create a lovely sauce.

It makes more of a soup than a “sauce”, however you can make it slightly thicker using a bit of coconut flour.  At the end of cooking, take 1/2 cup of the soup in a small bowl and whisk in 2 teaspoons packed coconut flour.  It will become a thick paste aka, “slurry”.  Then pour the slurry back into the pot and gently stir in. After a minute or two you will see it start to thicken.

*Also, depending on the ripeness of your pineapple, you may find that you will need a little bit of sweetener.  I suggest waiting to the very end, doing a taste test, then adding the honey only if needed.