Nadya's Dessert Panini

Who says panini need to be savory? Sandwich some sliced banana between bread spread with creamy nutella, sweetened with a drizzle of honey - and see how wonderfully sweet panini can be! Thank you to Nadya for sharing this recipe.

Nadya's Dessert Panini 
Two slices of bread
One chopped banana
Nutella
Honey
Cinnamon sugar

Spread nutella on the bread. Add the chopped bananas.  Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar if desired.  Put it in the panini press for approximately 2 minutes or until golden brown.

*Please do not use peanut butter in the panini press to be considerate of those who have allergies! Thanks!

Sunday Morning Crepes

Are crepes for breakfast or dessert? Why can't breakfast be dessert, you ask? Ah my friend, that's the spirit. Of course, if you load on the berries and some freshly sliced bananas, you can justify any dessert/breakfast. Get your calcium and protein fix from some vanilla soft serve (of course that's why we put it on everything...), and you'll be primed to seize the day. 

Sunday Morning Crepes

3 crepes

crepe fillings of choice: chocolate sauce, whipped cream, cream cheese and jam

strawberry compote

pineapple compote

2 bananas, sliced

vanilla soft serve

Spread a different filling on each crepe. We used chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and cream cheese/jam. Fold each crepe in half twice and plate them slightly overlapping. Garnish the crepes with strawberry and pineapple compote, vanilla soft serve, and banana medallions. Savor with a cup of tea and the Sunday morning paper. 

Abigail's Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup

Tired of pancakes with maple syrup? Get creative with the toppings! This lovely pancake was made by Abigail Braiman, and we think Elvis would've approved as well.

Abigail's Banana Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup 

1 pancake (type/flavor of choice; whole-wheat chocolate chip pictured)

1 banana, sliced

1/2 cup peanut butter (It's easiest if you put it in a coffee mug)

 Slice up banana and arrange on top of pancake. Microwave the peanut butter on high (setting 6 on the dining hall microwaves) for 1 minute. Pour on top of pancake/banana. Enjoy!

Rice Krispies Banana Napoleon

This is more like a Rice Krispies sandwich rather than a napoleon, but who cares what it's called? It's delicious! This is how to eat it: Eat the three banana slices on top first. Pick up the rest of the sandwich, spoon some soft serve ice cream on top, and take a bite. Repeat!

Rice Krispies Banana Napoleon

1 thick Rice Krispies slice

1/2 banana

soft serve vanilla ice cream

1. Carefully cut the Rice Krispies slice into two thinner slices.

2. Slice the banana into thick medallions.

3. Layer the banana slices between the Rice Krispies. Put some bananas on top.

4. Attempt to coax the vanilla soft serve into a tame swirl on a small plate.

5. Enjoy as described above.

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae

Treat yourself once in a while with this decadent vanilla ice cream sundae, complete with sliced bananas, roasted strawberries, chocolate sauce, and crushed cereal.

Banana Strawberry Ice Cream Sundae

1 scoop of vanilla ice cream

chocolate sauce

roasted strawberries

sliced banana

crushed cereal (recommended: Golden Grahams and Cinnamon Toast Crunch)

1. Get a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

2. Ladle on some chocolate sauce.

3. Surround ice cream with strawberries and banana slices.

4. Garnish with a sprinkling of crushed cereal.

Banana Muffin with Strawberry Cream Cheese

You know those adorable couples that you just can't see breaking up, ever? Like Aladdin and Jasmine? How about strawberry and banana? It's just not right to separate the two. So when life gives you banana muffins, make strawberry cream cheese frosting.

Banana Muffin with Strawberry Cream Cheese
1 banana muffin
1 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp strawberry jam
1/2 banana, sliced
1 waffle cone

1. Mix cream cheese with strawberry jam until very well blended.
2. Frost the top of the muffin with the strawberry cream cheese.
3. Garnish with a shard of waffle cone and banana slice.

Yogurt Pancake Stack

Perfect for Sunday Brunch! Don't be fooled by its demure beauty - this pancake tower is a dangerous sticky edible monster poised for attack. The minute you sink your fork into it, expect the pancakes to slide off of the yogurt and the honey will inevitably get on your fingers and you will be covered in a delicious mess. For serious eaters only.

Yogurt Pancake Stack

3 pancakes

strawberry yogurt

raspberry jam

sliced bananas

honey

1. Spray pancakes with cooking spray and grill both sides on the panini until toasted and crisp on the outside yet still soft and warm on the inside.

2. Put one pancake on the plate.

3. Top with yogurt and half of the sliced bananas.

4. Place another pancake on top.

5. Top with yogurt and jam.

6. Place the final pancake on top.

7. Garnish with sliced bananas and honey.

"The Cook" Ropa Vieja

In the spirit of the upcoming TAPS play, The Cook, we made a Ratty version of a Cuban dish, Ropa Vieja, which according to Epicurious means "old clothes," describing the shreds of meat, peppers, and onions resembly a mess of colorful rags.

Here's a blurb about the play:
It is 1958 and Fidel Castro is coming to power in Havana. Gladys's employers flee the country, but Gladys promises her mistress that she will protect the house and keep it for their return. Over the course of the next four decades in one kitchen in Cuba, Gladys proves her loyalty and discovers its high cost.

It opens on Thursday April 8 and continues next weekend. Tickets can be bought here: brown.edu/tickets. Go see it!

"The Cook" Ropa Vieja

rice

diced red and green bell peppers

braised beef tips, shredded

1 sliced pepperoncini

olives, diced

stewed tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato sauce (for pasta)

1 banana, sliced

dash of cinnamon

2 tsp olive oil

a few small lettuce leaves

lemon wedge (lime is traditional)

1. Combine rice with bell peppers.

2. Combine bell peppers, pepperoncini, beef, olives, tomatoes, and tomato sauce and microwave to blend the flavors.

3. Combine banana, cinnamon, and olive oil and microwave (this is a desperate attempt at fried plantains)

4. Plate the rice, beef, and bananas garnished with lemon wedge and lettuce leaves on the side.

Peanut Butter Banana Provolone Sandwich

For some of the more adventurous eaters out there, give this sandwich a try. Balancing sweet, crispy, nutty, savory, and rye-y, it is quite a symphony of flavors on the palate.

Peanut Butter Banana Provolone Sandwich

2 slices dark rye bread

2 slices provolone cheese

2 slices leafy green lettuce

1 banana, sliced (1/3 inch thick)

1 Tbsp all natural peanut butter

Spread peanut butter on one slice. Layer rest of ingredients. Bon appetit.

Vegan-ify!

To make vegan, omit the cheese and use vegan bread (such as a vegan pita bread or a vegan rye).

DO NOT Make this Peanut Butter Waffle!

This was originally posted a long time ago, before we were notified that no one should put peanut butter in the waffle irons because of allergies! We are sincerely sorry for setting a bad example, but instead of deleting this post, we feel that it would be helpful to keep it here as a friendly reminder for future peanut butter waffle lovers.

Original Post:

The peanut butter mixed directly into the waffle batter makes an extra crunchy crust and infuses the whole waffle with a rich peanut butter flavor.

Peanut Butter Waffle
1/2 ladle waffle batter
2 Tbsp peanut butter
1 small banana, sliced
1 Tbsp honey + 1 Tbsp peanut butter
whipped cream
cinnamon

1. In a cereal bowl, mix waffle batter and 2 Tbsp peanut butter until well-blended.
2. Spray a waffle machine with non-stick spray and pour the batter in the center. (Note: We used less waffle batter to give the waffle an fun shape)
3. Cook waffle as directed.
4. In a small cup, mix honey and 1 Tbsp peanut butter. (Note: Feel free to use just honey instead of the mixture, if you prefer)
5. Garnish waffle with sliced bananas, peanut butter and honey mixture, and whipped cream.
6. Dust the top with cinnamon.

Banana Split Chocolate Cake

An extravagent dessert from the V-Dub. This cake combines the classic unbeatable pairings of bananas and chocolate, strawberries and bananas, strawberries and chocolate, chocolate and vanilla, and strawberries and cream. In short, a pillow of happiness.

Banana Split Chocolate Cake
1 square slice chocolate cake
1 large banana, sliced
2 Tbsp chocolate ganache
1/4 cup sliced strawberries in juice
whipped cream

1. Slice cake into 3 sections.
2. Sandwich banana slices and chocolate ganache between the sections.
3. Garnish with banana slices, strawberries, and whipped cream.

Fruit and Yogurt Salad

It takes a little patience to cut the fruit, but it's worth it! (especially if the kiwis are ripe, the contrary to which we have all adversely experienced) Needless to say, honey with plain yogurt is a classic combo you just can't beat.

Fruit and Yogurt Salad

1 kiwi, cut into bite-sized chunks

1 orange, cut into bite-sized chunks

melon and pineapple chunks

1/2 banana, sliced

1/2 grapefruit, cut into bite-sized chunks

1/2 cup plain yogurt

2 tsp honey

1. Combine fruit in a bowl.

2. Spoon yogurt on top and drizzle with honey.

Waffles Foster

On those blissful days that the V-Dub serves bananas foster for dessert, we invite you to try our version of waffles foster. It's really nothing more than a classic crispy-on-the-outside and soft-and-elastic-on-the-inside waffle paired with vanilla ice cream and some rich fruit sauces, topped with whipped cream. Simple, but delicious.

Waffles Foster

nonstick spray

2/3 scoop waffle batter (to get the nice serrated edges)

1 scoop vanilla ice cream

1 spoonful bananas in syrup

1 spoonful black cherry sauce

whipped cream

1. Make waffle.

2. Scoop vanilla ice cream onto a plate, pour banana syrup over the top.

3. Spoon black cherry sauce on side.

4. Garnish with waffle and whipped cream.

Blueberry Banana Waffles

These are actually from the V-Dub, not the Ratty, but cafeteria food nonetheless! The bananas mixed into the batter came out warm and gooey, with intensified banana flavor. Just be careful not to add too many bananas because the batter will stick to the waffle maker.

Blueberry Banana Waffles

nonstick spray
1 scant scoop of waffle batter

1 banana, half mashed into large chunks and half sliced

2 scoops blueberry sauce

1. Generously spray waffle machine with nonstick spray.

2. Pour in waffle batter.

3. Drop small chunks of banana and blueberry into the batter in the machine.

4. Cover and cook like you would with a normal waffle.

5. Remove, cut in 4ths, serve with slice bananas and blueberry sauce.

Kashi Honey Banana Yogurt

Thick rich banana medallions accent the hearty crunch of Kashi cereal laced with sticky honey, all atop a bowl of silken yogurt for a delicious breakfast. The picture is self-explanatory, but here's the recipe just for kicks:

Kashi Honey Banana Yogurt

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/4 cup Kashi Go-Lean Crunch

1 Tbsp honey

8 thick slices of banana

1. Put everything together in a bowl and make it look gorgeous.

2. Dig in.

Garbage Cookies 2

A more descriptive name would be along the lines of banana almond apple cinnamon oatmeal sunflower seed granola cookies.

Garbage Cookies 2

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 bananas, mashed

24 almonds

3 packets Apple Cinnamon instant oatmeal

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup granola

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl with a spatula, beat butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until well blended. Stir in vanilla.

3. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder. Add bananas, instant oatmeal, sunflower seeds, and granola.

4. Drop batter by heaping tablespoons or with a 1 ounce ice-cream scoop onto baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Press an almond into the center of each cookie. Bake until golden, about 16-18 minutes. Cool on pan, then remove to foil or plates and enjoy!