Esperanza Learns to Bake & Cook

Creamy Tuscan Chickpea Soup

Banana Bread📌 Full of banana flavor, moist & freezer friendly. This recipe makes 3 (9x5-inch) loaves! INGREDIENTS 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (softened) OR vegetable shortening 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 3-4 ripe bananas mashed 4 large eggs room temperature 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 ½ cups full-fat sour cream or full-fat buttermilk 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda ½-3/4 cup chopped pecans optional INSTRUCTIONS ◾Preheat oven – Preheat the oven to ensure loaves rise properly. ◾Prepare loaf pans – Spray three 9 x 5- inch loaf pans with cooking spray or line with paper liners. (This makes cleanup very easy) ◾Cream butter and sugar – In a large mixing bowl, using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, cream the butter with the brown sugar and sugar. ◾Incorporate eggs – Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating well. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally. ◾Add the remaining ingredients. Add the bananas, vanilla extract and sour cream to the mixture and combine. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, stirring to combine. ◾Fold in the nuts. Once mixed thoroughly, fold in the pecans or walnuts, if desired. ◾Divide the batter evenly into prepared baking pans. Place on half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick when inserted comes out clean. ◾Rotate your breads once through the baking, so they bake evenly. Be VERY careful not to bang the pans around or the loaves will fall. Wait about 10 minutes before removing from loaf pans, let cool on baking racks. ⭐Additions - Chocolate chips – we love semisweet chocolate chips in this banana bread recipe. Health bar pieces (toffee pieces) – easily locate in the baking aisle of most grocery stores! Hazelnut spread – swirl a spoonful into the batter with a butter knife before baking Sliced banana – slice a banana, length wise and place it in the top of the banana bread batter ALL RECIPES are on our website!! (LINK in profile!) #bananabread #easyrecipes #recipe #baking #recipeideas

7 simple habits that trigger natural fat loss (no restrictive dieting!) 👇 1.Take a 10 minute walk in nature after every meal 🚶‍♀️ Walking is the most underrated way to immediately and naturally lower high blood sugar levels. ❤️ And being in nature lowers blood pressure and relaxes you. ☺️🌳 2.Eat salmon, walnuts or flax 3 times per week. 🍣 The omega 3s they contain are the ultimate superfood! They help to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol, trigger natural fat loss, reduce inflammation and…give you glowy, firm, youthful skin. ✨😍 3.Sleep 8-9 hrs per night 😴 Yeah… I know you know this… but you need to actually do it, ok? 😝 A chronic lack of sleep raises cortisol levels which literally tells your body to lay down fat, especially around the midsection! 🥴 So get your zzzz and try to be in bed asleep by 9-10pm. ⏰ 4.Have a homemade smoothie with berries every day 🍓🫐🍌 The antioxidants in berries have powerful healing properties, reduce inflammation, reduce high blood pressure, and even have anti-cancer properties! 💃 Tip: use frozen banana and berries for the thickest, creamiest smoothies. 😍 5.Switch your drinks for water 💦 Did you know that if you currently drink 2 x sodas per day… Then you would lose 10 pounds in less than 4 months JUST by switching to water!! 😱🤯 Studies show 'sugar-free' artificially sweetened sodas cause you to crave real sugar later, mess with blood sugar controls and are correlated with weight gain. 🙅‍♀️ 6.Stop obsessing about seed oils… and focus on the quality of your food instead. 🥕🥑🍎 Everywhere we look today people are freaking out about seed oils. 😳 The truth is, there's no evidence that seed oils in moderate doses are bad. Instead: focus on the QUALITY of the foods you're eating: If you're eating mostly home-cooked meals, made from scratch with whole natural ingredients then you shouldn't have anything to worry about! 👍 7.Take 3 mins daily to just breathe 🧘‍♀️ With everything going in the world right now it's easy to feel anxious and overwhelmed. 🥺 But there is a place inside that is always calm, peaceful, loving and joyous. 💕 And you can go there anytime, just by focusing on your breath. 🕊️ Watch the limited time free workshop now: https://start.homemademethod.com/workshop

Polvorones are a Mexican version of shortbread cookies. There is a variety of ways of preparing these tasty cookies, today I am sharing a simple recipe that does not require resting time.

Ingredients:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Confectioner Sugar
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
1 Cup Butter
1 Tbsp Vanilla

Instead of traditional pumpkin pie, try this tres leches pumpkin spice cake

Pumpkin Pie Crust Recipe
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup chilled butter
1/4 cup very cold water
Splash of vodka (approx. 3 tbsp)

1. Mix the dry ingredients in a food processor.
2. Add the diced butter and pulse 5-6 times.
3. Add the water and vodka and pulse 5-6 times.
4. Transfer the contents to plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
5. Roll out to fit into a pie plate.
6. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Bread Pudding with a Joyful Holiday Twist

Sweet Corn Tamales