Italian Salad, Dressing, and Pickled Banana Peppers

I am not usually satisfied when I just throw a salad together. I need a recipe, people! This salad and dressing has been my go-to for several years. Of course it tastes best in summer time with ripe ingredients, but it's not too bad in winter either. It tastes best with my homemade pickled banana peppers. I discovered that one of my kids loves these, so this year I am growing two banana pepper plants.

Also, I buy feta cheese from Costco. I divide into fairly small chunks, wrap each chunk in saran wrap, put in a freezer bag, and store in the freezer. That way I can take one chunk out at a time as needed for salad or pizza.

Italian Salad

romaine lettuce, chopped
cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
cucumbers, cubed
green onions, sliced
sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, salted (but raw work too)
feta cheese, crumbled
sliced pickled banana peppers (see recipe below)
Italian dressing (see recipe below)

Toss all ingredients together and serve!


Italian Dressing

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 spoonful honey
freshly cracked black pepper

In a blender, add all ingredients. Blend for 20 seconds.


Pickled Banana Peppers

This recipe makes one pint. Scale up if you have more peppers.

8 banana peppers, sliced into rings with most seeds removed
1 small head garlic, peeled
2 c. water
1/4 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp. kosher salt

In a clean pint jar, add the banana peppers and garlic. In a small saucepan, add water, vinegar, and salt. Bring to simmer and stir to dissolve salt. Pour the hot brine over the peppers in the jar, making sure to cover the peppers. Allow jar to cool, add a lid, and let sit on counter for 2-3 days. Then store in the refrigerator up to several months.

Almond Banana Muffins

My kids are getting picky at breakfast. We used to have oatmeal almost every day, but those days are gone. I discovered these muffins recently and recommend them as a pretty healthy option as they are sweetened only by banana and made with almond flour. They are surprisingly moist and tasty.

Almond Banana Muffins

3 ripe bananas
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3 cups almond flour

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 12 muffin tins with coconut oil. Set aside.

In a blender or food processor, add bananas, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and process until smooth.

Add almond flour and process just enough to combine. Pause, scrape the walls and process just a bit again to combine.

Using a scoop, divide batter in the muffin tin and bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and let cool a few minutes.