Sunday, March 18, 2012

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins


If you have bananas sitting on your counter about to go the way of the dodo I suggest giving these muffins a shot. Pretty much every week I find myself in this predicament, I have bananas that are about to go bad and I need to figure out what to do with them stat. Usually I peel them and stick them in the freezer for smoothies which by the way is an excellent solution, but since my freezer is becoming overrun by frozen bananas I figured I'd better do something else with these ones. If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour on hand don't sweat it just use all-purpose flour instead, and if you have more than two sorry bananas on your hands this recipe can easily be doubled.

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Muffins 
1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Salt
2 Very Ripe Bananas
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
6 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted and cooled
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 cup Pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside until needed. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat together 1 of the bananas and the sugar on medium-high for at least 3 minutes. Beat in the butter, egg, and vanilla , scraping the sides as needed, until well mixed. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed. Mash the remaining banana a bit so some texture remains then fold the mashed banana and nuts into the batter. Distribute the batter evenly among the cups, about half way and bake for 18-20 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Makes 12 Muffins

Recipe adapted from Tyler Florence at the Food Network

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Sweet Potato Hummus



This sweet potato hummus has become my new favorite. It is healthy, delicious, and easy to make. I use this hummus as a dip for vegetables and a spread for crackers, wraps, and sandwiches. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Hummus 
1 pound Sweet Potatoes (about 2), peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 (15 oz can) Chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Fresh Lemon Juice (1-2 lemons)
1/4 cup Sesame Tahini
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 Garlic Clove, minced
Salt and Pepper to taste
Sweet Paprika for garnish
2-3 tablespoon Water to thin

Steam sweet potatoes until tender, 12-22 minutes. Add sweet potatoes, chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, oil, cumin, and garlic to the food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until smooth. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with paprika. Serve with chips, vegetables or use as a spread for wraps and sandwiches. Hummus will last up to 1 week refrigerated in an airtight container.

Recipe from Power Foods