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

Smoothie

I love getting a big carton of blueberries every time I go to Costco. I always have this idea that I am going to make muffins and add them to salads and find many other great uses my big carton of blueberries. The only problem is that with just D and me it is really hard to go through an entire package of blueberries no matter how hard I try they inevitably go bad before I have had a chance to use them all, until now... This time when I could see my blueberries were getting close to their expiration I washed them, let them air dry and then I put them in a freezer bag and placed them in the freezer. I added a few hand fulls of frozen blueberries to my smoothie this morning and it was delicious, blueberry problem solved. 

Blueberry Smoothie

2 cups Almond Milk

4 cups Spinach

1 Frozen Banana

2 cups Frozen Blueberries 

2 tablespoons Flaxseed Meal 

First pour the almond milk into the blender then add the spinach and blend until smooth, next add the banana and blend, then add the frozen blueberries and flaxseed meal and blend until smooth. You could probably add all the ingredients at once especially if you have a really powerful blender, but I like to add the ingredients in stages because I find it helps keep my blender from getting all jammed up. 

Makes 2 Smoothies 

Granola

With so many people this time of year, myself included, watching what they eat, I wanted to share with you some of the healthy recipes I enjoy. First up, granola. This recipe was adapted from one of my favorite new cookbooks, Super Natural Everyday by Heidi Swanson. I think what really makes this granola stand out is the orange zest so be sure not to skip it when making this recipe. This granola is delicious with milk, yogurt or just on its own.

Granola
4 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups walnut pieces
1 cup unsweetened shredded large-flake coconut
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
2/3 cup golden raisins
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
zest of 2 oranges
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Arrange racks so that one rack is in the top third and the other rack is in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with foil, set aside till needed. In a large bowl mix together the oats, walnuts, coconut, sea salt, golden raisins, flaxseed meal, and orange zest. Then in a small sauce pan over low heat melt the butter then add the the maple syrup and whisk until combined. Pour mixture over the dry ingredients and mix until coated. Divide and spread out mixture among baking sheet. Bake for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow granola to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Cinnamon Rolls

Want your house to smell like Ikea? Okay maybe not quite but when you walk in the doors at Ikea, at least at the one by where I live, it always smells like cinnamon rolls baking. I have never had one of their cinnamon rolls but they do smell pretty good. The recipe for these cinnamon rolls came from The Pioneer Woman, with a few of my own little adjustments thrown in. These rolls are not difficult to make, they just take a some time. They would make a perfect addition to an Easter day brunch.

Cinnamon Rolls 
1 cup Whole Milk
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup Canola Oil
1 heaping teaspoon Active Dry Yeast
2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour, Separated
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 tablespoon of Salt

In medium pot fitted with a lid stir together the milk, sugar and canola oil. Over medium-high heat bring mixture to just under a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow mixture to sit until it is warm but not hot, about 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let sit for a minute or two then stir in 2 cups of flour. Cover and let the dough rise for 1 hour. Once dough has risen for an hour, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and stir it into the dough. Turn dough out onto a work surface and knead until all the flour is incorporated, about one minute. Transfer the dough to a medium sized bowl and cover then refrigerate overnight. The original instructions note this step is optional, you can move on and continue making the rolls if you like, since I was making them for breakfast the next day I refrigerated the dough overnight.

Milk, sugar, canola oil and yeast

Dough after flour was stirred in

Dough raised for 1 hour

Dough after kneading 

Filling
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
5 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted and Divided
Cinnamon (to your liking)

Turn dough out onto a generously floured work surface. If you refrigerated the dough overnight let it sit at room temperature on the floured surface for 20-30 minutes, just to warm it up a bit (I find the dough is easier to work with this way). Roll the dough out thin into a rectangular shape. Pour 4 tablespoons of the the melted butter over the dough and spread it around evenly. Next sprinkle the sugar over the butter followed by the cinnamon. Once dough is covered carefully roll the opposite end of the long side of the rectangle towards you. Once rolled pinch the seam to seal. Cut into 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 inch pieces. Pour the remaining tablespoon of melted butter into the baking dish, then place the rolls inside (I use a standard sized pie dish for my rolls). Allow rolls to rest in pan for 20-30 minutes and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until golden.

Butter and sugar 

Cinnamon on top 

Rolled and sealed 

Dough rolls 

Maple Icing
4 ounces Powdered Sugar
1 tablespoon Pure Maple Syrup
3 tablespoons Milk
1/4 teaspoon Vanilla
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter, Melted
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 a Pinch of Salt

Mix all the ingredients till smooth and pour over baked cinnamon rolls.

Makes 12-13  Rolls

Recipe slightly adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Peach Crisp Smoothie

This smoothie has all the elements of a peach crisp, cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, a touch of nutmeg and peaches of course. I have been craving a refreshing peachy smoothie lately and this was just the thing I was looking for. This smoothie is not too sweet, if you like your smoothies a bit sweeter try adding some honey or even maple syrup may be good.

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Oats
1 cup Low-Fat Vanilla Yogurt
8 ounces Frozen Peaches (you can use fresh too)
1 cup Low-Fat Milk
4 teaspoons Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon Freshly Ground Nutmeg

Put all of the ingredients into to the blender and blend until smooth.

Makes 2 Smoothies

Recipe adapted from Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast

Honey Goat Cheese Biscuits

These biscuits are addicting, I think I could eat the whole pan. I am really glad I have D to share them with, otherwise I'd be hurting right now because I would have polished of the batch. These will challenge your self control or at least they did mine and since I am slightly lacking in that department, I lost.

Next time I make these I am going to add a whole tablespoon of honey rather than just the half. These biscuits had a just a touch of sweetness on top and I like things a bit more on the sweet side, if you do too I would suggest upping the amount of honey to a full tablespoon or maybe even a tablespoon and a half. These biscuit taste best when they are fresh out of the oven. They are delicious with a cup of coffee or tea for breakfast or as an accompaniment to dinner.

 
Honey Goat Cheese Biscuits
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
4 tablespoons Powdered Buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter Cold and Sliced
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter for Pan
1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter for the Top
1/2-1 1/2 tablespoons Honey, depending on your preference
4 tablespoons Goat Cheese
1 cup Water

Note: Liquid buttermilk can be used in place of powdered, just use where recipe calls for water.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Put 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium sized ceramic dish then place dish in the oven to melt the butter, be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn. Once butter has melted remove dish from the oven swirl butter around to coat, then set aside. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour baking powder, powdered buttermilk and salt. Cut 4 tablespoons of cold butter and the goat cheese into the flour mixture till crumbly. Stir in the water just to combined. Drop 1/4 cup sized heaps of dough into the prepared dish. Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and honey in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, drizzle mixture over the biscuits and bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden.

Makes 10 biscuits

Recipe slightly adapted from Joy The Baker where it was slightly adapted from Art Smith's Table Fifty-Two

Honeyed Apricot Oat Muffins

Have you ever stayed in a bed and breakfast? D and I have, a few times. Three times actually. Twice in Zion National Park and once in Park City. All were good experiences, although I must say I prefer the more "inn" type of B&B where each room has its own bathroom and the guests can sit at individual tables during breakfast as opposed to the B&B where the bathrooms are communal and all of the guests sit and one large table with complete strangers while eating breakfast. It's just a personal preference of mine, I am a bit antisocial. Anyway I love the idea of the bed and breakfast, especially the breakfast part because you get to try what other people make in their own homes. I would love to be able to peek inside B&B's kitchens and see the methods they use to prepare meals, what is in their cupboards and refrigerator, and what sorts of kitchen gadgets they use. I know it's not appropriate to snoop around the kitchen of the bed and breakfast where you are staying, and I don't do this, but I would like to. One thing that is acceptable though is often times they will share their recipes with you, if you ask nicely (or visit their website, some B&B's post their recipes online).

Now as I have mentioned before I am not a huge fan of breakfast except when it comes to my idea of a bed and breakfast breakfast. My idea of a bed and breakfast breakfast includes muffins baked that morning, hot coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, homemade granola, yogurt, fresh fruit, and some type of dish that is made with eggs, potatoes, cheese of course and ham. I have never made my ideal B&B breakfast but someday I aspire to, right down to the homemade granola and freshly squeezed orange juice. But for today I will stick with making muffins.

Honeyed Apricot Oat Muffins
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/3 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar, Packed
4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted and Cooled
1/3 cup Honey
1 cup Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt
1 cup Dried Apricots, Coarsely Chopped
1 cup Oats (not instant or quick cooking)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Whisk together flours, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on medium-high speed, beat together the egg and brown sugar for 2 minutes. Stir in the butter, honey, and yogurt. Slowly add the flour mixture and beat on low until just combined, careful not to over mix. Stir in the dried apricots and oats, just to combine. Spoon dough into prepared muffin tin, filling cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove muffins from tin and cool on a wire rack.

Makes 18 muffins

Recipe adapted from The Good Enough to Eat Breakfast Cookbook

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins

Over the past month or so I have acquired three packages of dried cranberries. This sort of thing happens to me when I buy items on a whim. That is why I rarely go to the store without a shopping list, because when I do I end up with multiple packages of dried cranberries and no toilet paper. I am the kind of person who has to write everything down, it gives me a sense of calm, when it's on paper I no longer have to store it in my head and I like that.

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins 
3 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
8 tablespoons Powdered Buttermilk
2 cups Water
8 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted and cooled
2 Eggs
6  ounces Dried Cranberries
6 ounces White Chocolate Chips
1 teaspoon Vanilla

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line standard 12 cup muffin tin with baking cups. Whisk together the eggs, water, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and powdered buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined, then add the dried cranberries and white chocolate chips and stir just to incorporate, careful not to over mix. Fill muffin cups 2/3 the way full with batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Makes 30 Muffins

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics: Fabulous Flavor from Simple Ingredients

Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread

Peanut butter and banana are an interesting combination. They compliment one another nicely, yet I haven't seen too many recipes with these two ingredients as the main components. This got me thinking about what else I could make with peanut butter and banana.

A couple of ideas:

A smoothie made with frozen bananas, smooth peanut butter, milk, vanilla and maybe even some chocolate

Banana cupcakes with peanut butter frosting

Banana pancakes with peanut butter chips

Just a few thoughts, but for now I'll stick with the peanut butter chip banana bread.

Peanut Butter Chip Banana Bread
3/4 cup Whole Wheat Flour
3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
3 Large Bananas, Mashed (About 1 1/3 cups)
1/2 cup Sour Cream
3 tablespoons Unsalted Butter, Melted
2 Eggs
1 cup Dark Brown Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1/3 cup Peanut Butter Chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spray bread pan with cooking spray. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the eggs and sugar. Stir in the sour cream, mashed bananas, butter, and vanilla, just till combined. In a medium sized bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients, except for the peanut butter chips. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir to combine, then stir in the peanut butter chips, and stir again, just until mixed. Pour batter into prepared bread pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Bread can be covered and stored at room temperature for a few days.

Recipe adapted from Joy The Baker where it was adapted from Cooking Light

Crispy Pan-Crepes

A little know fact about me is that I don't like to make breakfast. I prefer a cup of coffee and toast or something simple. D on the other hand, loves breakfast. If he could (and if I would let him), he would eat a lumbar jack breakfast seven days a week. Remarkably, somehow last Saturday D got me to agree to make pancakes for breakfast. I decided this would be a good time to experiment. Thus crispy pan-crepes were born. As the name suggests, pan-crepes are somewhere in between a pancake and a crepe. They are thinner than pancakes, thicker than crepes and taste similar both. The crispy part comes from the edges of the pan-crepes which are crispy due to the oil they are cooked in.

Crispy Pan-Crepes 
1 cup flour
1 cup water
4 tablespoons powdered buttermilk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for pan

In a medium sized bowl whisk together all of the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix together all of the wet ingredients. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and mix to combined. In a skillet, heat 1/2 teaspoon of canola oil over medium heat. When oil is hot pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. Continue adding 1/2 teaspoon of oil to the skillet, (be careful not to let it splatter), before pouring in the batter. Makes 9 or 10 pan-crepes

Zucchini Bread

Last summer D and I decided to grow a vegetable garden. We cleared a little spot directly behind our house and planted lots and lots of plants. So many plants in fact, that all that survived were the hearty zucchini and the tomatoes. We ended up with tons of zucchini which I was thrilled about, and tons of tomatoes which I was not as thrilled about and D won't touch (why we planted so many tomato plants, I have no idea). We gave our plethora of tomatoes to D's mom and I used the zucchini in breads, muffins, stir fry and any other way I could. I really love to bake and cook with zucchini because it is so versatile. One of my favorite recipes to make with zucchini is zucchini bread. I like to have this bread in the morning with my coffee or in the afternoon with some tea. It's really good any time of day and any time of year for that matter.
Lately I have been thinking a lot about summer. I think I have summer fever. Maybe this zucchini bread will help.

You will need... 
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature 

1/2 cup white sugar 

3/4 cup light brown sugar

2 eggs

2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla

To make...
Grease loaf pan (I used a 1 1/2 lbs loaf pan for this recipe) and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium sized bowl whisk together flours, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, cinnamon and nutmeg, set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugars till fluffy. Add the eggs and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture and mix just to combine. Stir in the zucchini, sour cream and vanilla. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Strawberry and Banana Smoothie

After a week filled with rich sweets I am ready for something that does not contain butter or chocolate.
I like to have this smoothie for breakfast along side scrambled eggs topped with cheddar cheese wrapped in a warm tortilla.

For this smoothie you will need...

1 Cup vanilla yogurt

1/2 Cup milk 

2 Frozen bananas, (I find it easier to slice and peel them before freezing)

8 Strawberries (plus 2 for garnish, if you like)

Put all of the ingredients in the blender and blend until smooth.

Makes 2 smoothies

Coffee for Your Valentine

About a year ago, our coffee maker started making some funky tasting coffee. I tried to remedy this by cleaning out the coffee maker, cleaning out the grinder, and buying a fresh new bag of beans, but nothing worked. So D and I decided to try a french press. The coffee was delicious. So now D and I only make french press coffee. If you would like to make you own french press coffee here is what you do...

For a 32 ounce french press, boil 4 1/2 cups of water (you want a little extra just to be sure there will be enough). Grind between 8 and 10 heaping tablespoons of whole beans (depending on how strong you like you coffee) for 5 seconds, the grounds will be coarse. We use a blade coffee grinder, if you have something else you may have to adjust the time, or just have your coffee ground for you at Starbucks, (I am sure other places will grind it for you too, but D and I are Starbucks fans so that is where we always get our coffee). Put the grounds in the french press and then pour in 4 cups of boiling water. Grab a spoon and stir the grounds and water together. Now put the top of the french press on but don't push down yet. Let sit for 5 minutes then press down. Pour coffee immediately before the particle have time to settle, (the particles are what makes french press coffee taste so rich and creamy).

To turn you coffee into a mocha...
In a small sauce pan heat 8 ounces of milk over medium heat, making sure it doesn't burn. Once the milk is good and hot add 2 ounces of good quality chopped milk chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted. In a 16 ounce mug, pour in 8 ounces of coffee and fill the rest of the way with the milk chocolate mixture, stir together and top with freshly whipped cream.

To make freshly whipped cream...
In the bowl of an electric mixer pour in a half pint of whipping cream and beat. While beating add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of vanilla and 2 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Beat until fluffy, (be careful not to over beat or you will end up with butter).

Variations:
To make a raspberry mocha add 1 1/2 tablespoons of raspberry syrup to the mug before you pour in the coffee.
To make a super raspberry mocha add 2 teaspoons of raspberry syrup to the whipped cream.