(almost) better-for-you banana nut muffins

May 24, 2011 by 6 Comments

Confession time: I have an affinity for big box store muffins. You know what I’m talking about—the big warehouse store where you can buy five pounds of cottage cheese for $2.99? Their muffins slay me, especially the banana nut variety. But the trouble is, you can only buy them in a pack of twelve and each muffin is the size of a small planet. Plus, they likely contain an entire day’s worth of calories. As I swallow each buttery bite, I can literally feel the muffin slide down my esophagus, skip right past my stomach and implant itself on my ass. There is a reason they call it a muffin top, my friends.

So what is a girl to do when she craves those moist, melt-in-your mouth banana nut muffins but doesn’t want a butt the size of Neptune? Make a healthier version, of course.

Start with overripe bananas. The browner the better. Mash them up with a fork.

Add to the bananas an egg, greek yogurt (to keep things moist and add a little bit of richness—low-fat sour cream would work, too), vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

For the dry ingredients you’ll need white and whole wheat flours, baking powder, salt, brown sugar and wheat germ (the “raw” or “untoasted” variety) for a little extra fiber.

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Fold in some walnuts.

Pour into 12 prepared muffin cups and sprinkle some more walnuts on top if you like.

Bake for a little under 20 minutes. They puff up nice and purdy.

Pour yourself a cup of tea and sink your teeth into one of these beauties.

They’re more moist, more flavorful, and less likely to stick to your hips than those gigantor muffins. Of course they still have a decent amount of fat as all good muffins do, but you won’t feel them stick to your hips. Or implant themselves on your thighs. Or park their big banana butts on your…well, you get the picture.

-RDG

(Almost) Better-for-You Banana Nut Muffins   handy dandy printable

Prep Time: 10 minutes Bake Time: 20 minutes

  • 3 large overripe bananas
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 c honey-flavored greek yogurt
  • 1/3 c vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 c whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c all purpose flour
  • 1/2 c raw (untoasted) wheat germ
  • 3/4 c brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 c chopped walnuts, plus more for topping

1) Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, mash bananas until smooth. Stir in egg, yogurt, oil and vanilla.

2) In a medium bowl, combine wheat flour, all purpose flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking soda and salt. Pour into wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Fold in walnuts.

3) Grease or line 12 muffin cups. Spoon in batter nearly to the top of each cup. Sprinkle with additional walnuts if desired. Bake for 17-20 minutes until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly before serving.

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baked banana chips

March 13, 2011 by 12 Comments

We are a green banana household. If there is one brown spot on our bananas, or even if the skin is too yellow, neither Dave nor I will eat them. Usually we gobble them up before they reach that point, but occasionally we don’t get to them and I hate to see them go to waste. The temptation is to bake them into something that tastes great but is rotten for my hips—overripe bananas make the most fantastic breads and muffins. But when you’re adding massive amounts of butter, flour and sugar to bananas just so they don’t go to waste, you have serious problems (I do).

I think I’ve come up with a compromise: baked banana chips. Sweet, easy to make, easy on the hips and my toddler loves them. Take that, brown bananas.

They don’t require a ton of fattening ingredients. Just lemon juice (to prevent browning), cinnamon and salt (both optional, but I find they enhance the flavors nicely).

Slice the bananas very thinly. I’m talking about 1/8″— thick enough that you can still handle them but thin enough that the moisture will bake out easily.

Dilute the lemon juice with a little water…

…and brush across the banana slices.

Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and kosher salt. Bake at 200F for about 2 hours, turning after 90 minutes. Let cool for a few hours (the longer you wait the crispier they will become).

A perfectly sweet treat. Not as crispy and crunchy as the banana chips in the bulk foods aisle, but more flavorful and less fattening.Lucy loves them plain or with a tiny smear of peanut butter sandwiched in between two slices.

If you’re a picky banana eater, give these a shot. Your guilty banana-wasting conscience (and your hips) will thank you.

-RDG

P.S. Still no baby. My cankles are epic.

Baked Banana Chips

Prep Time: 10 minutes Bake Time: 2 hours

  • 2 overripe bananas
  • Non-stick cooking spray
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Cinnamon
  • Kosher salt

1. Preheat oven to 200F. Slice bananas very thin (roughly 1/8″-1/4″) and place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or Silpat and sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Stir together lemon juice and water and brush over banana slices. Lightly sprinkle with cinnamon and salt, then turn slices over and repeat.

2. Bake for 90 minutes, turn slices, and bake for 30 minutes more. Let cool completely (the longer you let them cool the crispier they will become). Store in an airtight container.

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peach whole wheat muffins

July 9, 2010 by 8 Comments

On vacation a few weeks ago, my darling daughter became addicted to muffins. The breakfast fare at the camp was not the healthiest—the best choices were dry scrambled eggs and under-ripe fruit, which she would eat a few forkfuls of before pushing away. She was holding out for the muffins. The sweet, sugary, higher-than-high-calorie muffins with a crumbly butter topping. We eventually obliged. She wasn’t eating much else.

When we arrived home she was still asking for muffins in the morning (it sounded more like “mice”, but I knew she wasn’t requesting rodents for breakfast). I set out to make a somewhat healthier version, full of whole wheat flour and a little protein in the form of walnuts. Peaches cannot be sweeter than this time of year, so I selected them for fruit.

To make them, you’ll also need a little milk, one egg, a bit of vegetable (or other) oil, sugar, salt and baking powder.

Whisk together the milk, egg and oil in a large bowl.

Stir in the dry ingredients (lumpy in the muffin world it totally fine)…

…and add the peaches and nuts.

You can take a taste. I won’t tell.

Recover the ice cream scoop from your little tyke who has been walking around with it all day.

Spoop the batter into prepared muffin cups so they are about 2/3 full. Bake at 425F for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from the pan and let sit 10 minutes before gobbling up.

I may or may not have eaten two of these warm, peachy darlings right out of the oven smeared with a little butter.

They were just too good to resist, and Lucy agreed. Morning after morning she requests “mice” for breakfast, and when she gets them, she gobbles them up, tails and all.

Peach Whole Wheat Muffins

Although I’m calling these “whole wheat” muffins, they actually use half whole wheat flour and half white flour. I find that using all whole wheat flour in any recipe makes baked goods that more closely resemble cardboard than something edible. Feel free to omit the nuts and substitute whatever fresh or frozen fruit you like! Makes 12 muffins.

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/4 cup oil
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup white flour
  • 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped nuts
  • 1 cup fresh ripe peaches, skinned and diced

Preheat oven to 425F. Grease or line 12 muffin cups.

In a small bowl, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk and oil. Stir in the dry ingredients until fully incorporated (batter will be lumpy). Stir in the fruit and nuts. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full (an ice cream scoop works well for this). Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer muffins to a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately, or store in an airtight container until ready to eat.

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beth’s spinach quiches

June 18, 2010 by 7 Comments

You may recall my recent freak-out in the kitchen. Nothing sounded good, all of my cookbooks morphed into a language that I couldn’t read, and my creative culinary brain was kaput. I sent out a desperate S.O.S. to you all for help. I needed recipes. New recipes! Inspired recipes! Tasty recipes! Anything other than what I already had! I’m going to stop using exclamation points now!

Thank you to everyone who responded to my momentary lapse into crazy. And those of you who just thought “momentary? Girl, you certifiable” are likely correct. But I am proud to say that I have my mojo back. My brain has kicked back into recipe overdrive and I’ve been cooking up a storm. A delicious, lick-your-fingers storm.

The recipe that got me back on track was from my dear reader Beth. She sent a sweet email with three recipes attached, and from the moment I spied this first one, I knew it was meant to be in my belly.

These little quiches are so quick and easy, and yet they don’t skimp on flavor. You’ll need spinach (thawed from frozen is fine), milk, bisquick, chives, ham, sharp cheddar, and a little salt and pepper.

And eggs. Pretty, pretty eggs.

Crack them into a large bowl…

…beat and toss in the Bisquick.

Stir. Lumps are a-okay in Bisquick world. In fact, they’re encouraged.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Pour into 12 muffin cups that are greased well with cooking spray (a Pyrex glass measuring cup or small pitcher work well for pouring). Alternately, you could pour the whole mixture into a greased 9″ pie plate.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes until the quiches are puffy and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving. These also freeze and reheat exceptionally well. They’re also great cold!

So simple, so delicious, and so the savior of my culinary soul. These little quiches would be perfect for a picnic, a potluck, or to stash in the freezer for a rainy day lunch.

Thank you, Beth, for the wonderful recipe. And to all of you loverly readers who sent in recipes and words of encouragement, I am more appreciative than you know. I have no idea why you read this silly, silly blog, but that you do keeps me going, even in times of culinary disaster.

xo

-RDG

Beth’s Spinach Quiches

  • 6 Eggs
  • 1 cup Milk
  • ½ cup Bisquick
  • ½ tsp crushed, dried rosemary or 1 tsp of diced fresh
  • ½ tsp of Garlic powder
  • 1 10pz pkg of frozen Chopped Spinach (thawed, rinsed and squeezed of all water) or 2-3 cups of fresh spinach sautéed
  • 1 cup Mozzarella cheese (I often use more cheese and mix types)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Beat together eggs, milk, Bisquick, and seasonings, until well blended.  Stir in Spinach and cheese.  Pour into lightly greased 9 inch pie plate or into 12 greased muffin cups.  Bake for 30-40 minutes (25-30 for muffin cups) or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This quiche freezes and reheats well and tastes better the longer it sits.

Can be modified to other types of quiche using whatever kinds of veggies, egg substitutes, cheese or meat you have.

My adaptations: I substituted 1 tablespoon fresh minced chives for rosemary, used sharp cheddar instead of mozzarella, added 1/2 cup diced black forest ham, added salt and pepper to taste, and omitted garlic powder because most of my spices are either buried in the garden, lost the diaper pail or hiding under the bed.

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white bean and roasted garlic dip

April 5, 2010 by 5 Comments

It’s monday. My knuckles have that dry, annoying itchy thing going on. Husband is drugged and asleep on the couch next to me. Once in a while he wakes and says something about Christmas and smugglers. I’ve had chipped neon yellow nail polish on my fingernails for over a week. My daughter has figured out the joy of wheeled toys, while my head has not. I’ve been the single parent on-duty, plus on-call nurse, for what seems like an eternity.

But, on the brighter side, I found some time during various Husband and Lucy naps to cook. And I successfully navigated Trader Joe’s on a sunday, although I not-so-successfully escaped with entirely too much food that will not fit in my freezer nor my pantry.

One of these items that just wouldn’t fit was a can of beans: cannelinni, to be exact. And they’re the main ingredient in this delicious dip. It’s full of roasted garlic and is a must for dipping veggies, bread, or for spreading on crackers. Think hummus but lighter in flavor, more garlicky and without the richness that tahini provides.

Cannelinni beans (a.k.a. white kidney beans) should be available from your local grocer. If you can’t find them, garbanzo beans or navy beans would do just fine. You’ll need one can, rinsed and drained.

Also grab three or four sprigs of parsley and one head of roasted garlic. See my handy-dandy reference guide on how to roast garlic right here.

Place the beans, parsley, and roasted garlic cloves (just squeeze ‘em out of their little garlic skins) in a small food processor or blender. A regular-sized food processor would work if you’re willing to make a double batch.

Season with salt and pepper and add 1/3 cup of olive oil.

If you look very closely at the upper left-hand corner, you can behold the glory that is my nail polish.

Pulse and blend for a few minutes until you have a uniform consistency. You may have to pause and scrape down the sides a few times, as this makes for a fairly thick mixture.

Once it’s well-blended you’re done! So easy, fairly healthy (we’ll call olive oil a good fat), and tastes fresh and light.

I love, love, love this dip. It’s light and yet deeply flavored from the roasted garlic—a pretty awesome combo. Plus, it’s yummy for whatever your dipping needs require.

Except baklava. That might taste weird.

You could also use it in as a sandwich spread or in place of mayo in a chicken salad. Ooh! Or on a gyro or falafel!

Damn it. Now I’m hungry.

Speaking of hunger, I’m always on the hunt for snack foods in my fridge. And a funny thing happens when I have dip on hand: I actually consider vegetables snacks.

I take one look at that gorgeous dip, chop up some carrots…

…and dive right in. Miraculously, this also prevents me from snacking on cheesecake and potato chips.

Alright. That was a total lie. I snack on this stuff in addition to cheesecake and potato chips.

I have problems.

I’m trying to decide what letters this photo is trying to depict. CA? CO? CE? It’s definitely a C followed by some sort of vowel.

Happy monday! Make dip. And send me good thoughts. I’m going to need them to get through another day of nursing and mothering. And nursing. And mothering. And nursing….

-RDG

White Bean and Roasted Garlic Dip

  • 1 can cannellinni beans or other white beans, rinsed and drained
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh parsley
  • 1 head roasted garlic cloves
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Add all ingredients to a small food processor or blender and mix until uniform. Serve with cut vegetables, bread, crackers, or as a spread.

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throwaway biscuits

January 20, 2010 by 6 Comments

No, you don’t literally throw them away. These biscuits use ingredients that are on the brink of becoming compost and turn them into delicious, savory, flaky treats.

If you are anything like me, you’re always trying to eat leftovers before they go bad. I love cooking, but I love cooking new things every night. I want variety in my life, people.

As a result, at any one time I have three or four tupperwares full of junk that I don’t quite know what to do with–leftover chicken, spinach, some crumbles of cheese that are either a) gorgonzola, or b) was once a white cheese that has decided to sprout itself some color.

So what to do with all those edibles that are not enough for another full meal, but you can’t stand to see them go to waste?

Bake ‘em up, folks.

I happened to have on hand some leftover chevre from this lovely beet salad that was becoming…questionable. Not past it’s expiration date, but getting there. I also had some cheddar sausage from an appetizer that I’ll share with you at a later date, and an apple that Lucy had dropped on the floor so many times that I could not bring myself to eat it without chopping the bruised bits off.

Speaking of apples, have you ever met someone who eats the whole thing? I mean, the core, the seeds, the stem—all of it? It’s a sight to see, let me tell ya. I can’t even bring myself to bite one teeny tiny little bruise. But then again, I’m an apple snob.

So, to begin: chop up whatever you got into small pieces. I usually try to incorporate a meat, a vegetable or fruit, and some cheese. Because cheese is the best food in the entire, whole wide world.

Some combos that have worked well for me:

  • steak, gorgonzola and kale
  • pork, apples and sharp cheddar
  • chicken, broccoli and jack cheese
  • roasted potatoes, cheddar and spinach
  • bananas, walnuts and cream cheese

Use whatever you have–get crazy with it. Also preheat your oven to 425°, please.

Next, grab some Bisquick. Or whatever muffin/biscuit mix you’ve got. Dump 2 1/4 cups into a bowl.

Dump in 2/3 cup of milk…

…and stir it around until a sticky dough forms.

Dump in your meat and your veggie/fruit…

…2/3 of your cheese…

…season with salt and pepper and give it a good stir. Put some muscle into it, people.

Spray a muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray, divide the batter into the prepared cups, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.

Loverly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until they’re golden brown and cooked through…

…like so. Let ‘em cool for a spell on a wire rack.

Now don’t you feel good? You’ve turned those pesky leftovers into something that smells yummy and is remarkably edible.

I believe environmentalists would call this repurposing.

See? I can be green, too.

Take that, Al Gore.

Nevermind that I ran the oven for 20 minutes, or used an aerosol can, or used entirely too much water to do the dishes with soap that is likely environmentally unfriendly.

I’m just going shut up while I’m ahead here. I conquered the leftovers, and that’s as Superwoman as I’m going to get today. So now I’m going to slather one of these little suckers with butter, sit back, and feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Make these soon using up your poor, unwanted food. It will make it delicious again. Plus, they make great quick easy-to-grab snacks for the kiddos.

-RDG

Throwaway Biscuits

  • 2 1/4 cups Bisquick
  • 2/3 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup unwanted cheese
  • 3/4 cup unwanted meat, chopped
  • 3/4 cup unwanted vegetables or fruit, chopped
  • salt and pepper for seasoning

Preheat oven to 425°. Mix the Bisquick and milk together in a bowl until a sticky dough forms. Add the meat, veggie or fruit, and about 2/3 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper and stir together. Spray muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray. Divide batter equally between cups and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15 minutes until biscuits are golden and cooked through. Makes 12 biscuits.


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