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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

February 6, 2012 by 3 Comments

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Many recipes I see on Pinterest don’t seem user friendly or look a little too outrageous to actually try at home. Do you find that? I created a new pinning board called “recipes I might actually try,” and this was one. It’s a banana bread with very few ingredients, and it has a cinnamon sugar layer in the middle and on top. Delish, right? I thought so.

Easy to make with few dishes and no mixer required, I whipped this up last Friday morning. The bananas made it extra moist without needing oils or too much butter (1/3 C won’t hurt), and it was crisp outside and soft inside. Even Jeffrey ate a little and he doesn’t like banana!

We had family in town for the weekend, and the loaf slowly got nibbled away. Guess you know when it’s good!

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Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 ripe bananas, smashed up
  • 1/3 cup melted butter
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • dash of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups flour

For the swirl:

  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 1 T cinnamon

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350. Spray cooking spray on a 9×5 loaf pan. and four a loaf pan.
  • Mix bananas, butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla together.
  • In a separate bowl, mix baking soda and salt with flour.
  • In a small dish, mix together the 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tbs cinnamon and set aside.
  • Combine flour with wet mixture and stir to combine.
  • Add 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and then sprinkle half, or a little more than half of the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the batter in the pan. Add the rest of the batter, and then sprinkle the leftover cinnamon-sugar on top.
  • Bake for 50-60 minutes, checking after 45 for done-ness.

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Citrus Fest

January 30, 2012 by 1 Comment

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The past few weeks have been “Citrus Fest” at our Central Market grocery stores. Usually I am not much a fan of oranges because of the work they take to get the good stuff, but if Central Market says it’s prime orange time, I’ll try it. I bought a few navel oranges, and they were so delicious! So then I bought some more the next week, and more again. They were the juiciest and most pretty oranges.

Then I saw a beautiful smoothie on Edible Perspective last week using blood oranges. Her smoothie turned a beautiful pink color. I didn’t have blood oranges, but did have my beautiful navels. I also never really thought about using oranges in a smoothie because I didn’t think a blender was strong enough to get through the pulp.

Have no fear, it blended up very smooth and frothy and tasted like a smoothie and not like orange juice.

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Orange Yogurt Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 1 navel orange, peeled and sliced
  • 1/2 banana
  • 4 oz Greek yogurt (I used Chobani Very Berry kids cup but if I had a tub of plain I would use that)
  • 1/4 C orange juice
  • 1/4 C skim milk
  • few ice cubes
Instructions:
  • Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth.
  • I topped mine with a little crunchy granola and ate it with a spoon, but you could drink it without that, or add a topping of your choice.

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I thought this smoothie was very refreshing and I liked that it used a different fruit for a smoothie than I would think to use. The yogurt and milk made it creamy, and added some protein. A winning snack or meal!

Speaking of Greek yogurt and Chobani, see this article from the weekend in USA Today.

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Back to Basics: Granola

January 27, 2012 by 1 Comment
I have a new idea for the blog–a series on basics. Not all recipes can be creative, take a half a day to make, or use lots of ingredients. And not all weeks have original content all the time! We like repeats too, especially when they are awesome. It also takes a lot of time to continuously find new things to try and write about!

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This week, we’re talking about granola! If you were reading about a year ago, I was on a granola kick. There were bars, sticky bites, loose granola. It was crunchy, sticky, one burnt batch from not watching close enough, and some were fruity or full of good spices. We went through a lot of Quaker Oats!

Recently, I’d been thinking about granola again. I like it with breakfast, on top of yogurt for a snack, and I had a lot of raisins in my pantry.

I referred to my favorite recipe from last year and made some modifications based on what I had in the pantry. From the original recipe, I accidentally left out the brown sugar and didn’t notice in the taste. I don’t have flax meal in the pantry anymore, and I used more raisins instead of craisins. I also didn’t have almonds so I used more pecans and peanuts. Use what you have!

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Oatmeal Raisin Granola

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 C old-fashioned oats
  • 3/4 C pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 C unsalted peanuts
  • 1/4 C sweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C gold rainsins
  • 1/2 C black raisins
  • 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 3 T applesauce
  • 2 T smooth peanut butter

Instructions:

  • Mix maple syrup, applesauce and peanut butter in a small pan on the stovetop and let simmer for 8-10 minutes over low heat. It will get thick and caramel-like. Don’t let it burn.
  • Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the wet to the dry once thickened.
  • Pour on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  • Bake at 300* for 45 minutes, stirring every 12-15.**
  • Cool for 20 minutes before eating.

For this batch, I actually had to take Lily for a walk while the granola was baking. She insisted. I turned the oven off at about 20 minutes and left the tray in. It was perfectly done when I got back. Just watch your batch so it doesn’t burn!

 

Oatmeal Raisin Granola
Print
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 45 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
  • Oatmeal Raisin Granola
  • 2.5 C old-fashioned oats
  • 3/4 C pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 C unsalted peanuts
  • 1/4 C sweetened coconut
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C gold rainsins
  • 1/2 C black raisins
  • 1/4 C maple syrup
  • 3 T applesauce
  • 2 T smooth peanut butter
Instructions
  1. Mix maple syrup, applesauce and peanut butter in a small pan on the stovetop and let simmer for 8-10 minutes over low heat. It will get thick and caramel-like. Don’t let it burn.
  2. Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and add the wet to the dry once thickened.
  3. Pour on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
  4. Bake at 300* for 45 minutes, stirring every 12-15.**
  5. Cool for 20 minutes before eating.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Snacks · Tagged With: , , ,

Oatmeal Bars…with M&Ms

December 14, 2011 by 7 Comments

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This is a quick and easy recipe and makes a great snack. I made a similar bar last June and froze them, and have been thinking about them! I like these best because they cut really nicely. No ragged edges. Pretty colors inside.

This time, I decided to put in some crushed M&Ms because why not? More colorful for the holidays.

I think these make a great little snack, and even better with peanut butter spread on.

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Chewy Oatmeal Bars–with M&Ms

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 C rolled oats
  • ¼ C chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 C raisins
  • 1/4 C M&Ms, chopped
  • ¼ C brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 ½ C milk
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • In two separate bowls, mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined.
  • Pour batter into a square baking dish lined with parchment paper for easy transferring. My dish is 9 x 9.
  • Bake 30 minutes. Once cool, cut into bars or squares.

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Chocolate Chip Snack Squares

September 28, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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This quick and easy recipe is a great one when you need a snack in a jif, or something simple and fast to take to a friend. I made these for a friend who just had a baby. Good for a sweet breakfast added to yogurt, or an afternoon or evening snack, it’s an all-purpose treat. The thing I liked best about these is that they cut so nicely. A lot of bars I make are a little jagged when cutting, but these looked real nice. Soft and chewy. Mmm.

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Chocolate Chip Snack Squares

Ingredients:

  • 2 C rolled oats
  • ½ C whole wheat flour
  • ¼ C chopped pecans
  • ¼ C chocolate chips
  • ¼ C sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 1 & ½ C milk (any kind in your fridge)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 375.
  • In two separate bowls, mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined. Pour batter into a cooking-sprayed baking dish (I use 8×8, but use what you’ve got).
  • Bake 30 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into 16 squares.

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An easy modification to this would be to use blueberries instead of the chocolate chips to make it more of a breakfast bar. Or nuts and raisins instead of the chocolate.

These also freeze easily so you can grab one at a time to make them last longer.

Can’t beat a quick dish with few ingredients. Easy to make, easy to clean!

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Chocolate Chip Snack Squares
Print
Ingredients
  • Chocolate Chip Snack Squares
  • 2 C rolled oats
  • C whole wheat flour
  • C chopped pecans
  • C chocolate chips
  • C sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • tsp. salt
  • 1 & ½ C milk (any kind in your fridge)
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. In two separate bowls, mix dry ingredients, then wet ingredients. Pour wet into dry, mixing until combined. Pour batter into a cooking-sprayed baking dish (I use 8×8, but use what you’ve got).
  3. Bake 30 minutes. Cool completely and then cut into 16 squares.
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Cantaloupe Yogurt Popsicles

August 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

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Last week, I tried my luck again at making popsicles. I saw a recipe for a smoothie that sounded good and I thought freezing into a popsicle sounded even better. The result was a strong cantaloupe flavor. So if you like that, you might like this!

It’s very simple and easy for a summer treat.

Cantaloupe Popsicles

Ingredients:

  • 1 C cut cantaloupe
  • 1 container Greek yogurt (5-6 oz)
  • drizzle honey
  • splash of orange juice
Instructions:
  • In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until liquid consistency.
  • Pour into molds and freeze overnight.
  • To release from mold, run mold under lukewarm water and twist off.

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Jeffrey thought they were too strong in the ‘loupe for him, but one person in our house can’t get enough. She loves these!

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Homemade Popsicles

August 3, 2011 by 2 Comments

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I had this idea after seeing many variations of simple, homemade popsicles around the web lately. So easy, colorful and pretty healthful, popsicles sounded great for this hot summer!

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I bought this little set of molds at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $3 and used whatever fruit I already had in the refrigerator.

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I filled each popsicle about 3/4 with fruit. I used cut up strawberry slices, small peach slices and blueberries. Sounds good, right? Just whatever you have on hand cut into small bites.

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Then I poured apple juice in and filled to the top. Placed the lid on and froze overnight.

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To remove the popsicle from the mold, run cool water over the mold to loosen it up. Then wiggle it out and it comes out perfect.

Unfortunately, I didn’t like the apple juice flavor! It was simple to make, so I’ll try again with a different “filler” juice. Any suggestions? Apple was too strong a flavor, and I probably wouldn’t have even liked apple juice by itself without the fruit in it.

I was looking forward to having these as an afternoon refreshing treat since it’s just frozen fruit and juice. I also liked that no sugar or cooking was involved. Many popsicles are sugar and fruit cooked together and strained, then frozen.

Have you made homemade popsicles before?

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High Protein Granola

July 21, 2011 by 3 Comments

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Granolas can be a little risky to have in your pantry because they are usually high in sugar and fat. I like to live on the edge, but I also like to find a better-for-you alternative.

One of my favorite sites, Oh She Glows, made this lightened up granola a few days ago. What intrigued me about it was that it didn’t have any dried fruit, and it used millet. She also didn’t use any oil, which adds calories fast, and used simple things I had at home. I did make a few substitutions for what I had at home.

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I subbed quinoa for the millet because that’s what I had, and added raisins after it came out of the oven, I learned that trick a few batches ago when the raisins burned while cooking with the granola. And I don’t make my own nut butter. I tried once and flopped.

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Lighter Granola

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almonds, I mixed some slivered and some whole
  • 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 T ground flax meal
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • heaping 2 T applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Brown Rice Syrup
  • 3 T peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick mat.
  • In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.In a medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (except for the  extracts). Microwave for about 60 seconds. Now stir in the extracts until combined.
  • Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir well until everything is coated.
  • Scoop onto baking sheet, spread out.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring once half way through baking. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet. Makes about 5 cups. Store in an air-tight container for 1-2 months.
  • Add raisins after it comes out of the oven if desired.

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This granola was super crunchy and crispy. It had plenty of clumps too. I like adding raisins because they are like the little prize that you hope to get in each scoop, but it’s not necessary. If you thought quinoa in granola was strange, it’s no big deal. Just adds more protein and crunch.

If you’ll notice from the ingredients, there are a lot of superfoods. From the quinoa to flax meal to chia seeds to oats and peanut butter, there’s a lot of power for energy. Lots going on in this recipe! Added with yogurt or milk, it’s a great combo of protein and carbs, necessary every time you eat.

If you are unfamiliar with brown rice syrup, it is very sticky and has a distinct flavor. If you find you don’t like the flavor of the finished product, you could sub maple syrup.

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So are you going to give it a try?

High Protein Granola
Print
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 25 mins
Total time: 35 mins
Serves: 5 cups
Ingredients
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup almonds, I mixed some slivered and some whole
  • 1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 T ground flax meal
  • 1 T chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • heaping 2 T applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Brown Rice Syrup
  • 3 T peanut butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp almond extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or non-stick mat.
  2. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients.In a medium sized bowl, mix together the wet ingredients (except for the  extracts). Microwave for about 60 seconds. Now stir in the extracts until combined.
  3. Add wet mixture to dry mixture and stir well until everything is coated.
  4. Scoop onto baking sheet, spread out.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring once half way through baking. Allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes on the baking sheet. Makes about 5 cups. Store in an air-tight container for 1-2 months.
  6. Add raisins after it comes out of the oven if desired.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged With: , , ,

Homemade Guacamole

June 23, 2011 by 1 Comment
Now that the calendar agrees with the temperatures outside that it really is summer, I know you will spend more time outside, enjoying drinks with umbrellas in them watching the condensation drip off glasses. If you decide to try some food favorites at home, I can help.

Over the weekend, we made these shrimp tacos for Father’s Day dinner and wanted to make guacamole from scratch. While we were on a roll of not taking shortcuts, we decided to make lemonade from scratch too. More on that tomorrow.

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When we are looking for a simple recipe that we know we can count on, we go to Ina Garten. Especially living in Texas, we know guacamole. We’ve tried them all, with all kinds of add-ins, but a basic, classic guacamole can’t be beat. And making it from scratch is all the better. It just takes one bowl! Not even a food processor to dirty.

Homemade Guacamole

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(from Ina Garten)

Ingredients

  • 4 ripe avocados
  • 3 T fresh lemon juice (one lemon)
  • 8 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 C small red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced

Instructions

  • Cut avocados in half and remove pits, scoop out flesh in a mixing bowl.
  • Add lemon juice immediately. Then Tabasco, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
  • Toss well with hands.
  • Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados until they are diced.
  • Add tomato and mix well.

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It is really interesting that Ina uses a knife to mash the avocados and not the back of a knife. It keeps it extra chunky. We love the texture of the onion and tomato, and there is a nice kick from the Tabasco and jalapeno.

This recipe is a keeper. I can see us making this anytime we are entertaining from now on.

P.S. Jeffrey was making fun of how I take photos, why I take so many, how he thinks I’ve done enough. (isn’t he kind?)  I offered him the camera. This is the picture he took. Now maybe he understands how you have to get close and try different angles and settings. And now you’ve seen one of my set-ups!

Guacamole
Print
Recipe type: dip
Author: Marci Gilbert
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 4 ripe avocados
  • 3 T fresh lemon juice (one lemon)
  • 8 dashes Tabasco sauce
  • 1/2 C small red onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
  • 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Instructions
  1. Cut avocados in half and remove pits, scoop out flesh in a mixing bowl.
  2. Add lemon juice immediately. Then Tabasco, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.
  3. Toss well with hands.
  4. Using a sharp knife, slice through the avocados until they are diced.
  5. Add tomato and mix well.
Filed Under: Dinner, Recipes, Snacks · Tagged With: , , ,

Classic Banana Bread

June 8, 2011 by 4 Comments

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You, my invisible reader friend, are in luck. I have two baked treats to share this week. The unfortunate part of this one is I can’t show you the inside. It’s being wrapped up as a gift. That’s two baking projects this week not for me. Baking is fun. Isn’t it nice to be my friend or family?

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I made a classic banana bread to take to my parents and sister on vacation this week. It’s not a vacation if you aren’t schlepping bread loaves wrapped in foil through airport security next to your snack bag. I used to be a light traveler. I also used to eat airport food.

Anyway, this bread is very simple and truly a classic. It’s not too unhealthy–just a bit of butter, no oil. It has good protein from yogurt to keep it soft, and the bananas obviously help with flavor and softness too.

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Banana Bread

Ingredients
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour*
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 large eggs
  • 11/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
  • 1 (6-ounce) container nonfat Greek yogurt
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, butter, eggs, bananas, yogurt, walnuts and vanilla in a large bowl, mixing well.
  • Pour batter into large loaf pan or multiple small loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Fill about 3/4 high.
  • Bake at 350° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. (less time for smaller loaves)
  • Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

*My opinion on the flour is that you can use all-purpose white flour for the loaf too. I think whole wheat pastry flour is great for baked goods to keep it less dense and gummy than regular whole wheat flour. It’s not necessary, and you might not know a difference in regular whole wheat flour. I like whole wheat flour for cooking (like a breading or to thicken) and pastry flour for baking. Does that make sense?

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The loaf in the picture above is a little deceiving. It was a mini loaf and that plate is a salad plate. The recipe made one travel sized loaf pan and one mini loaf. Disposable loaf pans are a bit smaller than a regular one.

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The best part of banana bread is having a use for old bananas. My bananas mashed easily, but weren’t too old. They didn’t look like they should be trashed. I actually refrigerate all fruit including bananas. I know people think that’s weird and think it would make them rot faster, but I think they last longer. I like by bananas on the un-mushy side. I left three bananas out of the fridge to bring them to room temp so they would become soft and easier to mash.

I froze these without slicing so I can take them on the plane whole. You can dig in to the mini one with a knife and fork. I won’t tell!

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