Guest Blogger: Ariel's Healthier Banana Bread

Hello everyone! I just wanted to introduce my amazing friend Ariel. Ariel and I have a great time baking together when we get time to hang out and we love sharing recipes. We've made a few things that have made it to this blog including Vanilla Bean Greek Yogurt Souffles and Saltwater Taffy. She has lovingly allowed me to post a recipe with some photos of a healthy version of banana bread that she made last week.

So please, lets give Ariel a warm welcome! *applause*

************

I eat a lot of bananas. Definitely at least one a day, more likely two. Due to this high consumption, I am often faced with the dilemma of what to do when they reach that too-ripe stage. I feel guilty throwing them away, but I also don’t love the texture of eating soft bananas. I used to just make a quick banana bread, but then I would watch that waste away because I didn’t want to eat it with all the sugar and butter used. In order to combat the guilty experience of throwing away too-ripe bananas, either in whole fruit or bread form, I started to search for a recipe that doesn’t use butter or tons of sugar. Here’s what I discovered:

Low-Fat Oatmeal Blueberry Banana Bread

from: http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2012/02/low-fat-oatmeal-blueberry-banana-bread/

I was super psyched about this recipe because not only does it omit butter, it uses Greek yogurt and only egg whites!! Plus, it adds oatmeal for a fiber boost. This bread is going to make a great breakfast.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

3 bananas, very ripe

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

3/4 cup blueberries

Directions: (copied directly from the website)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan and set aside. In medium bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

2. In separate medium bowl, mash bananas with fork. Add brown sugar and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Beat in egg whites and yogurt.

3. Combine wet and dry ingredients together for a somewhat smooth consistency. Gently fold in blueberries.

4. Pour into greased loaf pan and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

This was so easy to make and came out so moist and delicious. The only modifications I made was using slightly more cinnamon and less blueberries because I only had about half a cup on deck.

Fresh from the oven!

***************

Thank you so much Ariel! 

Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting

Behold the power of Pinterest. Karin found this recipe and gave me a strong hint that she thought I should make it. I took the hint.

Karin and I are both huge fans of banana cakes/breads/assorted desserts, as well as nutella. And when you put the two together... WOW.

The best thing about this cake (besides its sheer awesomeness) is that its a really easy cake to make and you can use up those overripe bananas that no one in the house will eat or that you've thrown in the freezer with good intentions (I think we all have a few black bananas in the back of our freezers).

Without further ado:

Banana Cake with Nutella Frosting (via http://thegingersnapgirl.blogspot.com)

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar (the original recipe call for superfine sugar, but regular worked just fine)
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 large bananas)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line 9 x 13 cake pan with parchment paper.  Or alternatively you can butter and flour the pan, knocking off excess flour.  

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, one at a time and beat on low until just combined.  Add in vanilla and mashed bananas and mix until just combined.  With mixer on low add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until just combined.  Add half the buttermilk.  Alternate flour and buttermilk, starting and ending with buttermilk.  Do not over mix.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake on center rack for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes in the pan and then turn cake out onto a cooling rack and remove parchment (or just leave it in the pan and serve it from there).  Allow cake to cool completely before frosting (or, if you're impatient like me, put the frosting on while its still warm and dig in. either way).

For the frosting:

3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup Nutella
3 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, sifted
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream (or condensed milk) (or skim milk... with all that butter it will be fine)

In a stand mixer beat butter and Nutella on medium, about 1 minute until fully combined.  Add in confectioners sugar 1 cup at a time.  Mixture will appear crumbly.  Add in 2 tablespoons of cream and continue beating on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes.  Add additional tablespoons of cream until the frosting reaches a soft, spreadable consistency.  I used 4 tablespoons in total.  Generously spread frosting over cooled cake.  For a smooth finish, run your knife or offset spatula under hot water and gently smooth the surface, rinsing off it off after each swipe (or just dollop it on and enjoy).  

This cake is so moist and tender

warm cake, gooey frosting, large fork

Also... just to give you a peak into my valentines creations:

Home-dipped chocolate strawberries

Happy Halloween! Glowing Frog Egg Drinks, Jack-O-Lantern Rice Crispy Treats, and Evil Bananas

Happy Halloween everyone!

I'm not a big Halloween person. I don't get dressed up. I don't decorate. I carved pumpkins two years ago and was all ready for trick-or-treaters, but no one came (I was very sad). But I do love Halloween foods and seeing little kids get all crazy for the holiday.

I was babysitting this weekend and I thought, "what would be more fun but to have a mini Halloween party ourselves?"

Spooky!

Glowing Frog Egg Drinks:

Clear (or nearly clear) drink (I used Diet Sprite - no sugar)

Club Soda (with quinine)

Bubbles/Tapioca pearls (see my post on bubble tea drinks)

Big straw

Black Light

Put the bubbles on the bottom of the glass, fill most of the way with selected drink and add a good splash of club soda. Under a black light, club soda glows blue. Makes for a great party drink (can be made in an adult version). Plus, the bubbles freaked the kids out.

Quote of the night, from a very honest 5 year old, "Amy, are you evil?"

My reply, "little bit."

After they enjoyed their drinks (half the kids braved the "frog eggs") we made rice crispy treat jack-o-lanterns. I meant to bring orange food coloring, but I forgot. Oh well. These were still cute!

Rice Crispy Treats (adapted off the side of the box)

1 bag of large marshmallows

1 stick of butter

1 box of rice crispies

Melt to butter and marshmallows in a large bowl (Microwave, 2 minutes, stir half way). Add food coloring (optional). Carefully stir in cereal with a spatula or large spoon. Cool and make into pumpkins, either on wax paper or in hands. Use icing or sprinkles to make faces. Press the rest into a 9 x 9 pan to eat later.

Happy Pumpkin!

 The story behind the bananas:
I love this blogger called the Bloggess (bloggess.com). She tagged an idea that she wanted to do with her daughter that showed love notes sent to kids by writing on a banana. They're meant to be sweet and encouraging. Until the Bloggess discovered it. She wrote fun notes such as "act normal. you will be contacted with further instructions momentarily" on her husbands banana.

All you do is take a toothpick and gently write into the skin of just under-ripe bananas. As the banana ripens, the message will darken, leaving fun messages to whomever gets the banana. Muahahaha!

I find this incredibly hilarious.

Happy Halloween!!!

Simple Banana Bread

I rarely commit recipes to memory, but this one is so simple and delicious that I'm trying to make sure I never forget this one! I've made it three times in about a week and I can already recite it without a problem. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures (I was too busy eating), but I'm posting the recipe anyways. 


Don't forget add-ins: Chocolate Chips (my favorite choice), nuts (walnuts or pecans), nutella, raisins (if you really want to, just don't tell me about it)


Simple Banana Bread (from allrecipes.com)


3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves & allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour (all or a portion of whole wheat flour is good)

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon or potato masher, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl (chunks are not a bad thing!). Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

You can also put the batter into a muffin tin (~12 muffins) or mini-muffin tin (~24-30). Cook regular muffins around 20 minutes and minis about 14 minutes.

I hope you all make this. Its really that simple, I know you have some overripe bananas on your counter.