Good-For-You Banana Bread

I came home from the grocery store with 5 pounds of bananas today... I know, what on earth was I thinking? Well, I'll tell you. "Oh look at those beautiful bruised bananas! There are so many of them! They are all by themselves bagged up and only a third of the cost of regular bananas. -Ha! Those crazy grocery guys, they are doing me a favor. Now I get to buy bananas at a fraction of the cost and I don't even have to wait for them to go black. Think of all the smoothies, banana breads, and brownies I can make with these babies!" From there, you can guess what happened.

I was also trying to use up that massive jar of apple sauce in my fridge still, so I knew I needed to find a recipe that used a massive amount of both apple sauce and bananas. And of course, I wanted as little oil or butter as possible and I needed it to be mostly whole wheat. Oh, and it needed to taste good too. I swear I'm not picky... 0=). Anyway, if you are wondering if I found a moist, not-too-sweet recipe that still bakes tall enough to come over the edges of the pan (banana bread is not banana bread unless it rises above the top of the pan), the answer can be found below. Happy baking!

Low-Fat Banana Bread
Adapted from this recipe

Yield: 1 8x4 loaf (easy to double though for 2 loaves)

2 tablespoons butter

⅓ cup white sugar * if using sweetened applesauce, omit the white sugar

⅓ cup brown sugar

4 overly ripe bananas, peeled and mashed

¼ cup yogurt plain

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce * if sweetened, omit white sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup cacao nibs * optional

½ cup roughly chopped walnuts * optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease an 8x4 loaf pan (or muffin pan, if you want muffins).

Cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

Add the bananas, yogurt, applesauce, egg, and vanilla and mix well.

In a separate bowl mix, together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well, then fold in desired mix-ins (such as 1 small apple (peeled, cored and diced), ½ cup chopped walnuts, or ½ cup chocolate chips).

Pour into the pan and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (if baking muffins, bake for 20-30 minutes).

Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before removing from the pan and cooling completely on a wire rack.

Applesauce Muffins

A few weeks or so ago, I came home from one of my favorite activities*, grocery shopping, and discovered that a huge jar of apple sauce that I did not purchase had somehow found its way into my shopping bag. I meant to take it back to the store and explain that apparently someone else did not receive the applesauce they had intended to purchase, but December is busy and I went home for almost 3 weeks. So now that February is here, it just seems silly to go an try to return it... Right? I am not stealing, right?

Anyway, so for now, this large jar of sweetened applesauce that I would have never purchased of my own volition is in my fridge, begging to be used before it begins to grow mold (hence, why I don't purchase even my preferred unsweetened appelsauce). Here is one of my attempts to use it up before it goes bad/is forgotten about.

P.S. Notice how little oil/fat is in these muffins?

*It is only one of my favorite activities when it does NOT include large bulk stores' harsh aesthetics and unhelpful employees who do not speak the same language as me and so cannot help me find anything in the hundreds of rows of primarily processed/manufactured foods. 

^please excuse my health-freak self, it gets a little stressed in certain stores^

Applesauce Muffins
Adapted from Rose Shulman

Yield: 12-15 muffins

170 grams (1 1/2 cups) whole-wheat flour

70 grams (1/2 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

45 grams (about 1/4 cup) packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons canola oil

1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sweetened applesauce

3/4 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (feel free to add in whatever mix-ins you like: craisins, chocolate chips, etc)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the middle. Prepare 12-15 muffin tins/cups with paper liners.

2. Sift together the flours, baking soda, spices and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick. Beat in the oil, yogurt, and applesauce. Whisk in the flour mixture without overbeating, and fold in the pecans.

4. Evenly divide among 12-15 muffin cups that you prepared with paper liners. Bake 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then enjoy.

Sesame-Coconut Snack Squares

In case you are sick of super-sweet desserts and all of the over Thanksgiving fare, these bars are a great, fairly-healthy snack to keep you satisfied through the Holidays. Though they do take a little more time than a typical bar because of the whole wheat crust baking before the sesame-coconut topping, They are well-worth the effort.


Sesame-Coconut Snack Squares
Yield: 18-20 squares. From Rose Shulman

For the cookie base:

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) raw brown sugar or organic sugar

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) whole-wheat pastry flour, sifted

For the sesame-coconut layer:

1 ounce (1/4 cup) whole-wheat pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

2 eggs

1/2 cup mild honey, like clover

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup, firmly packed) unsweetened shredded coconut

1 to 2 ounces (1/4 to 1/2 cup) sesame seeds, coarsely ground

1. Make the cookie base. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan and line with parchment. Butter the parchment.

2. Cream the butter with the salt and sugar. Add the sifted flour and blend together. Using your hands, press out the dough over the bottom of the parchment-lined pan in an even layer. Using a fork, make holes all over the surface of the dough (this is called docking).  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Bake the cookie base for 20 minutes, until it is just beginning to brown. Remove from the heat and cool for at least 5 minutes before topping.

4. Sift together the flour and baking powder. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer or whisk until light and thick. Add the honey and vanilla and beat until well blended. Add the flour and baking powder and beat to blend. Add the coconut and sesame seeds and stir together. Spread in an even layer over the cookie base, scraping out every last bit with a rubber spatula. Place in the oven and bake 20 minutes, until the surface is just beginning to color. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before cutting into squares.

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies

It's a chilly, rainy day here and I just had to put in a chick-flick (When Harry Met Sally) and bake cookies. The day demanded it and I am a tad sickly, so it fit my mood perfectly. Of course, I was not in the mood for something overly sweet (though traditional chocolate chippers were tempting), so I made these breakfast cookies. Cookies, for breakfast! What a wonderful idea =). 

Pumpkin Breakfast Cookies
Adapted from Enlightened Cooking

Preheat oven to 350°F

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats, or lightly coat with cooking spray.

Makes about 16 cookies at about 140 calories each

¾ cup canned unsweetened pumpkin puree

¾ cup granulated sugar 

⅓ cup vanilla low-fat yogurt

1 large egg

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 cup old fashioned rolled oats

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup ground flax seeds (flaxseed meal)

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup raisins or dried cranberries

1.  In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, sugar, yogurt, egg, oil and vanilla in a until smooth. Stir in raisins. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.

2. Stir the dry ingredients and raisins into the wet with a wooden spoon, mixing just until just blended.

3. Drop the batter by 2 tablespoonfuls for each cookie onto prepared cookie sheet, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart.  

4. Bake 14-15 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool. Repeat with remaining batter.

Raw, vegan, chocolate power bars!

As school really kicks into high gear, I find myself having less and less time to plan meals and eating more and more power/protein/snack bars. Combine my love for protein bars (ask my first college roommate, I had an entire dresser drawer devoted to them) with my food processor that I just found on craigslist, and you get lots of experiments with all sorts of [sometimes-whacko] grab-n-go bars. This particular recipe is from Enlightened Cooking and definitely wins my approval: easy and yummy.




Chocolate Power Bars
2 cups raw almonds (skins on)
1 pound pitted soft dates (two 8oz bags is usually how I find them)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder (not Dutch process) OR raw cacao powder (for strictly raw eaters)
1/4 cup raw wheat germ (toasted is fine if you are not strictly raw)
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds (flaxseed meal)

Place almonds in a medium bowl. Fill bowl with cold water (preferably filtered, but tap is fine) to cover the almonds. Let the almonds soak for 3 to 4 hours. Drain the almonds and pat dry with a clean dish cloth.

Pulse almonds in food processor until finely ground. Add the dates and pulse until finely chopped and the mixture begins to resemble a thick "dough." Add the cocoa powder, wheat germ, and flaxseed meal. Process until blended.

Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with foil (seriously do this, it makes it so much easier to remove the bars). With clean, wet hands, press the bar mixture into the pan. Place in the freezer for at least an hour. Cut into 12 bars. Wrap each in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator (though they need no refrigeration when packed in a lunch or gym bag).

Note: roughly 260 calories per bar, if you are curious.

My First Attempt at Stollen

Stollen, my favorite sweet bread, at least until I try something new again.

Although I definitely do not enjoy spending an entire day reading for class and having to drink coffee by the gallon (one can only read about political theory and history for so many hours before having to fight off sleep), I do enjoy having an entire day devoted to sitting on the couch, which is conveniently located just a few yards from my kitchen.

Such vast amounts of reading need to be punctuated by physical activity, and by "physical activity" I mean kneading dough, measuring ingredients, and pulling various pans and bowls out of my cabinets. This bread definitely kept me busy and provided some nice breaks during my reading. I started it at 7:30am and finished it at about 1pm. Also, since the dough makes 2 loaves, so I baked one and I froze the other just at the stage before baking so that I can have one later when I want something sweet and holiday-like, but do not have the 6 hours to make it.

Overall, grad school and working is a bit hard to juggle (especially when you throw in my 5-day-a-week exercise regimen), but cooking and baking is here to stay... for now.

The beautiful layers of sugar on top remind me of undisturbed snowfall on a winter morning. No wonder this is a great holiday treat.

Stollen
Adapted from David Lebovitz

You can certainly swap out any dried fruits you want although I’d keep the tang of the dried cherries or cranberries in there, if you can find them; the little nuggets will brighten up your winter just a bit.

⅔ cup dark raisins

⅔ cup golden raisins

½ cup dried cranberries or cherries

⅓ cup dark rum

1 cup slivered or sliced almonds, lightly toasted

¼ cup water

2 ½ (one envelope) teaspoons active dry yeast

½ cup milk (whole or low-fat), at room temperature

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour (or use similar amount all-purpose flour)

½ cup, plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 ½ teaspoons ground dried ginger

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest

¾ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract, or 1/2 teaspoon of powdered vanilla

1 cup, plus ¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon honey

1 large egg yolk

½ cup chopped candied ginger *optional. I feel this would be so good in it, but I did not have any, so I omitted it and the bread was still divine

½ cup diced candied citrus peel (I made my own as per the directions here)

½ cup powdered sugar, or more, if necessary

1. Mix both kinds of raisins with the cranberries or cherries with the dark rum or orange juice, then cover. In another bowl, mix the almonds with the water, and cover. Let both sit at least an hour, or overnight.

2. Pour the milk in a medium bowl and sprinkle the yeast over it. Stir briefly, then stir in 1 cup of the flour until smooth to make a starter. Cover, and let rest one hour.

3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, or by hand, stir together the remaining 2 ½ cups flour, the rye flour, 3 tablespoons sugar, ½ teaspoon of the dried ginger, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, citrus zest, and vanilla. Pour in the 1 cup of the melted butter, honey, and the egg yolk, and mix on medium speed until the mixture is moistened uniformly.

4. While mixing, add the yeasted starter, one-third at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated. Once added, continue to beat for about four minutes until almost smooth: it should resemble cookie dough. Add the dried fruits (and any liquid), candied ginger, citrus peel, and almonds, and beat until they’re well-distributed

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured surface and knead a few times, then place back in the mixer bowl, cover, and let rest in a warm place for one hour.

6. Remove the dough from the bowl, knead the dough again, then return it to the bowl. Let rest for another hour.

7. Divide the dough into four pieces and shape each one into a oval, and place them evenly-spaced apart on a baking sheet (I used my stoneware one).

8. Cover the loaves with a clean tea towel and let rest in a warm place for one hour.

9. Preheat the oven to 350F. Remove the tea towel and bake the loaves for 45 minutes, or until they’re deep golden brown.

10. While they loaves are baking, mix together the remaining ½ cup sugar and 1 teaspoon dried ginger. When the breads come out of the oven, generously brush the remaining ¾ cup melted butter over the hot loaves, letting the butter saturate the breads, repeating until all the butter is absorbed.

(Feel free to lift the loaves to saturate the bottoms. Just make sure you don’t break the loaves.)

11. Rub the gingered sugar mixture over the top and side of each loaf then let rest on the baking sheet until room temperature.

12. Sift the powdered sugar over, under, and around the breads, rubbing it in with your hands. They wrap the loaves on the baking sheet in a large plastic bag and let them sit for two days. After two days, the loaves are ready to eat, or can be wrapped as gifts. You may wish to sift additional powdered sugar over the top in case they need another dusting.

Storage: Stollen can be stored for at least a week, if well-wrapped, at room temperature. Or frozen for at least one month.