Banana cake/Banana cupcakes

Banana Cake/Banana Cupcakes

Wet Ingredients:

3 ripe bananas, mashed
1 c. plant milk
1 T. apple cider vinegar (add to milk to create buttermilk)
1 sm. container all natural applesauce
1/3 c. sugar free maple syrup

Mix all wet ingredients together in large mixing bowl.

In separate medium bowl, mix together dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cup whole wheat white flour
2 t. baking powder
1/3 c. Monk fruit sweetener
pinch of salt
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla powder


Add dry to wet ingredients stirring until everything is incorported but not over-mixed.

For cake, spoon batter into 8-9" lightly sprayed pan.  Bake in 350 oven for 35 minutes.  Test for doneness with a sharp knife.  Bake a little longer if needed.

For cupcakes, scoop 1/2 c. of batter into each paper or sprayed cupcake mold.  Bake in 350 oven for
35 minutes.  Test for doneness.

Ready to eat!

Oat Date Bites (or Bars)

These are one of my new favorite taste treats.  Great for breakfast, snack time, or dessert.  They are wonderfully nutritious with little to no added sugar, depending on your choice of added tidbits. They freeze well and take only minutes to defrost.  Click HERE for a PDF of the recipe!

Banana & Chocolate Bites

I've written about these delectable taste treats before.  Just never managed to get them posted where I can find and share the recipe easily.  Time to do it.

In trying to curb my habit of eating a dark chocolate bar daily, I've found that having these morsels on hand in the freezer help me skip the processed chocolate in exchange for a healthier version. 

Super simple, all you need is some ripe bananas (with nice brown spots on the peel but still firm and able to hold their shape when cut), a couple heaping teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, a dribble of vanilla extract, and a tablespoon or two of peanut butter (almond butter could work, too).

Cut two bananas into 1/4" slices.  Arrange on parchment paper or foil in a pan that will fit into your freezer. On top of each banana slice drop a tiny amount of peanut butter.

In a separate bowl, mash a 3rd ripe banana (the riper the better) until it's almost liquefied.  Add your two teaspoons of cocoa powder and splash of vanilla and mix until combined.  If your chocolate sauce is too thick, add a couple drops of water. But carefully, you want it thick enough that it won't be runny.

Start 'dolloping' a little of the chocolate sauce on top of each banana/peanut butter slice.

I topped these bites with a sprinkle of toasted buckwheat groats.  You can use toasted coconut or unsweetened cacao nibs.  But without a topping is just as tasty.

Pop your pan into the freezer and wait several hours (or longer).  When you have a craving for a little sweet nibble, your bites are ready for you to indulge in.

For more ways to use bananas, click here: http://krylivinggreen.blogspot.com/2015/09/orange-you-glad-i-wrote-about-bananas.html

Banana 'Nice Cream'

If you spend any amount of time on the internet looking for recipe ideas, you've probably come across more than one way to make this yummy taste treat using frozen bananas.  Push come to shove, I'd probably put this in my top 10 new favorite foods. For breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, it's healthy enough to eat at any time of day.  And I do.

Here's the long and short of it. Buy a whole bunch of bananas and make sure they ripen before you cut them for freezing.  The more brown spots on your banana peels, the sweeter the fruit.  After you've done this, the hard part is over.  

Check out the recipe and variations below:

Banana ‘Nice Cream’

Serves: 2

Do Ahead Tip: 

3 ripe bananas, broken into chunks and frozen

Directions: Put frozen bananas in a blender or food processor and turn the machine on to blend them. At first they will want to spin around and stay icy, but keep at it, stopping the machine and using spatula or wooden spoon to scrape the sides and push toward the bottom. Then, walk away and do something else for 10-20 minutes – Email, vacuum, wash some dishes, do some yoga poses). At some point, your bananas will suddenly go creamy and custardy, like soft-serve ice cream. Serve immediately and enjoy.  Freeze any leftovers. I usually eat 1/2 for breakfast and leave the other half for a nighttime dessert.

**Variations and Optional additions: Add other frozen fruit and ingredients to custom tailor your nice cream. You might try the follow combinations:

Bananas + 1 cup frozen strawberries, raspberries or frozen cherries

Bananas + 1 cup frozen blueberries, blackberries or frozen mangoes

Bananas + 1 Tablespoon peanut butter or almond butter

Bananas + 2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

Bananas + 1 cup frozen peaches + 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Bananas + 1 teaspoon maple extract + 1 Tablespoon maple syrup + 2 Tablespoons chopped walnuts

Maple Walnut Nice Cream

**I recommend you try the simple One-Ingredient nice cream first.  Then throw a party for your taste buds by adding some of your personal favorites. 

Notes:  The beauty of this recipe is the flexibility and realizing how simple it is to make.  Remember.  The riper the bananas the sweeter the nice cream.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Now I remember why I didn't post this recipe immediately.  For awhile there, I seemed to be loving every new recipe I was trying from the "Forks Over Knives Cookbook," and not coming up with anything original. Fast forward many months, and at least a dozen 'bakings' of this recipe. I have tried and tested enough times to recommend this deliciousness to anyone and everyone, despite their dietary leanings.

I've tweaked this to suit me and mine.  I use a combination of dry Stevia and Erythritol for the sweetener.  The original recipe calls for maple syrup, like this is a healthier alternative to regular sugar.  Really?  Use whatever sweetener you like where it calls for it (too many 'scientific opinions' on this topic.  I am not trying to convince anyone of which one is right or better or healthier).  I also use the lowest calorie bread where it calls for whole-wheat bread.  Why add extra calories where you won't even taste the difference?  Sara Lee has a nice lower calorie-per-slice variety and so does Nature's Own, multi-grain or whole wheat.  Everything else in the recipe is pretty straight forward from the cookbook's recipe.

Gather together your ingredients and preheat the oven to 350 degrees:

In a large bowl, whisk together ...

1 1/4 c. pumpkin pure  (save the leftovers from your 15-oz. can, freeze in ice cube tray and pull out individual servings to make a pumpkin spice latte).
1 c. almond milk (30 cal. per cup)
1/2 c. sweetener (I use 1/4 c. dry Stevia in the Raw and 1/4 c. Erythritol)
2 t. vanilla extract

Add ...

2 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt (can omit; I use about 1/4 t.)
1/2 t. cinnamon
3/4 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. nutmeg
1/4 t. allspice
1/8 t. ground cloves

...and whisk well.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding topped with banana/peach
sorbet and bits of dried dates

Cube 8 slices stale whole-wheat bread into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups) a fold into pudding batter until well coated.

Add 1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins and stir just until mixed.

Pour pudding into 8" x 8" non stick or silicone baking pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is golden brown and firm to the touch.  If additional baking is needed, check every five minutes for doneness.  Served warm is TASTY!

I refrigerate leftovers and then pop a slice into the microwave for about 10-15 seconds before serving.

In a hurry in the morning?  Cut a slice of this for a quick 'on the go' breakfast!

Yummers!

Ice Cream

Dessert was never so simple or tasty.  I have spotted a number of recipes for this delicious, frosty treat lately.  Here's mine.  Simple to make and only need slice and freeze ripe bananas.  One banana per serving. I said it was simple.

Other ingredients, a splash of milk (I use almond), up to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, a bit of sweetener if your banana wasn't  ripe enough before you froze them (I reach for Erythritol) and a smattering of mini carob chips (optional, of course, but oh so tasty).

After they're frozen, you can put them into a smaller zip lock freezer bag.
But I can  never keep enough of them on hand and am always freezing more.

Put your frozen banana slices into your blendera and add your splash of milk, sweetener and vanilla;
blend until smooth.  If you add too much milk, you'll end up with a smoothie.
Still delicious but I like to eat my ice cream with a spoon.
Your ice cream will want to stick to the sides, so scrape down the sides until your banana chunks are all smooth.

Serve and sprinkle with carob chips.  Eat and enjoy the Yummersness!

Not your mother's baked apples

I recently created this scrumptious new breakfast while trying to find other tasty ways to enjoy oatmeal and fruit.   Turns out this could also stand in as a dessert, it's that delicious.  Here's what I came up with and it's fast becoming a staple in my kitchen.

Here's what you'll need:

1 apple, with skin, cored and chopped (my current favorite is honey crisp)

1 zucchini, peeled and chopped (you can keep the peel on if you like the taste and if you buy organic)
1-2 T. raisins

1/2-1 t. cinnamon
1 T. dry sweetener (I use 1/2 Stevia and 1/2 coconut sugar)
2 T. water
a couple- three squeezes of fresh lime or lemon

Topping:  1/4 rolled oats, 1 T. chopped walnuts, 1 T. ground flax seed (**Lightly toast in a fry pan on the stove top while your apple/zucchini is cooking in the microwave.)

Toss first 7 ingredients together in a microwavable dish and cover loosely.

Set your microwave on power level 7 or 8 and cook for 5 minutes, depending on your microwave's output. You may want to give it another minute, but check it before you do.  Just make sure you have enough moisture so the contents doesn't dry out or burn.  Five minutes on power level 8 works perfect for me.

**While apple and zucchini are cooking, in a fry pan over medium heat, gently toast the oats, nuts and flax seeds for a few minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn't burn.  The flax seed will go from "perfect to burned in 5 seconds."  Remove from heat and set aside.

Sprinkle your oats over baked apple & zucchini and eat!  I like to stir my oats into the fruit and mix with the syrup at the bottom of the baked yummy stuff....and let the oats swell a bit.  Eat and Enjoy!

Ohsoyummersgoodforus!  Breakfast or Dessert!  You choose.  Hmmm, maybe I'll have for breakfast and dessert!

I've also made this on the stove top...just takes a bit more time, more attention, more stirring.  Do whatever floats your zucchini!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Sweet and simple.  Throw in a little more milk for a larger serving portion and a few ice cubes to make it go farther.  I've added 'spinach' to this smoothie before but decided to keep this recipe in the 'ungreen' category.  This taste treat is also worthy of a mid-afternoon snack break or after dinner dessert.

There should be a comma after "almond milk" as the 'vanilla/unsweetened' describes the almond milk.  I prefer the 30-calories-per-cup variety.  Yummy stuff!

Enjoy!

Lunchbox Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found this recipe in "Forks Over Knives:  The Cookbook."  So glad I did.  My prior attempts at a healthier cookie always left me wanting.  The secret ingredient in these beauties is almond butter and it makes all the difference in the taste!   Now my 'go to' cookie recipe and really hits the spot when I have a cookie craving.  A note of caution:  It's hard to eat just one.  So, I don't even try.  When the cookies are baking in the oven, I brew up a fresh cup of coffee or tea.  When my tea is steeped to perfection, the cookies are ready to come out of the oven and I serve up THREE of these taste treats and Enjoy every bite.  The rest I store in the freezer and remove a few at a time for that next cookie craving.

Makes 24 Cookies

1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/3 cup almond butter

1/2 cup dry sweetener (I use Stevia)

1 T. ground flaxseeds

2 t. pure vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups rolled oats (I use closer to 1 1/2 cups since dough is very sticky)

1/2 t. baking soda

1/2 t. salt

1/4 cup sorghum flour or whole-wheat pastry flour (I use the latter)

1/2 cup grain-sweetened chocolate chips (Easy to use less.  I can get away with using only 2 T. and prefer regular semi-sweet mini chocolate chips.)

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.

2. In a mixing bowl, use a strong fork or wooden spoon to beat together applesauce, almond butter, sweetener, and flaxseeds.  One relatively smooth, mix in the vanilla extract.

3.  Add in the oats, baking soda, and salt and mix well.  Add the sorghum flour and chocolate chips and mix well.

4.  Drop by small spoonfuls of batter onto the prepared baking sheet in about 1-1/2 T. scoops, about 2" apart.  Flatten the cookies a bit, so that they resemble thick discs (they won't spread much at all during baking.)  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.  The longer you bake them, the crispier they will be.  

5.  Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.

Final Notes:  After making these cookies several times, I've found that my smallest melon scoop works very well for a uniform size cookie and makes closer to 30 cookies rather than the 24 the original recipe states.  Also, I squeeze all the cookies onto one large cookie sheet, leaving less space between each cookie, no problem. 

Enjoy!  And special thanks to Isa Chandra Moskowitz for her contributions to this cookbook!

Favorite winter fruit salad

I like my pineapple chunky, from the can, in its own juice. I use some juice in the salad and reserve some for my morning Emerald Elixir smoothie.  By all means, use fresh pineapple if you prefer!

Tangerine Cuties are abundant at this time of year.  I peel them, pull apart the sections, remove any seeds and cut each section into thirds.

I like my grapes purple and seedless and cut them in half.

I buy only unsweetened coconut, prefer my almonds unsalted and I use very few dried cranberries--just enough so I get one or two in every bite.  If I have an orange on hand, I zest it and squeeze some of the orange juice over the entire batch of mixed fruit.

Making extra of this salad is a good idea!  Keep it in a sealed container in the refrigerator to have on hand for any time of the day or evening.  Perfect dessert or for that time you desire just a little something 'sweet.'

ENJOY!

Bread Pudding

Preheat oven 350 degrees 

Coat an 8 or 9-inch oven-safe baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

4  1/2 slices stale bread, cut into small 1/2"-1" cubes (I use my 45-calorie-per-slice whole grain bread but any bread will work!) and sprinkle evenly in bottom of your baking dish.

Top bread cubes with 1/4 - 1/2 cup raisins   (Optional)

In a separate bowl beat 3 eggs (I use two real eggs and 1/4 cup of Egg Beaters),  1 1/2 skim milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup Splenda, 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 tsp. cinnamon.

Pour over bread cubes.   Gently press bread into egg mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes.   Insert a knife or toothpick and when it comes out clean, pudding is done!

Serve warm or cold;

top with dollop of spray whipped topping.

Refrigerate left over portions.

Note:  Want to make smaller batch? Use the same dish, same oven temperature and reduce ingredients to the following:   3 slices bread, 2 eggs, 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon;  bake for 30 minutes (keep an eye out that you do not over bake).