banana bread

Clean-Eating Banana Bread

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

If you are looking for a healthy grab-and-go breakfast then stop your search. This recipe is just the thing you’re looking for! Banana bread. But not just any banana bread. This banana bread is oil free and sugar free*.

Wait, what’s that asterisk for? There’s already a catch?! Well, sorta. Honey replaces the sugar (or you could use agave!) and applesauce replaces the oil. This recipe remains sugar free IF you use a sugar free applesauce. I used my favorite organic cinnamon applesauce, but it wasn’t sugar free.

Clean Eating Banana Bread

Ingredients:

  • 3 overripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 C sugar-free applesauce
  • 3/4 C honey
  • 2 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a bowl mash bananas. Mix in the eggs, honey, and applesauce.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
  4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf pan. Bake 1 hour, or until a knife comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is adapted from Karli at http://8weekstoabetteryourecipes.blogspot.com/2012/09/banana-bread-8-week-friendly.html*

Banana Bread

#BundtBakers: Autumn Harvest

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments
BundtBakers

This month #BundtBakers is welcoming Fall with some beautiful bundts. #BundtBakers is a group of bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bundts with a common ingredient or theme. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme or ingredient. This month’s theme is Autumn Harvest and our creative host is Tux of Brooklyn Homemaker.

Our theme allowed for a lot of posibilities – from apples and pears, to pumpkins and carrots, to cranberries and figs.

My very first #BundtBakers recipe, my Busia’s Fresh Apple Cake, would have been a perfect fit here. I did stick with apple but added dried cranberries too! I’ve been wanting to try baking with applesauce and this recipe allowed me to do just that. Busia’s sister-in-law even thought I had used her recipe! The addition of the dried cranberries gave it a freshness and tart bite.

Dad and I disagreed on whether or not this cake needed frosting. I found it to be perfect just as is – to me, it’s almost like a banana bread instead of a cake. I may or may not have had it for breakfast…  I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think – to frost or not to frost?

Applesauce Cranberry Bundt

Ingredients:

  • 2 stick butter
  • 2 C sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 C flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 1/2 C cinnamon applesauce
  • 2 C dried cranberries

Step:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease bundt pan.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices.
  4. Add in the flour and applesauce alternately, beginning and ending with the flour.
  5. Fold in the cranberries.
  6. Pour into bundt pan and bake 40 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees F, gently cover with aluminum foil and bake another 20-25 minutes, or until a knife comes out cleanly.

*This recipe is adapted from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/applesauce-raisin-cake/*

Applesauce Cranberry Bundt

If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. All recipes and photographs can be found on our individual blogs, on our Pinterest board, and the #bundtbakers homepage.

And don’t forget to take a peek at what other talented bakers have baked this month:

Sweet Potato Brioche Bread by Jane of Jane’s Adventures in Dinner

Pumpkin and Chocolate Bundt Cake by Aisha of La Cocina de Aisha

Applesauce Walnut Raisin Cake by Rene of Magnolia Days

Chocolate Zucchini Bundt by Tara of Noshing with the Nolands

Fig and Caramelized Walnuts Bundt Cake by Beatriz of I Love Bundt Cakes

Spiced Pumpkin Bundt Cake by Kaylin of Keep it Simple, Sweetie

 Sherried Pumpkin Bundtlettes by Laura of The Spiced Life

Sweet Potato Pecan Spice Cake with Toasted Pecan Glaze by Stacy of Food Lust People Love

Harvest Bundt Cake by Tammy of Living the Gourmet

Pumpkin and Apples Bundt Cake by Kathya of Basic N Delicious

Old Fashioned Kushaw Bundt by Margaret of Tea and Scones

Pumpkin Espresso Bundt by Kelly of Passion Kneaded

Spiced Harvest Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze by Tux of Brooklyn Homemaker

Applesauce Spice Bundt Cake by Carola of En La Cocina de Caro

Carrot Bundt Cake with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting by Cassandra of Cassie’s Kitchen

Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake by Terri of Love and Confections

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake with Pomegranate Syrup by Patricia of Patty’s Cake

Chocolate Caramel Apple Bundt Cake by Teri of The Freshman Cook

Mini Apple Cobbler Bundt Cakes with Cinnamon Glaze by Lauren of From Gate to Plate

CIC: Broccoli & Pumpkin Puree

~ lk529 ~ 11 Comments

CIC-header

As expected, October’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge involved pumpkin. But I never dreamed that broccoli would be the costar! At first reaction I thought – gross. But then I surprised myself with many different ideas:

  • Pumpkin Hummus w/ Broccoli Pesto Swirl
  • Pizza with Pumpkin Cream sauce and Roasted Broccoli and Sausage
  • Broccoli Salad with Pumpkin Dressing and Pumpkin Seeds
  • Pumpkin Mac and Cheese with Roasted Brocolli
  • Pumpkin Broccoli Bread

I decided to make the last option because my in-laws were in town over the long Columbus Day weekend. Having a bread available seemed like the smartest option.

I took a Banana Zucchini Bread recipe and substituted pumpkin puree for the banana and broccoli for the zucchini. I purchased a bag of broccoli slaw from the grocery store so that I wouldn’t have to shred the broccoli myself. (If you can find a bag of just shredded broccoli I’d suggest that instead of having to pick out the red cabbage and carrot.) Zucchini has a higher moisture content than broccoli so I boiled it prior to incorporating it into the batter.

Pumpkin Broccoli Bread

Ingredients:

  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 C sugar
  • 1 C vegetable oil
  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 3 C flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 C shredded broccoli
  • 1/2 C slivered almonds

Steps:

  1. In a pot of boiling water, cook broccoli for 4 minutes. Drain and pat dry between paper towels. Set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and add in the sugar and oil. Add pumpkin. Mix in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Fold in broccoli and almonds.
  4. Pour batter into two loaf pans and bake for 50 minutes, until a knife come out cleanly. Note: This will make 24 muffins.

Pumpkin Broccoli Bread 1Pumpkin Broccoli Bread 2

To see other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge, click on the link below!

 

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Banana Bread Muffins

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I like almost any banana bread recipe. And Stuart likes to buy extra bananas with the intention of letting them get too ripe, just so that I can make banana bread.

I have tried many different recipes, and this one is our favorite. It uses a combination of whole wheat flour and all purpose flour.

Banana Bread Muffins 7

I’d purchased a bag of whole wheat flour for something (can’t remember what) and we hated it. So then I thought, “Great, what do I do with these three pounds of flour?!” I’d found an all whole wheat banana bread recipe… didn’t care for that. And then we tried this one. It’s mostly all purpose flour, but with just a bit of whole wheat flour. It’s enough whole wheat flour to give the bread some body, but not enough to make the loaf dry and mealy. Adding in cinnamon chips or chocolate chips gives it a little extra sweetness.

I prefer pouring my banana bread batter into either mini loaf pans or into muffin pans because it’s easier to grab on the way out the door than slicing off a piece out of the loaf pan.

Banana Bread Muffins 1 Banana Bread Muffins 2 Banana Bread Muffins 3 Banana Bread Muffins 4 Banana Bread Muffins 5 Banana Bread Muffins 6

Note: This recipe makes 10 muffins or 7 mini loaves. Doubling this recipe will yield enough batter for a full bread loaf.

Banana Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1 egg, whisked
  • 2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3/8 C sugar
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/4 C whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 C all purpose flour
  • chocolate chips, cinamon chips, nuts (optional)

Steps

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas. Stir in the melted butter (make sure it’s cooled slightly so it will not cook the egg). Stir in sugar, vanilla, and half to all of the egg (this will depend on how big your bananas are, I only used half of the egg). Add in baking soda and salt. Mix in flours.
  3. Pour two heaping tbsp of batter into each greased or lined muffin tray. If using nuts or chocolate/cinnamon chips, put five into each muffin and gently fold into batter with a small spoon. (I find that folding them into the batter before pouring ends up with all of them at the bottom of the bowl)
  4. Bake 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note: If you are doubling the recipe, the loaf pan will take an hour to cook. Mini loaves will still only take 20 minutes.

*This recipe is adapted from Katherine at http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2011/over-ripe-banana-heaven/*

Banana Bread Muffins 8