Banana Muffins

August 26, 2014February 24, 2024 ~ desertcook ~ 4 Comments

I may have gone slightly overboard in my excitement to see bananas for $1.50/kg at the markets the other day … I came home with 30 of them!!!! Eek … too many even for us, and we eat about 8 a day in this house!

So banana inspired baking it is!

These muffins are super easy to make, they are moist and sweet, lightly sweetened with honey, they freeze well for lunchboxes, and best of all – my little people love them!

See below the recipe for a Coeliac friendly option and a nutritionally boosted version too.

300g flour (I use like a half wholemeal mix with the white flour)
2tbsp chia seeds (black are great, but white are less obvious – hemp also works well here)
2.5 tsp GF baking powder
4 tbsp honey/maple syrup
4 tbsp melted butter/vegan butter
1 large, very ripe banana
220ml milk of choice (I love unsweetened vanilla almond)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
Optional extras – 50g choc chip of choice and 1 cup frozen blueberries.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and chia seeds (Speed 4, 8 seconds) then set aside.

In the bowl of your blender/processor/bullet/thermal cooker, place together the butter, honey, milk, vanilla and banana. Blend/process until well combined and smooth (Speed 5, 10 seconds).

Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and fold together until just combined. Don’t over-mix. (Speed 4, 6 seconds, scrape down and repeat).

I often do a double batch and split the mix into 2 bowls – fold the berries through one and the choc chips through the other. (if you’re not going to add in any extras, a tsp of ground cinnamon gives a bit of a boost).

Spoon into lined muffin pans and place in to a preheated moderate oven for about 20 mins, or until well risen, golden brown and they spring back to a light touch.

All to cool before freezing.

Makes 12-14

Enjoy 🙂

For a Coeliac friendly option, replace the glutinous flours with 1.5 cups gluten free flour plus 2 heaped tbsp almond meal/seed meal.

To boost the nutritional content of these muffins, I often replace 1/2 a cup of flour with 1/2 a cup of my ‘Real Protein Powder‘.

French style Banana Toast

June 24, 2014 ~ desertcook ~ Leave a comment

This is a recent addition to our ‘special breakfasts’ and it is a hit!

2 overripe bananas, very well mashed
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp milk of choice
bread of choice
rice bran oil

Mix together the bananas, cinnamon, honey and milk. Make the mixture as smooth as you can – the smoother it is, the better the mix sticks to the bread when you turn it in the fry pan.

Place 1 tbsp of oil in the frying pan on a high heat.

Roll the bread in the mix and place in the frying pan. Turn to the next side when it is golden brown.

Serve warm, with extra sliced bananas if you’d like.

Enjoy!

Banana Custard

May 11, 2013February 10, 2015 ~ desertcook ~ 2 Comments

We have recently been offered and accepted a job back in Perth, so we are in the midst of packing to leave Roxby Downs. It is a time of very mixed emotions – we are very sad to be leaving behind our lovely friends and small town lifestyle here but also very excited to be moving closer to family and friends …. and not to mention the excitement of being able to have loads more choice for our foods!!

One of the things I like least about moving is the process of running down the pantry and fridge/freezer. I discovered heaps frozen overripe bananas in the back of my freezer the other day (that I had totally forgotten about!) so I have been experimenting with ways to use them up. Custard was the best of the bunch 😉

Banana Custard

3 defrosted overripe bananas
500ml oat milk
2 heaped tsp of No Egg powder
50g coconut sugar
30g pure Cornflour
good pinch of cinnamon

Place the Bananas, sugar and cornflour in the food processor and process until smooth. (Speed 6 for 10 seconds for a thermal cooker, then scrape down).

Add in the No egg, milk and cinnamon and process again until well mixed and very smooth. (Start low and gradually build up to speed 6 for 20 seconds in a thermal cooker).

Transfer mix to a saucepan and place over medium heat, stirring for about 12 minutes until the mixture thickens. (for a thermal cooker, mix on speed 1, 100C for about 20 mins).

Serve warm or cold, topped with extra sliced banana or sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Makes about 6 serves.

I kept the left overs for a couple of days in the fridge in reusable squeezy containers.

If you want to make a chocolate variety, just add 1 tbsp of cocoa when you are adding the cinnamon.

If you don’t have frozen bananas just use fresh overripe ones.

🙂

Hope you enjoy your baking – I’ll be back in a few weeks from Perth!

Banana Bread

December 4, 2012June 18, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

Banana bread sounds good in theory right? It’s fruit – it must be healthy.

Nope, sorry. Most banana breads that you find in cafes are pretty well just glorified cake …. don’t get me wrong – they are super delicious, but just the healthy choice people think they’re making!

This recipe is a lot lower in sugar and has lot of extra goodies added to it. Still super delicious, but I am really happy to pop this one in lunch-boxes or enjoy at brunch or with an afternoon cuppa.

See below the recipe for a coeliac friendly option.

2 cups flour (Plain flour is fine but I have used mixes of spelt, barley and rye and they all work well too)
1/3 cup sugar (optional, but add it in if you’re a sweet tooth!)
2 rounded tsp GF baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon/mixed spice
1/2 cup milk of choice (oat, almond and rice work well)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2 medium, very ripe, bananas, mashed
75g vegan butter/tasteless coconut oil
50g maple syrup or honey*
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
3 tbsp seeds (use whichever are your favourite – process these first if you’d like less obvious bits). A small handful of chopped walnuts also works well here.
3 tbsp aquafaba (liquid drained from a can of chick peas) OR 1 whole egg
rolled oats to top (or more sliced banana)

Into a large bowl add all of the dry ingredients. I don’t do sifting (ever if at all possible!), so I use a whisk to gently mix this dry mixture until it’s even.

In a large measuring jug, mix the milk and the vinegar and whisk vigorously for a minute. It should become slightly thicker and have lots of frothy bubbles on top. Then set aside for a few (3-4) minutes. Or blitz in your blender/nutribullet for a few seconds.

To the milk mix, add the mashed banana, oil, syrup, aquafaba/egg and vanilla and whisk until well combined. (or another few seconds in the blender/nutribullet)

*If you’d like an alternative to the honey or syrup, you can blend in 6 medjool dates to the wet mix

Add the wet ingredients to the dry, folding them in until just combined – don’t over mix.

Pour into a large greased loaf pan, sprinkle oats on top and bake at 180C for about an hour, or until a skewer, inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack for another 10-15 minutes.

I also make these into muffins when I don’t have as much baking time – makes 18-20.

This is yummy as is, or with a bit of butter, or even toasted. It freezes and defrosts well, just slice and wrap individually before freezing.

Enjoy … as I currently am, with a cuppa 🙂

To make these coeliac friendly, use 1 2/3 cups of GF flour mix (I like Bobs Red Mill All purpose baking flour) plus 2 flat tsp of psyllium and make sure you use a gluten free milk then top with rolled quinoa or use the extra banana option.

To make these in a thermal cooker:

Whisk the milk and vinegar and set aside (Speed 4, 10 seconds).

Place the bananas, oil, vanilla, aquafaba/egg and syrup in the bowl and process on speed 5 for 8 seconds.

Add in milk mixture and process on speed 4 for 8 seconds. Then set aside the wet mix.

Add all of the dry ingredients to the machine and process on speed 4 for 8 seconds.

Add the wet mix back into the dry and process on speed 4 for 6 seconds, the scrape down and repeat.

Bake as per regular method.

Overnight Oats – breakfast heaven!!

November 20, 2012June 18, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 5 Comments

It is getting hot in the desert, which means that porridge for breakfast isn’t so appealing any more.

I am keen to stick with oats as they are a great, filling and easy, low GI breakfast, but I just don’t love muesli without cows milk.

So it is overnight oats to the rescue – they’re soaked to soften them instead of cooking.

This will be breakfast (and possibly lunch!) all summer at my place – hope you delight in it as much as we do 🙂

150ml almond milk (soy/oat/rice milks work too, if nuts are out)
50g oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbps honey (agave/maple for a vegan version)
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 tbsp chia seeds, and
diced fruit to top (I’ve been using blueberries, strawberries and mango)

Mix the oats and milk in a glass container, then add in honey, cinnamon and vanilla and stir well.

Leave overnight in the fridge.

Just before serving in the morning mix through the chia seeds and top with fruit.

Serves 2.

I have also made this for lunch (on more than one occasion!). Just mix up in the morning and allow at least 4 hours in the fridge.

Hugh’s muesli bars

October 17, 2012June 18, 2021 ~ desertcook ~ 3 Comments

I mostly pack my own snack for our morning outing when I pack the boys lunch boxes the night before, that way there’s not as much temptation to cave in and buy pre prepared stuff that isn’t so great for me – especially when I know how yummy the snacks ready waiting for me are.

To aid in my baking adventures, I was given the River Cottage ‘Everyday’ cookbook for mother’s day (I have to confess that I am a little bit in love with Hugh and I often wish I lived at River Cottage … but given that I live in the middle of the desert and that I am a real veggie growing novice, I am just making do with some of his amazing recipes for now!). This muesli bar recipe is adapted from one of the recipes that I first saw on his show.

It is probably more of a ‘grown ups’ recipe but I have taken to packing some for my boys when I have them because otherwise they just pinch mine!

250g nuttelex/butter
250g Sunflower seed butter
1/2 cup honey/maple syrup
zest of 2 oranges and 2 lemons (I mix and match with lime too, depending on what’s hiding in my fridge)

Mix all above ingredients in a large saucepan and cook over low heat until all melted and mixed together.

Remove from heat and add;

2 1/2 cups diced dried fruit (I’ve just used sultanas, dates, apricots and cranberries)
75g sunflower seeds
100g pumpkin seeds
75g flax seeds
75g chia seeds, and
400g rolled oats.

Stir in thoroughly, press the mixture down firmly into a greased baking pan and cook in a preheated oven at 160 C for approx 45 mins, or until golden.

Allow to cool completely before cutting into bars.

I find it’s best to leave it in the fridge for an hour or so before I cut it up, then store it in the fridge in an airtight container and it keeps well for a fortnight.

This makes a large batch and it is quite calorie dense, but because of all the protein and good fats it is filling and you don’t need a huge serving to be satisfied. Great for school lunchboxes when you’re at a ‘nut-free school and it can also serve as a quick and filling breakfast.

To make this Coeliac Friendly replace the oats with equal weight of a mix of puffed rice, rolled quinoa and desiccated coconut.