banana use – Page 2 – OwlCat Designs

October 27, 2011December 16, 2017

Gingerbread Pear Muffins

Sugar and spice and everything nice… The temps are down and it’s getting darker earlier every day. Stealthily they already play Christmas songs at Home Depot (did I mention, I have been there quite a lot lately?), it’s not even past Halloween, yet they sneak in one ore two songs, then go back to regular music. Hoping no one would notice, but HA! as it so happens, apparently my brain was a sponge for this kinda thing this past weekend and kept doing an endless playback for me until I finally caved in and made these Gingerbread Muffins. …lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you…

Even thought the name in English is Ginger Bread, the French origin of this recipe had several spices, but originally no ginger in it. It is after all called pain d’épices (spice bread) and in German there are two words ‘Lebkuchen’ (no one knows what the ‘Leb’ really stands for, kuchen is cake) or Pfefferkuchen (Pepper cake) and that recipe, you guessed, contains pepper. So apparently there are regional differences in what goes into the Gingerbread Spice mix, and the one I used had ginger, cloves, cinnamon, coriander and star anis. But any old mix would work, heck, you can even make your own, if you’re so inclined. Or you could use Pumpkin Pie spice and add ginger … and comfy cozy are we…

They are super delish with a hot cup of tea (or coffee)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 ripe banana
1 1/4 cup chopped pear
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup granulated coconut sugar, sucanat or sugar
1 tsp gingerbread spice mix (if you like it real spiced, add up to 2 tsp)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2-3 tbsp water

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mash banana with a fork until well mixed
Combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and spices and add to the banana
Add chopped pear, and stir to combine adding water by the tablespoon as needed (You don’t want the batter to be too dry)
Spoon into paper lined muffin tin and bake at 400F for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

October 18, 2011December 16, 2017

Reena’s Amba Ma Smoothie

Version 1: Pineapple-Cantaloupe-Raspberry

During the fall months, there is a particular Hindu Holiday ‘Navaratri’ during which believers perform several rituals and practice fasting. It lasts 9 nights and is devoted solely to the Mother Goddess — known regionally as Durga, Bhavani, Amba, Chandika, Gauri, Parvati, Mahishasuramardini…

File:Durgas.jpg

The story goes: After one of the Gods (Brahma) gave the demon Mahish the power not to be destroyed by man (including male Gods) because of doing a good deed for Brahma, Mahish started to cause all sorts of terror. So, the 3 forms of God, Brahma (birth or creation), Vishnu (life or preservation) and Shiva (death or destruction) combined their energies and powers and created a female form of God (Devi or Durga) to destroy the demon, (since no man could vanquish him). She represents the furious powers of all the male gods, and is the ferocious protector of the righteous, and destroyer of the evil. Durga is usually portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her many arms.

I’ve also heard “Durga” means ‘invincible‘ and she is the personification of ‘shakti’ or divine feminine force!

Goddess of Victory of Good over Evil

For the fasting part of the ritual, nothing except Milk, nuts and fruit can be eaten during the day. And so I created this yummy smoothie in order to take advantage of all the goodness that’s to be had from milk, nuts and fruits

Ingredients

1 cup milk (that can be almond milk or dairy milk**, your choice)
1 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter: remember peanuts aren’t really nuts)
1 really ripe banana
1 cup pineapple(fresh or frozen)*
1 cup cantaloupe or mango pieces (fresh or frozen)*
1-2 tbsp raspberries or strawberries (optional)

* Make sure that one of these is frozen. If it is still hot outside, both may be frozen or you could add some ice cubes before blending.

** If using dairy milk, the recipe is no longer dairy free or vegan

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender, starting with the banana, add fruit, then the almond butter on top and pour the liquid over top.
Blend until smooth.
Enjoy or pack in a cooler or lunchbox and take to work to have throughout the day.

Version 2: with Blueberries…

Ingredients, Version 2

1 cup milk (that can be almond milk or dairy milk**, your choice)
1 tbsp almond butter (or other nut butter: remember peanuts aren’t really nuts)
2 really ripe banana
1/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)*
1 cup peaches or pineapple (fresh or frozen)*

* Make sure that one of these is frozen. If it is still hot outside, both may be frozen or you could add some ice cubes before blending.

** If using dairy milk, the recipe is no longer dairy free or vegan

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender, starting with the banana, add fruit, then the almond butter on top and pour the liquid over top.
Blend until smooth.
Enjoy or pack in a cooler or lunchbox and take to work to have throughout the day.

And here’s a great thing to do with any leftover smoothie:

Pour into popsicle molds (or any small paper or plastic cups and add one of those wooden sticks they sell at craft stores) and freeze for a sugar free treat later.

September 28, 2011December 16, 2017

Pumpkin Muffin Bites

Alright, i admit it: I am suffering from a pumpkin addiction at the moment, and while were at it, I have an obsession with bananas. It all started with trying to use up all those severely ripe bananas in the summer. I would buy bananas, thinking:’ good snack, conveniently packaged’ and then have an apple instead.
So I have come up with countless ways of using up those ‘end of the week, less than pretty, by themselves inedible’ (I prefer them just a bit green) bananas without having to whip up banana bread every time. Now it’s gotten to the point where I purposely buy extra bananas to let ripen fully. They are cheap, readily available and much better for you than sugar. And get quite sweet when they get to ‘really ripe’ status. So I started using bananas as natural sweetener. (Using alternates to sugar has become more and more important to me since my boyfriend was diagnoses with diabetes last year.

And telling everyone about my quest for the perfect pumpkin latte (recipe to come soon) and my woes in finding canned pumpkin, I had several friends donate cans they found at stores. Soooo… Now I have lots of seasonal pumpkin and once a can is open, well you better use it up 🙂
That’s where these come in:

Pumpkin Muffin Bites!

Ingredients

1 Mashed very ripe banana
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
2 tblsp cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 -1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp Pumpkin pie spice
1-3 tblsp Sucanat*, Rapadura or date sugar
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 cup Ground almonds/ almond flour
1/2 cup Chickpea flour
Pecan halves for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F and line mini muffin pan with muffin cup liners.
Mash up the ripe banana, add the pumpkin and the nut butter and stir until no lumps remain. Add Sucanat, stir.
Stir in vanilla and spices, then add the chickpea and almond flours along with the baking powder and mix until combined
drop into mini muffin pan lined with paper muffin cups by the teaspoon full and garnish each one with a pecan half.
Bake in middle of preheated oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Cool on rack.

* Sucanat and Rapadura are dried sugar cane juice, not bleached, not refined

Super yummy, but the color before they are baked is rather questionable…just saying

September 27, 2011December 16, 2017

Sweet Potato Apricot No-Bake Macaroons

I was searching for Pumpkin Puree (the one that conveniently comes in cans) ALL OVER town, after seeing this lovely Pumpkin Spice Smoothie — Healthful Pursuit recipe from Leanne and the Pumpkin Spice Latte over on Averie’s blog…

After three (3!!!) grocery stores without pumpkin, a store manager telling me they were out since last December, still due to ~~a shortage last year~~ every one making those delicious looking lattes and smoothies, I suspect 😉

Craving the sweet, orange fall flavors, I started with the sweet potato I had on hand and went from there. At first I thought, maybe I will just adapt the smoothie or latte and use the sweet potato instead (I argued it might work, it’s sweet, orange and creamy when cooked, add the right spices, they make sweet potato pie filling…) At 9 pm after being up since 4 that morning, that seems like a great idea, trust me. And maybe it would have been…

I have to admit though, courage left me after cooking the sweet potato and here’s what I have come up with instead:
Sweet Potato Apricot No Bake Macaroons. I really wanted to call them: Sweet Potato Coconut Apricot Banana Almond Balls, but that would have been a bit ridiculoso!

No, sorry no drink recipe (yet)

They are kind of like those Energy Chunks at the Health Food store, but more tender, fresher, sugar free and softer in texture, enjoy!

No cooking/baking involved, except for the sweet potato:

Ingredients

1/2 cup sweet potato, cooked, mashed
1 really ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup almond flour/meal
1/2 cup coconut shredded fine
1-2 tblsp chopped dried apricot
(optional) 1 tblsp maple syrup or other sweetener
1 tblsp chia seed
more coconut and almond flour for coating

Directions

cook, let cool a bit and peel sweet potato, chop roughly
add very ripe banana, chia seed, sweet potato (and sweetener if using) to food processor (can be done by hand as well) pulse to combine
combine chopped apricots, almonds and coconut with the food processor contends, mix until incorporated
form 1 1/2″ dia balls, using a spoon to measure it out, roll between your palms, then roll in a mixture of more coconut and ground almonds
Refrigerate and enjoy!

September 25, 2011December 16, 2017

Rainy Day Banana Pancakes (Egg Free)

So last weekend it was gray and rainy outside and I was cleaning the house, (not my favorite chore, it’s so unsatisfying, don’t you think? As soon as you’re done, you gotta start all over) listening to music is a good option to make it more fun, right? Well, my Ipod played “Banana Pancakes” by Jack Johnson.

Take a listen: Amazon.com: Banana Pancakes: Jack Johnson: MP3 Downloads.

It made me hungry, it made we want to have some, right then and there. I could smell them… So on the list for Saturday Breakfast they go 🙂 As I happily, pj’s and all, was ready to start the project: NO EGGS. What to do now? Option A: get changed and go to the store, option B: figure out how to make it without. It’s Saturday and I really don’t want to face the world, the rain is pouring down here in PA (probably some other leftover part of another tropical storm?) so I went about my quest for egg-less pancakes. There’s a German saying: Not macht erfinderisch (transl: Need makes one inventive 😉

I could have used Bananas as a topping, but there were these peaches on my counter, waiting to be eaten.

A dollop of greek yogurt…

… and a drizzle of maple syrup
Success!

Turns out it’s not the eggs at all that make the pancakes fluffy and light, but the baking powder/soda. Good to know

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup oat flour
1 cup (non dairy) milk ( I used almond milk, unsweetened)*
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tblsp (coconut) oil
1 tblsp suconat, or sugar, honey (optional)
1/2 ripe banana, mashed

Mix the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk, oil and banana. Moisten a paper towel with some oil, wipe the skillet, heat, and add the pancake batter by the 1/4 cup full. Flip over when bubbles appear on the surface.

Serve with:

-Sliced ripe peaches, greek yogurt, and maple syrup

-Banana and caramelized pecans

Serves 2, (Makes 6-7 pancakes)

* you can also use buttermilk, or coconut milk, make sure you stir/shake the can well and since it’s thicker, you may need to spread out the pancakes a bit while they start cooking. I use oat flour, I like the bit nutty flavor it gives the pancakes. Enjoy!

What kind of substitutes in needy time have you had success with?

You can also make waffles …

And the best part? Make the whole recipe, or double and keep the extras individually wrapped in the freezer, pop in the toaster oven until yummy! for those morning when you have no time…

September 25, 2011December 16, 2017

If you can’t make it yourself…

Lately I have found myself sucked into the computer and browsing food and recipe blogs for hours on end (…in my defense, it was rainy all week end). Sorting my thoughts on how to go about writing this cookbook I have been thinking about for some time now was my excuse for the countless hour leaking into the internet. Until it dawned on me, that maybe starting a blog about cooking (I love food), making healthy food choices and meals (I am a personal trainer and sports nutritionist) might be a good place to start sorting and organizing all the recipes (or new ones, no need to look back, right?) that in the past have lived in a 0.99 cent compositions book . And I have lots of them, notebooks with recipes that is.

I remember creating this recipe for a layered chocolate heart when I was a little girl back in Switzerland, and how exited I was when I showed my Mom (Looking back she seemed a bit more concerned with the sticky mess I may have left behind in the kitchen, than exited about my ‘creation’, lol)

I love to make everything from scratch, because, it just plain tastes better and is better for you. If you can’t make it yourself, don’t eat it. I am not saying that I always make everything myself, but I will stay away from things I could not make, even if I had the right tools and would put all the effort into it. I have tried to make everything from sushi rolls to goat cheese to gluten free baked goods, just to see if I can do it (…and I am a very curious person and how stuff is made intrigues me), but more on that another time.

I believe healthy food should be flavorful, super yummy and not leave your wallet empty!

Welcome to Simple. Healthy. Homemade!

🙂 Simone