Banana Bran Molasses Muffins

Here's another healthy recipe that our son enjoyed this past weekend and which also came from a "box." We had Bob's Red Mill Wheat Bran in our cupboard, which is technically not in a box but a bag. The original recipe was for Moist Molasses Bran Muffins. I replaced the applesauce with mashed bananas, and the result was yummy! There isn't a grain of sugar in this besides what is contained in the fruit and molasses.

Other adaptations of ours for our kid include putting in walnuts, finely chopped, and cooking the muffins in a mini muffin tin.

I also experimented with two different kinds of paper muffin cups, and I highly recommend If You Care Baking Cups. They are unbleached, greaseproof, and they don't stick to your muffins. Amazing!

Original Recipe

1 cup Wheat Bran

1 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. Baking Soda

1 cup Milk

1/2 cup Blackstrap Molasses

3/4 cup Mashed Bananas

1/4 cup finely chopped Walnuts

2 Tbsp. Oil

2 Eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine wheat bran, flour, baking soda and baking powder. Stir in nuts and raisins. In a separate bowl, blend bananas, milk, molasses, oil and egg. Add to dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin tin (or paper muffin cups) and bake for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12 marvelous muffins.

Pomegranate Ginger Muffins

It's now pomegranate season at my parents' house in Santa Barbara. My mother made a couple of batches while we were visiting for Thanksgiving, and I took a few pieces of fruit home with me to try this recipe for myself. I was surprised to find that I had already printed out the recipe about two years ago from RecipeZaar, and my mother found the same recipe on myrecipes.com, published by Sunset magazine. See the recipe here. The bits of pomegranate surprise you with a sweet tartness in every bite, and the lemon peel adds to a very fragrant muffin batter. This is definitely going to be an annual affair as pomegranates come back into season. I like to eat these warm for breakfast with some plain yogurt.

Apricot and Fig Crunchy Muesli

Here's a hearty cereal that you can make yourself which includes grains, protein, and fiber. Be sure to serve this with plenty of milk, as the cereal is quite crunchy and can use the soak. I purchase the nuts and dried fruit from Trader Joe's where they tend to be cheaper.



Apricot and Fig Crunchy Muesli
Makes 2 pounds

1 pound rolled oats
4 ounces bran ceral (the twiggy type)
1 cup roasted, unsalted pistachio halves
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
1 cup slivered almonds
4 ounces chopped, dried figs
4 ounces chopped, dried apricots
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix. Pour the maple syrup and vanilla over the mixture and toss to coat. Divide the mixture between two, large, non-stick baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, stirring often. Allow the cereal to cool and store in an airtight container.

Pink Pearl Apple Sauce

In the beginning of Autumn, Hillview Farm had an abundance of Pink Pearl apples at the farmer's market. These cute, little apples, make a beautifully pink apple sauce that is sweet and tart and melds wonderfully with a little butter and thyme. I used the apple sauce to top my Swedish pancakes, and the sweetness proved to be much healthier and more satisfying than topping the pancakes with syrup!!

This recipe is derived from a generic recipe in a cookbook my friend gave me for my birthday, "The San Francisco Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market Cookbook."



Pink Pearl Apple Sauce
Makes as much as you want

Pink Pearl apples, cored, peeled and sliced (I used about 2 pounds)
Apple juice
Sugar
Salt
1-2 tablespoons butter
Fresh thyme

Place apple slices in a heavy post and pour in apple juice to reach halfway up the apples. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook until apples are tender about 20 to 30 minutes. Add the butter and any sugar, salt, or thyme to taste. I you want a chunky apple sauce, you can serve it, as is. Or, if you want a smoother apple sauce, blend slightly with a hand blender or with a food mill.

Orange-yogurt muffins

These are eggless muffins that require some sort of acid to raise the bread. Citric acid, buttermilk, or yogurt can do the trick. Here, both the orange juice and low fat yogurt work together to make a chewy muffin with a crispy outside.



Orange-yogurt muffins
Makes 12

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white, unbleached flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
3/4 cup yogurt (can mix part with water if the yogurt is very thick)
3/4 cup orange juice

Mix together dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix. Spoon batter into a buttered muffin pan. Bake for 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Favorite Banana Bread

This is a derived recipe from the Joy of Cooking. We like to add more bananas, and I mix the ingredients differently to save time. The result is a very moist banana bread that really tastes like fresh bananas!

In this picture, I doubled the recipe to use a whole bunch of bananas. We usually eat this for breakfast with some plain yogurt.



My Favorite Banana Bread
Makes 1 loaf

1 1/3 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 1/3 teaspoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
3 bananas, mashed with a fork

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat until light in color and texture. Add flour, salt, baking soda and powder and beat until the consistency of brown sugar. Beat in eggs. Fold in the mashed banana. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Allow to cool slightly before turning the loaf out of the pan. Store wrapped in foil in the refrigerator.

Black Currant Scones

These are easy to make and yummy! The easiest place to find dried black currants is Trader Joe's, if you have one.



Black Currant Scones
Makes 18 small scones

3 cups white flour
2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup black currants
1/2 cup fat free yogurt
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare cookie sheet with Silpat. Mix together the dry ingredients and add butter, working the butter into the mixture with your fingers. Add the currants, yogurt and water and mix until the dough is soft and just mixed. Roll out the dough to 1/2 inch thickness and cut into rounds using a cup or cookie cutter. Place on the cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Eggless Pancakes with Strawberries and Kiwi

These pancakes can be served with anything, but I prefer mine with fruit and maple syrup. The strawberries and kiwi are from our CSA basket this week from Eatwell Farm. Who thought that we grew kiwi in California? It was a surprise to me, and an even greater surprise was how yummy they are!!

Because the pancake batter contains no eggs, it is important that the batter sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the gluten in the flour to relax. This keeps the batter together when frying.



Eggless Pancakes
Serves 4

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached white flour
1 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons light oil
1 cup lowfat buttermilk
1 cup water

Beat all ingredients together, except of baking powder and baking soda, until there are no lumps (this can also be done in the food processor). Allow the batter to rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight. Beat in the leavenings just before cooking.

Heat a heavy, non-stick griddle on medium heat until hot. This type of pan will eliminate the use for oil to cook the pancakes. Pour batter onto the pan into the desired size and cook until the batter bubbles and the underside is golden. Flip the pancakes and cook for about half the time used for the first side. Do not stack pancakes before serving. Serve hot with butter, fruit, syrup, jam, or whipped cream.

Cherry Raspberry Crisp

My husband and I had a craving for dessert but had very little to work with in our pantry. The basic recipe for the crisp comes from Heaven's Banquet. As you may already know, I LOVE this book. The section on crisps gives several ideas for fillings and toppings, so you can pick and choose to make your own creation. For this version, we used frozen organic cherries and raspberries with an oatmeal topping. We ate it with a side of nonfat yogurt instead of ice cream to keep things healthier. Eating it this way, the dish can also be eaten for breakfast!



Cherry Raspberry Crisp
Serves 4

Filling:
3 cups frozen cherries
2 cups frozen raspberries
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees. Butter a 9 inch round casserole dish. Mix all ingredients for the filling together and spread it in the casserole dish. Process all topping ingredients, except oats, in food processor until the mixture resembles course meal. Add oats and mix by hand. Crumble topping over the fruit. Bake until the top is lightly browned and the fruit is tender, about 45 minutes (or an hour if using a glass dish).

Swedish Pancakes

Growing up in my house, my dad never made the traditional cakey pancake for breakfast. Instead, ours were more like crepes and were tiny. I never learned to like the American pancake as I do the Swedish one. Because the batter is runny, it is necessary to use a pan to shape the pancakes, a plett pan. The cast-iron pan works beautifully after it has been well-seasoned. The cream and milk can be substituted with non-dairy alternatives. I've sucessfully made these with soy milk. Serve these with berry jams, fruit, or maple syrup. I imagine that they can also make cute desserts when rolled with fillings like crepes and held together with toothpicks.

Swedish Pancakes

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs
1 cup flour
5 tablespoons butter, melted
pinch of salt

Begin heating the pan on medium heat.

Beat together 1/2 cup of milk and the eggs until slightly frothy. Add flour and beat until well-mixed and no lumps remain. Add remaining milk and cream and salt. Beat until mixed. Add melted butter (make sure the butter isn't too hot, or it will cook the egg in the batter).

By the time the batter is ready, the pan should be heated. You'll know it's ready when a droplet of water bubbles and evaporates when dropped on the pan. Spoon batter into each pancake divet and cook until the edges are browned and the surface of the pancake is starting to solidify. Flip pancakes with small spatula or butter knife and heat through for a minute or so.

When finished, place pancakes on a plate and continue with the rest of the batter. Serve with fresh fruit, berry jams, or maple syrup. Serves 4.

Oatmeal for Breakfast

On cold mornings when you feel anxious or just not quite grounded, oatmeal can make you feel balanced again. It's easy and cheap and is also easy to modify depending on your mood. The following is a basic recipe from Eat, Taste, Heal. It's possible to change the fruit to cooked apples or pears by adding the apples or pears at the beginning to cook with the oatmeal. You can also change the raisins to any dried fruit, such as dried figs or currants. The nuts can be modified to include walnuts or pecans, and the spices can include cinnamon.

2 cups water
1 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons seedless raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
(1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, omit allspice and ginger)
1 banana, peeled and sliced (or 1 apple, peeled and cubed, or 1 pear, peeled and cubed)
1/3 cup almonds
1/3 cup dairy or non-dairy milk, such as soy or almond
2 tablespoons maple syrup

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Pour in oats and add raisins and spices. Also add apple or pear, if using.

Reduce heat and simmer, 7 to 9 minutes. Stir in banana, milk and maple syrup. Serve hot.

Crepes Galore!

I finally found a simple recipe for crepes. They're done in no time, provided that you have a food processor and are able to make the batter ahead of time. Crepes allow you to be as creative as you want or to rid your fridge of leftovers. This morning, we made a sweet variety for breakfast and filled them with nutella and almonds, and other with yogurt and rasperries. Here is the basic sweet crepe recipe from the Joy of Cooking:

Combine the following in a food processor:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup lukewarm water
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (be sure that it isn't too hot when you mix it into the batter so as not to cook the egg)
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Pinch of salt

Place in a bowl covered with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight for breakfast the next morning or let stand for at least 30 minutes. This allows the gluten to relax, and the batter will hold together better when cooking.

Use a non-stick crepe or omelet pan over medium heat. You'll know the pan is hot enough when you drop droplets of water on the pan and they bubble and evaporate after a couple of seconds. Use a ladle with measurements to measure slightly under 1/8 cup per crepe. Before pouring the batter on the pan, lightly butter by rubbing with a stick of butter. Lift pan off heat, pour batter and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the batter. Allow to cook until edges begin to lift away from the pan. Use a spatula or fingers to flip the crepe and cook on the other side for a few seconds.

I piled all the crepes on a plate and let my husband choose his fillings. This recipe makes 8-12 crepes depending on size and thickness. The crepes refrigerate and freeze well.

Happy crepe making!