It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
These popsicles are bananas!!!!! (pun intended) I forgot how much I freaking love roasted strawberries and don’t even get me started on roasted bananas.%u00a0 Then when they are all mash up and stuck into a popsicle mold… Just amazing. Rich, creamy and full of so much good flavor plus made with only good stuff. I mean you can’t get much better. This is now my new favorite go to frozen treats.
So a little confession. I made these popsicles with the intention to give them to the littles for a special popsicle breakfast but when I took the first bite of the first popsicle I changed my mind. These popsicles where too good and I wanted then all to myself. I know that makes me sound like a ass but really, they can’t miss something they didn’t know they were going to get.%u00a0 Don’t worry,%u00a0 we ended up at the store that night getting ice cream (for dessert) and a box of Captain Crunch with crunch berries for breakfast the next day instead (which they didn’t even eat because the mr made them with chocolate chip pancakes instead). They were happy, I was happy. Win win.
And lesson learned, make two batches for next time so I can share. I will share next time (maybe).
The stuff. 3 ripe bananas, ripe freshly picked strawberries (they don’t have to be freshly picked) cashew milk, and salt.
Chop bananas into chunks and strawberries in half ans place onto a greased baking sheet.
Pop into a hot oven to roast.
Roasted and all sorts of good (If you are prone to eating you roasted fruit before using it for popsicles, roast extra).
Scoop all the banana into a blending device (I used a hand blender so they went into a measuring cup) add in a pinch of salt ans the milk. Blend until creamy smooth.
For the strawberries just mash them up with a fork on the baking sheet.
Grab your popsicle mold and fill. Start bu scooping a bit of the banana in first, add in a little strawberry, then banana again. Keep layering until the mold is full. Then top off with a popsicle stick.
Into the freezer for the freeze.
And once frozen there are no rules. Eat a popsicle and be super happy.
Enjoy and stay all sorts of cool.
-C
Makes four 3.5 oz popsicles
3 ripe bananas
1 cup strawberries
1/4 cup plant milk (I used cashew, but any is good. Cow milk would work too)
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 400
Grab a baking sheet and lightly grease it up. Peel bananas and cut into i inch pieces. and place on baking sheet. Remove stems from strawberries and cut in half. Stick those onto baking sheet as well then place the baking sheet into the hot oven.
Roast for about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Place the roasted bananas into a blending device, add a pinch of salt and the milk. Blend until smooth. Take a fork and mash up the strawberries, which can be done directly on the backing sheet.
Scoop a bit of banana into each mold, then add a little mashed strawberry.. Continue layering until each mold is filled to the fill line. Add in popsicle stick then pop the filled molds into freezer,
Freeze for at least 4 hours, but 6 to 8 is safer.
Once frozen, pop from molds and eat. You can share but you don’t have too.
What do you do when you have a bazillion ripe bananas? A sweet banana bread? Banaer ice cream? Mash them up in your oatmeal? These are what I usually do, well these things and just stock my freezer full of bananas because I am pretty sure that there should always be bananas in the freezer. .
I went grocery shopping and bought like a billion bananas because they were dirt cheap (19 cents a pound) and why not. There is plenty of room in the freezer.
And it was a bread making day. I wanted to make bread that involved a good knead, that the mr could have as a sandwich loaf, and that had bananas in it. (I love adding fruit and veggie purees to breads) I needed a multi functional loaf that can be used for toast and sandwiches. So I made it.
This bread doesn’t have a crazy powerful banana flavor, just a light bananerness that adds a touch of sweetness and yum to the bread. Perfect for slices and slathering with peanut butter.
Pretty sure I scored on this one. It was well loved by many and eaten within days. Lucky for the mr I have a billion bananas.
The stuff. Some all purpose flour and some whole wheat (with germ) flour. A couple really ripe bananas, a little earth balance, salt, yeast, and water.
Peel and blended bananas into a smooth banana puree.
Add enough water to the bananas to make 2 cups of liquid.%u00a0 Add in the yeast and earth balance and blend that in too.
Wet gets dumped and mixed into the (mixed) flours and salt.
Wet shaggy dough gets dumped onto the floured counter and kneaded for about 10 minutes into a nice uniform and smooth ball
Once risen twice it’s size, dump dough onto counter, shape into a log and place into a well greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again. Second rise will take a little less time then the first, just wait for the dough to dome over the sides of the pan.
Once it looks good, stick the thing into a preheated oven, close the door, and watch it bake (for about 50 minutes)
Golden brown, hollow sounding, and the instant read thermometer reads 190….Bread is all baked.Now hard part. Let that loaf sit and cool completely. (trust, it needs to cool or you will just mush it)
Now that its cooled, you slice and eat. A loaf of bread with a slight hint of banana ready for you face.
The mr has been eating it toasted with peanut butter like I predicted or dipping it into his split pea soup. (he really liked it with the soup) Just suggestions.
Bye.
-C
makes one loaf
2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat with bran flour (plus a little more for kneading)
2 rip bananas
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons yeast (or 1 packet)
2 teaspoons earth balance (or butter)
1- 1/12 cups warm water
Peel bananas and blend them into a smooth puree. Add enough warm water to the banana mixture to equal 2 cups of liquid. Add the yeast and earth balance to the puree and mix until fully incorporated. Let sit for a few minutes to active yeast.
Whisk together the flours (start with the lesser amount) and salt in a large bowl. Dump the wet mixture into the bowl and mix together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you can no longer mix. If the dough is really wet, add in the other 1/4 of flour. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes.
Place in a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic or wax paper and a towel and place in a warm place to rise. Depending on how warm your place is, it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to double in size. Once risen, dump onto counter, shape into a log and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover again with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again for about 1/2- 45 minutes or until the dough forms a dome over the pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
When dough is done second rise, stick it into the preheated oven and bake. It should be in there for about 50 minutes, but check at 45 for a deep golden color and a internal temperature of 190. Once done, remove from oven, gently remove from pand and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled you can go for it.
Stay fresh for about 3 days in a air tight container, but I would slice and freeze any if not gone by then.
We are back.. Woo hoo!! Did you miss me? cause I missed you guys.
The past two weeks we nutters. We traveled so hard, did and saw so much stuff. We had such a blast. I will tell you all about it with lots of pictures, but give me a few days cause I am still on crazy, sleep deprived, jet lagged brain and am still having a hard time comprehending normal world activity.. I think I am going to need the rest of the week to recover and get my head back into the real world. ( I don’t mind living in a fog for a little while, it suits me) And if my writing is a little wonky or maybe doesn’t make sense.. again, jet lag brain.
So anyways, lets talk about food. Right before we left we had a sleep over with the littles. I figured I would make them something kind of special for breakfast because I am awesome ans because we weren’t going to see them for a while. Pop tarts. Who doesn’t like a pop tart?%u00a0 These littles, they love them a pop tart. Not that long ago they went through a phase where all they wanted to eat were pop tarts (I did not support that habit). So that is what I made (a bit more healthy then the store bough ones) and yup, they were amazing (so I was told) and devoured with every sprinkle eaten and fingers licked clean. I mean, peanut butter anything is good, and banana with that is even better. Stick a little chocolate and sprinkles into with that…Everyone can get down with these
The stuff. For the crust we need some flour, a little brown sugar, salt, cold earth balance, some peanut butter, and some ice cold water. For the filling, just some more peanut butter and a couple of ripe bananas. And completely optional( kinda) chocolate spread and sprinkles to top with afterword.
Start with the crust. A big bowl with the flour, salt and brown sugar that all gets whisked together. Then cold peanut butter and earth balance go in.
Just like a normal pie crust, use a a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the fat until a crumbly mixture forms.
Then, a few tablespoons at a time, add in he ice water until the mixture starts to come together into a dough.
Dump it onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and gather it together into a ball. Wrap it really tight and stick the dough in the fridge (for a least an hour, but a few hours or over night would be good)
When the dough has chilled and you are ready to proceed, grab the dough and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. You want to try and keep it a kind of a rectangular shape and rolled about 1/2 an inch thick.
Trim the edges (bake off scraps for a little extra treat) and cut the dough in half length wise then in 6 equal sizes width wise.(you should wind up with 12 pieces)
Take one side of each pair and place on a a baking sheet. Smear each piece with a good glob of peanut butter but leaving a little boarder.
Then slice up the bananas and layer those on of of the peanut butter.
Place the tops onto the bottoms (gently) and with a fork, crimp the edges of the tarts closed. Then take the fork and poke a few holes into the tops.
Now into the oven they go.
After about 25 minutes or so, you end up with the most magical smelling, golden brown pop tart.
And because it’s a pop tart, you must drizzle on a little some thing something (nutella or chocolate spread of any kind) and sprinkles. Do not forget the sprinkles.
Ready for eating.. Peanut Butter banana greatness. Best served a little warm and with some type of cold milk (plant, nut, or cow) and eaten in front of tv watching cartoons.
These will ruin store bough pop tarts for you. Sorry (not sorry)
Have a great day guys.. Really am happy to be back!
-C
The Crust
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup earth balance
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
7-8 tablespoons cold water
The filling
2 ripe bananas thinly sliced
6-8 tablespoon peanut butter
Optional toppings
chocolate spread or Nutella
sprinkles
Start by making the crust. Grab a big bowl, add in the flour, salt, and brown sugar ans whisk together. Then add in cold earth balance and if you think of it, cold peanut butter. Cut that into the flour with a pastry cutter or a fork and when the mixture is kinda crumbly start adding in tablespoons of ice water until the mixture starts to come together then dump the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap, press together, wrap it all up, and stick it into the fridge. Let chill for at least ans hour or up to over night.
When you are ready for pop tarts, preheat oven to 375 and grab dough from fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface,%u00a0 into a large, 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Trim the sides of the rectangle and cut in half length wise. Then cut that into 6 even pieces width wise, giving you 12 pieces.
Place the 6 bottom pieces of the dough onto a baking sheet. Smear each piece with about a tablespoon of peanut butter and then top with a few pieces if thinly sliced banana. Place the top pieces on each bottom and using a fork, press the edges of the dough together. Then take fork and pop a few holes into the top to let the steam escape.
Place into the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the tarts are nice and golden brown. Remove from oven, drizzle with nutella or chocolate and cover with sprinkles.
Eat right away with a tall glass of some kind of milk
Any left over (if that happens) can be stored in the fridge for a day or two or frozen to be enjoyed whenever the craving hits you.
%u00a0%u00a0 %u00a0%u00a0%u00a0I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too.%u00a0 And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.
Comments that I got from my sisters and the mister when I made them this ice cream
-Sister one.”I give this my sister seal of approval.. It’s so good. %u00a0The first dessert you have made that I liked! (not including all the other desserts that you have made that I liked)”
-Sister two- “Wow.. it looks like ice cream and feels like ice cream and tastes like ice cream.. You should make me this ice cream!” (I was confused too because I was pretty sure I just made her some)
-The mister- “I am so excited for my new fly fishing pole!”
Ok, so the naner ice cream isn’t new to the mister and he IS very much excited for his new fly fish pole. So excited that he forgot to tell me how amazing that I am and to thank me for making him a big bowl of yumminess. (It’s ok, I forgive him)
And yes, this is probably one of the easiest, most delicious, healthy and amazing frozen dessert that you will ever eat. You will probably find yourself buying mass amounts of bananas and stocking the freezer until things just start falling out. (which is also ok because it’s only bananas and you can’t have too many frozen bananas)
%u00a0 %u00a0The stuff you need for this ice cream%u2026. Nice and ripe bananas, peeled and then frozen* That’s it.
To make it, place frozen bananas into food processor and hit the on button. Process the crap out of the namers until nice and silky smooth.%u00a0
*Note, the smaller the frozen chunks are , the faster and maybe a little easier for the blender to blend the naners into ice cream. So if you think of it, chop bananas into pieces before freezing or even after.
After all blended and smooth, either eat right away or scoop ice cream into a freezer safe container and stick in freezer. That’s the banana ice cream%u2026 %u00a0And it is amazing and so so so so so addictive. I make a batch, think I am only going to eat a scoop, then find myself eating half of what I have made, but it’s ok cause it’s only bananas.%u00a0
Now for the cookies and cream banana ice cream..One%u00a0batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.
Add cookies in, crushing a bit beforehand and pulse till combined.%u00a0Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream%u2026. and everybody is happy.
Scoop into a cup, a bowl, a freezer safe container, or directly into your mouth.%u00a0Be careful%u2026. You can still get brain freeze from eating naner ice cream too fast!
Keep it real hump day drum bum!
-C
Basic Banana Ice Cream
Makes one batch. Good for 3-4 servings
4-5 %u00a0ripe bananas peeled and frozen
Peel %u00a0bananas and stick in a freezer bag or container and freeze. When bananas are completely frozen, break into pieces and stick into a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth.%u00a0
Eat right away or scoop into a freezer safe container for later.
Cookies and Cream Banana Ice Cream
1 batch banana ice cream
5-10 (depending on your cookie need) cream filled cookies like oreos or Trader Joe’s Joe Joe’s (These are gluten free)
In a food processor, blend banana ice cream with cookies.
Eat right away, with a utensil of choice in a container of choice.
Bowl licking is acceptable.%u00a0
Chomp Chomp Chomp%u2026 The sound I make as I eat this freaking fantastic crunchy granola. You know it’s good when the person sitting next to you is annoyed by the sound of you face while eating.%u00a0 I eat a lot of crunchy stuff. And I am pretty sure I annoy the mister a lot.%u00a0
Oh well, he will live, and he eats his fair share of annoying stuff too so we can just call it even.
So granola. I love it. I make a batch every few weeks or so, and I usually make it just for me. (I almost never make things just for me) I like to keep it simple but flavorful. A tad sweet, but not really, and crunchy, without the oily fried taste. I also like a variety of sizes, some big clusters and some small pieces.%u00a0
This granola fits the bill perfectly. Made with 5 ingredients, no oil, and the perfect sweetness level. %u00a0It’s one of my favorite flavors yet. And I know I said I made it just for me, but the mister really liked it too. (I can’t help sharing)
The simplest of stuff. 1 smashed banana, a cup of pureed butternut squash, Vietnamese cinnamon*, honey, and old fashion oats. (and a dash of salt, not shown)
*Note. I only ever use Vietnamese cinnamon because once I start using it, regular old cinnamon just won’t %u00a0cut it anymore. It is a bit sweeter and a lot more spicy. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, use regular cinnamon and add in 1/2 a teaspoon of all spice.Toss the cinnamon and salt with the oats. Mix together the banana, squash and the sweetener and combine with the oats until full incorporated.%u00a0
Another note. Because I made this granola for me and no body else, I actually omitted the honey (I think that banana abs squash make it sweet enough) But if I was making this for lets say, the mister, or a friend, I would use add a bit. The sweetness level and sweetener of choice is up to you, but 2-3 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup is usually sweet enough for %u00a0people.
Dump the mixture on a parchment lined baking sheet and give it a little pat, you know, to settle all the bit and pieces together, all cozy and evenly spread out. Now stick into a preheated oven and after about 20 minutes, take out of oven and give the granola a toss, breaking apart any super big chunks or overly wet pieces. Put back into oven for another 20 minutes. (I like my granola super crispy crunchy so I cook it a little longer, like 30 more minutes)And when you are happy with the crunchiness of you granola, remove from oven and let cool, trying not to eat all of it while it sit’s on the counter looking all pretty and smelling like happiness.%u00a0
Grab a bowl, stick the rest into a jar with a lid, hide it from others, and chomp chomp chomp away!
-C
Banana Butternut Granola
3 cups old fashion oats (use gluten free oats if needed)
1 ripe banana, mashed%u00a0
1 cup butternut squash puree (can use canned)
2 tablespoons Vietnamese cinnamon (or 2 tablespoons regular cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon of allspice)
1-3 tablespoon honey or sweetener of choice (use greater amount for sweeter)
dash of salt
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon and salt. Mix the mashed banana, squash, and sweetener of choice together and combine with the oats. If the mixture%u00a0seems really dry, add in a very small splash of water to loosen just enough to mix.
Dump mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and evenly disperse the mixture. Give it a kind of smoosh to compact the oats and to make sure all its all the same thickness on the pan.
Stick into oven for 20 minutes. Remove and give granola a little toss, maybe breaking apart any really big chunks (unless you like really big chunks) and put back into oven for another 20 minutes. (30 for a crunchier granola) Remove from oven and let cool on %u00a0baking sheet before storing in an air%u00a0tight container. If you find that it is not as crunchy as you would like or is a few days old and lost some of its crunchiness, just stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to re crunch.
Eat as is, as a cold cereal, %u00a0dip in peanut butter, add to popcorn or whatever way you want to eat it. No utensil required.
First day of Spring!! Well kind of I guess. I think it actually starts at like 6:20 tonight, when the temperature is going to dip back done to 10.(Spring my ass) I don’t know about you people out there but here in Vermont, we are really hanging on to winter. I have to keep telling myself%u2026″ It will be warmer soon and you’ll be looking forward to this weather in a few months.. so stop bitching!” %u00a0I give myself good pep talks.
Anyway, last week at the farm share pick up, there was a nice little surprise. We got a few pounds of some sweet locally grown and milled whole wheat flour. There was a little sign with the information about the wheat and where it came from, but in my haste of gathering all of my other veggies, I failed to take notes and forgot the name of the farm that it came from. But I do know that my farm traded some celeriac for the wheat. %u00a0I was really excited because I am really into the idea of using locally grown grains and I don’t know, it just made me really happy, especially because it was a trade. %u00a0Food framing and local sharing is stuff that makes me happy.
I wanted to make something to kind of showcase the hearty, nutty flavor of the wheat and I also wanted to make something that my mister would eat for breakfast. Well what better way to do that then with muffins!%u00a0Banana coconut whole wheat%u00a0(that just happen to be vegan) Hearty, fruity, and smells like the word lovely and the color yellow.%u00a0A few to eat and a few to share. Hanging at home, running away or %u00a0getting ready for a day of spring cleaning%u2026.This is a great weekend to make muffins!%u00a0
The stuff%u2026 Light, nutty local whole wheat flour, ripe oh ripe bananas and coconut flakes are the stars in this muffin%u2026 But we need the other stuff too. Brown sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and a chia egg. %u00a0Baking powder, baking soda, and last but not least, salt.
%u00a0Yup, that sounds about right%u00a0 %u00a0The salt, baking soda, and baking powder are whisked together. The banana and all the rest of the stuff are mixed up%u2026 Then mix the wet mixture into the dry. Stir until combined and then add in the coconut flakes,Scoop mixture %u00a0into 12 lined muffin cups%u2026 A scoop like mine works very nicely. Don’t have one, well I recommend you get yourself one. Until then, use a spoon. Something I always do when baking any muffin is sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a bit of %u00a0sugar or brown sugar. It melts and caramelizes and adds a sweet little crunch to the tops.%u00a0
Now stick the muffins into the oven.%u00a0Remove from oven when they look like this, nice and golden brown. Also good idea to check with a tester stuck into the middle. When it comes out clean, they are done.12 happy little muffins cooling on a rack, waiting to be eaten with you mouth.%u00a0
Doesn’t the sight of pretty food make you happy, like sing a song happy?%u00a0Muffins, whoa yah!! %u00a0Friday yah yah!! %u00a0Spring%u2026What, Yah!! %u00a0Yah%u2026Yah Yah!!!
Terrible I know, but at least you were spared hearing my actual voice.%u00a0
Have a great weekend. Do lots of springy stuff!
-C
2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
4 Ripe bananas
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup melted Coconut Oil
1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds + 3 Tablespoons warm water
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
Preheat oven to 350
In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons warm water to the chia seeds and let sit for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) In a large bowl, peel and mash the bananas until they turn into a kind of chunky soupy puree. %u00a0Add in brown sugar, chia seed mixture, vanilla extract, and the melted coconut oil (make sure it’s melted or it won’t incorporate into the mixture) Mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until combined then mix in the coconut flakes.%u00a0
Line a 12 cup muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 the way up with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and place in oven on center rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops 0f the muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.%u00a0
Remove muffins from tin and let cool.
Serve as is or maybe with a smudge of coconut butter, or anything you want really.
No need for fork, just use you mouth.
I need a good snack.. Something healthy, hardy, fast, and of course, something tasty.
Rice cakes%u2026%u2026..basically a flat somewhat crispy disk of puffed rice. Kind of boring, kind of dull, kind of blah. But Add a little somethin somethin%u2026.say like this here rice cake that I smeared with peanut stock, topped with banana, sprinkled with coconut flakes and cinnamon and a few raisins%u2026well thats just freaking fantastic!
And because they are pretty much nothing but air.. there is no need to feel guilty about eating a few. Have a rice cake snack party%u2026 spreads of nut butters, bean dips, smashed fruit, avocado, mashed sweet potato, heck%u2026just some mustard or hot sauce would be nice. The list of topping goes on and on. And shelf stable for a long time to boot. I mean, you can keep a bag hanging around for quite a bit of time, just as long as you keep them air tight.
What I am trying to say is%u2026rice cakes are awesome little vessels for all things nice.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2019 by maximios • Blog
It%u2019s a smoothie. And no, we have never really been smoothie people in this house, but what can I say, sometimes smoothies happen, especially when you have about 20 ripe bananas in the fruit bowl with no room in the freezer and no need for 7 loafs of banana bread.
So I smoothied. And I like it (a lot).
This is a smoothie of simplicity. Nothing fancy. Simplest of simple. Straight to the point. And all sorts of good.
You might think, does this simple smoothie you speak of taste very good? Yes, yes indeed it does. It is all sorts of fantastic. Basically if you like creamy, nutty, oaty, bananery things, you will like this. And it%u2019s a perfect breakfast, snack, dessert, or just wanting a little treat like thing that is not garbage food. A smoothie of all smoothies with the most basic ingredients. And takes about 15 seconds to whip up. Can%u2019t complain about that.
To the smoothie goodness!
The stuff. A ripe banana, some old fashion rolled oats, a pinch of salt, water, and a smidge of maple syrup if you want it.
Everything goes into blender.
And blended until smooth. Hence the word smoothie.
Pour it into a cup (or if you are feeling primal, drink it straight from the blender%u2026 it%u2019s totally cool)
And done.
A banana oat smoothie.
Let the good time roll!
-C
makes 1 smoothie
1 very ripe banana
1/3 cup raw old fashion oats
1 1/2 cups water
pinch of salt
a tablespoon or two of any sweetener you like (optional)
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
Place everything into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a cup, sprinkle with cinnamon if you wish, and drink right away.
These popsicles are bananas!!!!! (pun intended) I forgot how much I freaking love roasted strawberries and don’t even get me started on roasted bananas.%u00a0 Then when they are all mash up and stuck into a popsicle mold… Just amazing. Rich, creamy and full of so much good flavor plus made with only good stuff. I mean you can’t get much better. This is now my new favorite go to frozen treats.
So a little confession. I made these popsicles with the intention to give them to the littles for a special popsicle breakfast but when I took the first bite of the first popsicle I changed my mind. These popsicles where too good and I wanted then all to myself. I know that makes me sound like a ass but really, they can’t miss something they didn’t know they were going to get.%u00a0 Don’t worry,%u00a0 we ended up at the store that night getting ice cream (for dessert) and a box of Captain Crunch with crunch berries for breakfast the next day instead (which they didn’t even eat because the mr made them with chocolate chip pancakes instead). They were happy, I was happy. Win win.
And lesson learned, make two batches for next time so I can share. I will share next time (maybe).
The stuff. 3 ripe bananas, ripe freshly picked strawberries (they don’t have to be freshly picked) cashew milk, and salt.
Chop bananas into chunks and strawberries in half ans place onto a greased baking sheet.
Pop into a hot oven to roast.
Roasted and all sorts of good (If you are prone to eating you roasted fruit before using it for popsicles, roast extra).
Scoop all the banana into a blending device (I used a hand blender so they went into a measuring cup) add in a pinch of salt ans the milk. Blend until creamy smooth.
For the strawberries just mash them up with a fork on the baking sheet.
Grab your popsicle mold and fill. Start bu scooping a bit of the banana in first, add in a little strawberry, then banana again. Keep layering until the mold is full. Then top off with a popsicle stick.
Into the freezer for the freeze.
And once frozen there are no rules. Eat a popsicle and be super happy.
Enjoy and stay all sorts of cool.
-C
Makes four 3.5 oz popsicles
Preheat oven to 400
Grab a baking sheet and lightly grease it up. Peel bananas and cut into i inch pieces. and place on baking sheet. Remove stems from strawberries and cut in half. Stick those onto baking sheet as well then place the baking sheet into the hot oven.
Roast for about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and let cool enough to handle. Place the roasted bananas into a blending device, add a pinch of salt and the milk. Blend until smooth. Take a fork and mash up the strawberries, which can be done directly on the backing sheet.
Scoop a bit of banana into each mold, then add a little mashed strawberry.. Continue layering until each mold is filled to the fill line. Add in popsicle stick then pop the filled molds into freezer,
Freeze for at least 4 hours, but 6 to 8 is safer.
Once frozen, pop from molds and eat. You can share but you don’t have too.
What do you do when you have a bazillion ripe bananas? A sweet banana bread? Banaer ice cream? Mash them up in your oatmeal? These are what I usually do, well these things and just stock my freezer full of bananas because I am pretty sure that there should always be bananas in the freezer. .
I went grocery shopping and bought like a billion bananas because they were dirt cheap (19 cents a pound) and why not. There is plenty of room in the freezer.
And it was a bread making day. I wanted to make bread that involved a good knead, that the mr could have as a sandwich loaf, and that had bananas in it. (I love adding fruit and veggie purees to breads) I needed a multi functional loaf that can be used for toast and sandwiches. So I made it.
This bread doesn’t have a crazy powerful banana flavor, just a light bananerness that adds a touch of sweetness and yum to the bread. Perfect for slices and slathering with peanut butter.
Pretty sure I scored on this one. It was well loved by many and eaten within days. Lucky for the mr I have a billion bananas.
The stuff. Some all purpose flour and some whole wheat (with germ) flour. A couple really ripe bananas, a little earth balance, salt, yeast, and water.
Peel and blended bananas into a smooth banana puree.
Add enough water to the bananas to make 2 cups of liquid.%u00a0 Add in the yeast and earth balance and blend that in too.
Wet gets dumped and mixed into the (mixed) flours and salt.
Wet shaggy dough gets dumped onto the floured counter and kneaded for about 10 minutes into a nice uniform and smooth ball
Once risen twice it’s size, dump dough onto counter, shape into a log and place into a well greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again. Second rise will take a little less time then the first, just wait for the dough to dome over the sides of the pan.
Once it looks good, stick the thing into a preheated oven, close the door, and watch it bake (for about 50 minutes)
Golden brown, hollow sounding, and the instant read thermometer reads 190….Bread is all baked.Now hard part. Let that loaf sit and cool completely. (trust, it needs to cool or you will just mush it)
Now that its cooled, you slice and eat. A loaf of bread with a slight hint of banana ready for you face.
The mr has been eating it toasted with peanut butter like I predicted or dipping it into his split pea soup. (he really liked it with the soup) Just suggestions.
Bye.
-C
makes one loaf
Peel bananas and blend them into a smooth puree. Add enough warm water to the banana mixture to equal 2 cups of liquid. Add the yeast and earth balance to the puree and mix until fully incorporated. Let sit for a few minutes to active yeast.
Whisk together the flours (start with the lesser amount) and salt in a large bowl. Dump the wet mixture into the bowl and mix together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you can no longer mix. If the dough is really wet, add in the other 1/4 of flour. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes.
Place in a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic or wax paper and a towel and place in a warm place to rise. Depending on how warm your place is, it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to double in size. Once risen, dump onto counter, shape into a log and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover again with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again for about 1/2- 45 minutes or until the dough forms a dome over the pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
When dough is done second rise, stick it into the preheated oven and bake. It should be in there for about 50 minutes, but check at 45 for a deep golden color and a internal temperature of 190. Once done, remove from oven, gently remove from pand and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled you can go for it.
Stay fresh for about 3 days in a air tight container, but I would slice and freeze any if not gone by then.
We are back.. Woo hoo!! Did you miss me? cause I missed you guys.
The past two weeks we nutters. We traveled so hard, did and saw so much stuff. We had such a blast. I will tell you all about it with lots of pictures, but give me a few days cause I am still on crazy, sleep deprived, jet lagged brain and am still having a hard time comprehending normal world activity.. I think I am going to need the rest of the week to recover and get my head back into the real world. ( I don’t mind living in a fog for a little while, it suits me) And if my writing is a little wonky or maybe doesn’t make sense.. again, jet lag brain.
So anyways, lets talk about food. Right before we left we had a sleep over with the littles. I figured I would make them something kind of special for breakfast because I am awesome ans because we weren’t going to see them for a while. Pop tarts. Who doesn’t like a pop tart?%u00a0 These littles, they love them a pop tart. Not that long ago they went through a phase where all they wanted to eat were pop tarts (I did not support that habit). So that is what I made (a bit more healthy then the store bough ones) and yup, they were amazing (so I was told) and devoured with every sprinkle eaten and fingers licked clean. I mean, peanut butter anything is good, and banana with that is even better. Stick a little chocolate and sprinkles into with that…Everyone can get down with these
The stuff. For the crust we need some flour, a little brown sugar, salt, cold earth balance, some peanut butter, and some ice cold water. For the filling, just some more peanut butter and a couple of ripe bananas. And completely optional( kinda) chocolate spread and sprinkles to top with afterword.
Start with the crust. A big bowl with the flour, salt and brown sugar that all gets whisked together. Then cold peanut butter and earth balance go in.
Just like a normal pie crust, use a a pastry cutter or fork to cut in the fat until a crumbly mixture forms.
Then, a few tablespoons at a time, add in he ice water until the mixture starts to come together into a dough.
Dump it onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap and gather it together into a ball. Wrap it really tight and stick the dough in the fridge (for a least an hour, but a few hours or over night would be good)
When the dough has chilled and you are ready to proceed, grab the dough and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface. You want to try and keep it a kind of a rectangular shape and rolled about 1/2 an inch thick.
Trim the edges (bake off scraps for a little extra treat) and cut the dough in half length wise then in 6 equal sizes width wise.(you should wind up with 12 pieces)
Take one side of each pair and place on a a baking sheet. Smear each piece with a good glob of peanut butter but leaving a little boarder.
Then slice up the bananas and layer those on of of the peanut butter.
Place the tops onto the bottoms (gently) and with a fork, crimp the edges of the tarts closed. Then take the fork and poke a few holes into the tops.
Now into the oven they go.
After about 25 minutes or so, you end up with the most magical smelling, golden brown pop tart.
And because it’s a pop tart, you must drizzle on a little some thing something (nutella or chocolate spread of any kind) and sprinkles. Do not forget the sprinkles.
Ready for eating.. Peanut Butter banana greatness. Best served a little warm and with some type of cold milk (plant, nut, or cow) and eaten in front of tv watching cartoons.
These will ruin store bough pop tarts for you. Sorry (not sorry)
Have a great day guys.. Really am happy to be back!
-C
The Crust
The filling
Optional toppings
Start by making the crust. Grab a big bowl, add in the flour, salt, and brown sugar ans whisk together. Then add in cold earth balance and if you think of it, cold peanut butter. Cut that into the flour with a pastry cutter or a fork and when the mixture is kinda crumbly start adding in tablespoons of ice water until the mixture starts to come together then dump the dough onto a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap, press together, wrap it all up, and stick it into the fridge. Let chill for at least ans hour or up to over night.
When you are ready for pop tarts, preheat oven to 375 and grab dough from fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface,%u00a0 into a large, 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Trim the sides of the rectangle and cut in half length wise. Then cut that into 6 even pieces width wise, giving you 12 pieces.
Place the 6 bottom pieces of the dough onto a baking sheet. Smear each piece with about a tablespoon of peanut butter and then top with a few pieces if thinly sliced banana. Place the top pieces on each bottom and using a fork, press the edges of the dough together. Then take fork and pop a few holes into the top to let the steam escape.
Place into the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the tarts are nice and golden brown. Remove from oven, drizzle with nutella or chocolate and cover with sprinkles.
Eat right away with a tall glass of some kind of milk
Any left over (if that happens) can be stored in the fridge for a day or two or frozen to be enjoyed whenever the craving hits you.
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%u00a0I figured now is a good time to get this recipe out there before we get to far into spring and summer recipes because there is going to be a lot of banana ice cream filled recipe coming and I figured its a good idea to have the basic banana ice cream recipe ready for people to refer too.%u00a0 And because I made so much fantastic naner ice cream, I also made a cookies and cream naner ice cream for my sisters and the mister.
Comments that I got from my sisters and the mister when I made them this ice cream
-Sister one.”I give this my sister seal of approval.. It’s so good. %u00a0The first dessert you have made that I liked! (not including all the other desserts that you have made that I liked)”
-Sister two- “Wow.. it looks like ice cream and feels like ice cream and tastes like ice cream.. You should make me this ice cream!” (I was confused too because I was pretty sure I just made her some)
-The mister- “I am so excited for my new fly fishing pole!”
Ok, so the naner ice cream isn’t new to the mister and he IS very much excited for his new fly fish pole. So excited that he forgot to tell me how amazing that I am and to thank me for making him a big bowl of yumminess. (It’s ok, I forgive him)
And yes, this is probably one of the easiest, most delicious, healthy and amazing frozen dessert that you will ever eat. You will probably find yourself buying mass amounts of bananas and stocking the freezer until things just start falling out. (which is also ok because it’s only bananas and you can’t have too many frozen bananas)
To make it, place frozen bananas into food processor and hit the on button. Process the crap out of the namers until nice and silky smooth.%u00a0
*Note, the smaller the frozen chunks are , the faster and maybe a little easier for the blender to blend the naners into ice cream. So if you think of it, chop bananas into pieces before freezing or even after.
Now for the cookies and cream banana ice cream..
One%u00a0batch of banana ice cream, either freshly made, still in food processor or made ahead and placed in a food processor and given a good pulse to smooth it up.
Add cookies in, crushing a bit beforehand and pulse till combined.%u00a0
Now you have cookies and cream naner ice cream%u2026. and everybody is happy.
Scoop into a cup, a bowl, a freezer safe container, or directly into your mouth.%u00a0Be careful%u2026. You can still get brain freeze from eating naner ice cream too fast!
Keep it real hump day drum bum!
-C
Basic Banana Ice Cream
Makes one batch. Good for 3-4 servings
Peel %u00a0bananas and stick in a freezer bag or container and freeze. When bananas are completely frozen, break into pieces and stick into a food processor or blender and puree until silky smooth.%u00a0
Eat right away or scoop into a freezer safe container for later.
Cookies and Cream Banana Ice Cream
In a food processor, blend banana ice cream with cookies.
Eat right away, with a utensil of choice in a container of choice.
Bowl licking is acceptable.%u00a0
Oh well, he will live, and he eats his fair share of annoying stuff too so we can just call it even.
So granola. I love it. I make a batch every few weeks or so, and I usually make it just for me. (I almost never make things just for me) I like to keep it simple but flavorful. A tad sweet, but not really, and crunchy, without the oily fried taste. I also like a variety of sizes, some big clusters and some small pieces.%u00a0
This granola fits the bill perfectly. Made with 5 ingredients, no oil, and the perfect sweetness level. %u00a0It’s one of my favorite flavors yet. And I know I said I made it just for me, but the mister really liked it too. (I can’t help sharing)
*Note. I only ever use Vietnamese cinnamon because once I start using it, regular old cinnamon just won’t %u00a0cut it anymore. It is a bit sweeter and a lot more spicy. If you don’t have it or don’t want to use it, use regular cinnamon and add in 1/2 a teaspoon of all spice.
Toss the cinnamon and salt with the oats. Mix together the banana, squash and the sweetener and combine with the oats until full incorporated.%u00a0
Another note. Because I made this granola for me and no body else, I actually omitted the honey (I think that banana abs squash make it sweet enough) But if I was making this for lets say, the mister, or a friend, I would use add a bit. The sweetness level and sweetener of choice is up to you, but 2-3 teaspoons of honey or maple syrup is usually sweet enough for %u00a0people.
Grab a bowl, stick the rest into a jar with a lid, hide it from others, and chomp chomp chomp away!
-C
Banana Butternut Granola
Preheat oven to 375
In a large bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon and salt. Mix the mashed banana, squash, and sweetener of choice together and combine with the oats. If the mixture%u00a0seems really dry, add in a very small splash of water to loosen just enough to mix.
Dump mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and evenly disperse the mixture. Give it a kind of smoosh to compact the oats and to make sure all its all the same thickness on the pan.
Stick into oven for 20 minutes. Remove and give granola a little toss, maybe breaking apart any really big chunks (unless you like really big chunks) and put back into oven for another 20 minutes. (30 for a crunchier granola) Remove from oven and let cool on %u00a0baking sheet before storing in an air%u00a0tight container. If you find that it is not as crunchy as you would like or is a few days old and lost some of its crunchiness, just stick it back into the oven for a few minutes to re crunch.
Eat as is, as a cold cereal, %u00a0dip in peanut butter, add to popcorn or whatever way you want to eat it. No utensil required.
First day of Spring!! Well kind of I guess. I think it actually starts at like 6:20 tonight, when the temperature is going to dip back done to 10.(Spring my ass) I don’t know about you people out there but here in Vermont, we are really hanging on to winter. I have to keep telling myself%u2026″ It will be warmer soon and you’ll be looking forward to this weather in a few months.. so stop bitching!” %u00a0I give myself good pep talks.
Anyway, last week at the farm share pick up, there was a nice little surprise. We got a few pounds of some sweet locally grown and milled whole wheat flour. There was a little sign with the information about the wheat and where it came from, but in my haste of gathering all of my other veggies, I failed to take notes and forgot the name of the farm that it came from. But I do know that my farm traded some celeriac for the wheat. %u00a0I was really excited because I am really into the idea of using locally grown grains and I don’t know, it just made me really happy, especially because it was a trade. %u00a0Food framing and local sharing is stuff that makes me happy.
I wanted to make something to kind of showcase the hearty, nutty flavor of the wheat and I also wanted to make something that my mister would eat for breakfast. Well what better way to do that then with muffins!%u00a0Banana coconut whole wheat%u00a0(that just happen to be vegan) Hearty, fruity, and smells like the word lovely and the color yellow.%u00a0A few to eat and a few to share. Hanging at home, running away or %u00a0getting ready for a day of spring cleaning%u2026.This is a great weekend to make muffins!%u00a0
The stuff%u2026 Light, nutty local whole wheat flour, ripe oh ripe bananas and coconut flakes are the stars in this muffin%u2026 But we need the other stuff too. Brown sugar, vanilla, coconut oil and a chia egg. %u00a0Baking powder, baking soda, and last but not least, salt.
%u00a0Yup, that sounds about right%u00a0 %u00a0The salt, baking soda, and baking powder are whisked together. The banana and all the rest of the stuff are mixed up%u2026 Then mix the wet mixture into the dry. Stir until combined and then add in the coconut flakes,Scoop mixture %u00a0into 12 lined muffin cups%u2026 A scoop like mine works very nicely. Don’t have one, well I recommend you get yourself one. Until then, use a spoon. Something I always do when baking any muffin is sprinkle the tops of each muffin with a bit of %u00a0sugar or brown sugar. It melts and caramelizes and adds a sweet little crunch to the tops.%u00a0
Now stick the muffins into the oven.%u00a0Remove from oven when they look like this, nice and golden brown. Also good idea to check with a tester stuck into the middle. When it comes out clean, they are done.12 happy little muffins cooling on a rack, waiting to be eaten with you mouth.%u00a0
Doesn’t the sight of pretty food make you happy, like sing a song happy?%u00a0Muffins, whoa yah!! %u00a0Friday yah yah!! %u00a0Spring%u2026What, Yah!! %u00a0Yah%u2026Yah Yah!!!
Terrible I know, but at least you were spared hearing my actual voice.%u00a0
Have a great weekend. Do lots of springy stuff!
-C
Preheat oven to 350
In a small bowl, mix 3 tablespoons warm water to the chia seeds and let sit for at least 5 minutes (10 is better) In a large bowl, peel and mash the bananas until they turn into a kind of chunky soupy puree. %u00a0Add in brown sugar, chia seed mixture, vanilla extract, and the melted coconut oil (make sure it’s melted or it won’t incorporate into the mixture) Mix together. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix the wet mixture with the dry until combined then mix in the coconut flakes.%u00a0
Line a 12 cup muffin tin and fill each cup about 3/4 the way up with batter. Sprinkle each muffin with brown sugar and place in oven on center rack. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the tops 0f the muffins are golden brown and a tester inserted into the middle comes out clean.%u00a0
Remove muffins from tin and let cool.
Serve as is or maybe with a smudge of coconut butter, or anything you want really.
No need for fork, just use you mouth.
Rice cakes%u2026%u2026..basically a flat somewhat crispy disk of puffed rice. Kind of boring, kind of dull, kind of blah. But Add a little somethin somethin%u2026.say like this here rice cake that I smeared with peanut stock, topped with banana, sprinkled with coconut flakes and cinnamon and a few raisins%u2026well thats just freaking fantastic!
And because they are pretty much nothing but air.. there is no need to feel guilty about eating a few. Have a rice cake snack party%u2026 spreads of nut butters, bean dips, smashed fruit, avocado, mashed sweet potato, heck%u2026just some mustard or hot sauce would be nice. The list of topping goes on and on. And shelf stable for a long time to boot. I mean, you can keep a bag hanging around for quite a bit of time, just as long as you keep them air tight.
What I am trying to say is%u2026rice cakes are awesome little vessels for all things nice.
HaPPY Snacking!
-C