Recipe of the week: Healthier "Chunky Monkey"

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted a recipe.  It's been way too hot to cook, so I've been making lots of salads.  I think I've turned the oven on a few times to make sweet potato fries and once for cookies this summer.   It's September and it's still in the high 80's to low 90's here.

On another note, I've been tweaking my diet a bit.  Trying to eat less gluten, dairy, sugar etc.  Last night a friend and I were talking about ice cream and my favorite is Ben and Jerry's....pretty much any flavor will work, some I'm more fond of than others, one of those in Chunky Monkey.  I had some bananas that I'd frozen for smoothies, but no one has used them, so I thought I'd make ice cream out of them.  This is what I came up with. (This is dairy and gluten free so it's Paleo friendly and Vegan)  Let me know what you think.  A Votre Sante!

4 large frozen bananas
6 Tbsp unsweetened coconut milk (I got mine at Trader Joe's)
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup walnuts chopped (I left some whole)
1-2 oz dark chocolate (I used 72%)
pinch of salt

The only thing you need for this is a food processor.  You may have to do small batches depending on the size of your food processor.   Put the frozen bananas in, add the coconut milk one tablespoon at a time, add the vanilla.  (You could also use bananas that aren't frozen and then freeze the mixture later).  Once you have a creamy mixture spoon into a freezer proof bowl.  Add the walnuts, salt and dark chocolate, cover with plastic wrap and freeze until the texture resembles ice cream.  Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Banana Cupcakes

I love banana cake! My high school graduation cake was banana and probably the best I've ever had. Lately I've been searching high and low for a good banana cupcake and haven't found one that I love. There's certain things that I think a banana cupcake cake should have and I couldn't find one or a recipe, so I had to create my own. I don't eat shortening so I wanted one with butter, and I wanted at least part of the flour to be whole wheat and I knew I wanted buttermilk in it because it makes it light, so here's what I came up with. Let me know what you think. A Vorte Sante!

Cake:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup mashed ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 cup unbleached flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Frosting:

4 oz softened butter
4 oz light cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a standard 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners.
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and buttermilk. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Add mashed banana and walnuts until just combined, you don't want to over mix it. Divide batter evenly into muffin tin (I use an ice cream scoop) Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove to wire racks to cool completely.

For the frosting:
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer with the paddle attachment cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add powdered sugar, mix for another minute. If you want chocolate cream cheese frosting this is where you'd add about 2 oz melted dark chocolate. Spread over cooled cupcakes and top with a walnut for decoration. Enjoy!

Recipe of the week: Banana Bread

I've been making this recipe for years but I think I perfected it when I was baking for the coffee bar at church (which sadly I'm not doing anymore). I almost always double it but this is for a single loaf. For the flour I use 1 cup of whole wheat and 1/2 cup of unbleached, but you can use all unbleached or all whole wheat. I never use all purpose in anything. I also always use non-aluminum baking powder. We like walnuts but you can try pecans. I've even added dark chocolate chips, the kids loved it, kinda like Chunky Monkey ice-cream in bread. Let me know what you think. A Votre Sante!

Banana Bread

1 cup ripe mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1/4 cup canola or safflower oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add bananas, oil and egg. Mix until combined, add nuts. Spray loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and fold in batter. Bake for 45 minutes or until a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!