Quinoa Banana Bread

"I like banana bread. A lot."

I intended to take more pictures of this banana bread, but my golden retriever Holly decided to go counter shopping for a midnight snack (and therefore deprive my co-workers of a treat).  As a result, she has now received a new nickname: Banana Bread.  (Fortunately, Holly was smart enough to not eat the plastic wrap covering the bread, and she did not get sick at all.)   She even answers to her new nickname.  

Well, at least this banana bread was healthy for Banana Bread.

I saw this healthy twist on banana bread posted a while back on Smitten Kitchen and thought the concept of adding seeds or grains to banana bread sounded good!  I did not have millet, which Deb used, so I substituted quinoa instead.  Hey, why not add some protein, right? 

What makes this banana bread healthier, besides some added quinoa?  This recipe is made with whole wheat flour, uses coconut oil, and includes maple syrup for sweetness instead of higher amounts of sugar.  It is a denser banana bread, and the quinoa added a bit of a crunch to the bite.  

With summer here, bananas get riper even faster!  I will be making this bread again soon but will hide it from Holly.  With some nut butter, this would make a quick yummy breakfast that is good for you!  

Take my dog's word for it.

Quinoa Banana Bread

Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

1 large egg

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 to 1/3 cup maple syrup (less for less sweetness)

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour

1/4 cup uncooked quinoa

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF and grease a 9 x 5" loaf pan.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a wooden spoon or a potato masher until the bananas are smooth.  Alternatively, if you are using a stand mixer, you can use your paddle attachment.  Next, add the egg, followed by the oil, brown sugar, syrup, and vanilla extract.  Sprinkle the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves over the mixture, and stir until combined.

Add in the flour, and stir until combined.  Then, add the quinoa and stir.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes.  Cool loaf in pan on rack.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Mean Green Juice

Kale, celery, cucumber, apples, lemon, and ginger make one mean juice.  This happens to be one of my favorite juices, so it was time to share it with you.  It is really tasty with a balance of tart and sweet flavors.

The Mean Green juice was a staple in Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead.  The healthiest juices are those which contain greens, as the greens contain the most vitamins and nutrients.  The fruits and vegetables contain so many amazing health benefits, such as improved circulation, weight loss, lower cholesterol, and cancer prevention.  Go Green!  Besides, wasn't it Robert De Niro in Meet the Parents who linked the color green to being a genius?

When it comes time to juicing, you can either peel the lemon or juice it whole.  I like the added "zing" that comes from the peel, so I juice the entire lemon.  If the juice does not taste sweet enough for you, just add another apple.  To remove the core from the apple, just slice the apple in half, and use a melon baller to remove it.  Easy kapeezy!

Juice on!

Mean Green Juice
Yields 24 oz. juice

Ingredients:
6 leaves of kale
3 stalks of celery
1 large cucumber
2 apples, de-cored
1 lemon
1" chunk of ginger

Directions:
Juice in order listed.  Serve over ice, and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Reboot with Joe

Banana Cupcakes with Maple Vanilla Buttercream

Truth be told, this is essentially a recipe for banana bread with frosting but in cupcake form.  

As I started writing this, I thought, "Do I call these mini frosted banana breads?  Or, would mini banana cakes be better?  Banana bread cupcakes?"

Then, I had more questions for myself. What is the difference between banana bread and banana cake?   

Do "sweet breads" really count as breads?  How do cupcakes and muffins differ?  

Clearly, I was doing the analytical attorney thing here.

My quick and dirty semi-"black law" answer:  Bread is made in a loaf pan, and cake is made in a cake pan.  Cupcakes have frosting, and muffins lack frosting.

Moving on.  ;)

This banana treat is inspired by Flour Bakery in Boston.  I first read about this bakery in Runners' World.  The owner of the bakery is a runner and said that she ran 15 marathons by "strict training and banana bread."  Hey, you go girl!

This is a great recipe because it is the perfect amount of sweetness and moistness.  For a healthy twist, you could substitute apple sauce for half of the butter.  Maple buttercream sounded like a perfect pairing to the banana.  (After all, maple syrup goes well with banana pancakes, right?)

My thoughtful godmother sent me these darling cupcake liners that look like flowers.  Aren't they cute? I added just a dollop of frosting because I wanted to show off the cute cupcake liners.

Enjoy this frosted whimsey banana bread in cupcake form.

Banana Cupcakes with Maple Vanilla Buttercream

Yields 16 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter, softened

4 bananas, very ripped, mashed

2 tbsp. sour cream

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

For the buttercream:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 tbsp. pure maple syrup

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Directions:

For the cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line cupcake pans with liners.

Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a separate bowl, and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the sugar and butter, until lightly and fluffy, about 5-8 minutes.  Next, add the eggs and mix until combined.  Add the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.  Fold in the dry ingredients.  

Divide the batter evenly amount lined cups, filling each about three-quarters full.  Bake, and rotate cupcake pans halfway through, for about 45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted to the centers comes out clean.  Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before frosting.

For the buttercream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (or a mixing bowl), add the butter and confectioners' sugar, and beat until fluffy. Add the maple syrup, vanilla extract, milk, and salt.  Continue to beat until smooth and creamy.  

Use immediately, or store covered for up to two days.

Source: Cupcakes adapted from Flour Bakery in Boston, frosting a Simply Sweet Justice Original

English Muffin Bread

One of my favorite pre-race fuels is an English muffin smeared with peanut butter and topped with some banana slices.  It's a good combination of carbs (the body's gasoline during a run), protein (fights off hunger and helps build/repair muscles), and potassium (runners lose potassium through sweating, and potassium helps to regulate muscle contraction and prevent cramping).  I have made homemade English muffins, but they are a bit more labor intensive than I was feeling on a Saturday afternoon.

I turned to English Muffin Bread for my week end baking project.  English Muffin Bread was on my baking bucket list for a while, and it was time to bake it up!  I can't believe I waited so long to make this because it was a such a simple yeast bread to make.

This bread requires no kneading.  You mix the ingredients together, and that's it.  I used my stand mixer, and that made it even easier.  After the mixing is done, you put the dough directly in the pan to rise.  It has a quick rise time, which is a bonus.

The crust was crisp, and the interior was soft and chewy with the spongy texture and crannies.  It does taste like an English muffin.  It makes a great toasting bread for breakfast.  I even used it for a grilled cheese sandwich.  Yep, even though I'm a year shy of 30, it's still fun to eat like a 7 year old.

English Muffin Toasting Bread
Yields 1 loaf

Ingredients:
3 cups (12 3/4 oz.) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. instant yeast
1 cup milk
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. olive oil
Cornmeal or semolina flour, to sprinkle in pan

Directions:
In either the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and instant yeast.

Combine the milk, water, and oil in a microwave safe bowl, and heat until the temperature reaches somewhere between 120ºF and 130ºF.  This took 75 seconds in my microwave, but microwaves will vary.  Stir the liquid well before measuring the temperature to ensure accuracy.  If you do not have a thermometer, the liquid will feel hot but not so hot that it would be uncomfortable as bath water.

Next, pour the hot liquid over the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl.  Beat at high speed using the paddle attachment.  The dough will be very soft, so don't worry.

Lightly grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2" loaf pan, and sprinkle the bottom and sides with cornmeal.  Then, add the dough into the pan, and levee it in the pan as much as possible.

Cover the pan, and let the dough rise for about 45 minutes to an hour.  When the dough is finished rising, it will have just barely crowned over the rim of the pan.  While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400ºF.  Remove the cover, and bake the bread for 22 to 28 minutes, or until the bread is golden brown.

Remove the bread from the oven, and allow it to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.  Then, turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool.  Let the bread finish cooling before slicing.

Source: King Arthur Flour