Banana Walnut Bread

Banana Walnut bread is a staple in my household.  I bake it all year long, making small tweaks every single time. Sometimes with wheat flour, maybe with sprouted wheat flour, maybe self-rising cake flour, almond flour, gluten-free with brown rice flour,  with less flour-more bananas - but somehow it happens in a jiffy!  There is no need for fancy mixers etc. as you can just mix with a wooden or steel spoon. 

It has now come down to an art more than a science.

This time I used cake flour mixed with sprouted spelt flour, almond meal and added the usual standard ingredients, sugar, eggs, spices, etc.   

Banana Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 55 minutes
• Yield: Makes one loaf

No need for a mixer for this recipe! Clean-up is easy too, if you want, you can mix everything in one mixing bowl.

The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled

• 1/4 cup oil

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• Pinch of salt

• 3/4 cup raw sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)

• 2 large eggs, beaten

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon clove powder

• 3 cups of self-rising cake flour + almond meal + sprouted spelt flour

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a standard size 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2 In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir in the 2 beaten eggs. Stir the oil into the eggs with mashed bananas.

3 Mix in the baking soda, spices, and salt. Stir in the sugar. Mix in all the flour. Gently stir it all in for 5-6 strokes.

4 Add some chopped walnuts and stir in all in gently. 

5 Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.  Top with more chopped walnuts if needed. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

6 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)

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adapted from Simply Recipes

Healthy Recipe: Holiday Trifle

I have concluded this - all the way from September thru February, there is absolutely no scope for staying away from sweets for a sweet-tooth like me (Navarathri - Indian festival, Diwali - festival of Lights, Halloween, my son's birthday, Thanksgiving, Karthigai- more Indian lights, Christmas Holidays, my daughter's birthday, Winter blues cookie and dessert eating all the way upto Valentines' till my Wedding anniversary) - so I scout the Net for slightly healthier alternatives to the traditional recipes.  All of you would have enjoyed some nice Pumpkin Pies, Pecan pies or Pumpkin breads. 

While I still use up my remaining cranberries for Cranberry bread, and Pumpkin walnut Cranberry bread,  I thought let me have a placeholder for a simple Holiday Trifle I read in the Prevention Magazine.

Holiday Trifle

Try this lighter recipe for a classic holiday dessert

Courtesy: Prevention Magazine Carl Raymond

Holiday Trifle

Work Time: 25 Minutes / Total Time: 25 Minutes + Chilling Times / Servings: 10
This delightful dessert won't weigh you down. Angel food cake makes a delicate base for layers of smooth custard and sweet berry sauce. To top it off, enjoy a touch of real whipped cream and a sprinkle of flavorful, crunchy almonds!

• 3 c fat-free milk or fat-free milk "plus" (such as Over the Moon)
• 2 lg eggs
• 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 9 oz prepared angel food cake, cut into 2" chunks
• 1/3 c brandy or orange juice
• 1 can (14-16 oz) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1/2 c heavy cream
• 1 Tbsp confectioners' sugar (optional)
• 1/4 c sliced almonds, toasted

Holidays & Entertaining

 1. Bring milk to a boil over medium heat in large saucepan and turn off heat. meanwhile, beat eggs, cornstarch, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract in medium bowl until smooth.
 2. Add hot milk to egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking. Pour back into saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
 3. Pour custard into bowl and chill 30 minutes.
 4. Put half of the cake cubes in 2 1/2-to 3-quart trifle dish or glass bowl. Sprinkle with half of the brandy, then spread half of the cranberry sauce over cake. cover with half of the custard. repeat process to make a second layer, covering top of cake with custard. chill overnight.
 5. Whip cream with confectioners' sugar, if using, just until soft peaks form. Spread on top of trifle and sprinkle with almonds.
 Nutritional Info Per Serving 255 cal, 6 g pro, 39 g carb, 1 g fiber, 7 g fat, 3.5 g sat fat, 251 mg sodium
  Our solution has: 41% fewer calories 74% less sat fat 39% less sugar than a traditional trifle

Spook season is here - Trick or Treerrt - Cupcakes Galore!!

Halloween season was around the corner, when the witchy woman, Mother Nature came up with her bag of spooktacular surprises! First there was rain, some hail, and then what do you know - we got our first snowfall.. Ok, it won't stick we thought, but that turned out to be a Halloween Nor'easter with about 12" of snow, and that of course, came with its price.. 
Trick or Tree! Over 3 million people in the East coast area lost power due to the vast downing of trees with power lines affected as a result. 

Yes, we did lose power, but luckily for us, we had invested in a generator, so it was manageable. We were careful about conserving power though but using switches and devices only as needed.

Trick-or-treating for the town has been postponed by a week, and I decided to make nice Halloween goody bags for neighbors and friends with some frosted Halloween cupcakes and Cat-themed cookies.

This year, I decided to use a good old brownie mix and some chocolate cake mix, and incorporate some tweaks to suit it to the Halloween theme.  I have followed some tips and tricks from Giada De Laurentiis, awesome baking chef from Food Network.

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Orange Sugar frosting

Recipe ideas from Giada De Laurentiis

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 35 min
Serves: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

Cupcakes:

• 1 box chocolate cake mix and/or Brownie mix
• Orange juice (instead of water in cake mix), eggs, oil ( as much as box recipe demands)
• 1 cup diced candied orange peel (about 8 ounces)

Frosting:

• 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons limoncello (you can substitute with 2 tablespoons lemon juice for minors)
• 2 tablespoons orange juice
• 1 orange, zested
• 1/4 cup finely diced candied orange peel, for garnish
• Special equipment: cupcake liners, 2 muffin pans

Directions

To make the cupcakes: mix the chocolate cake mix according to package instructions, substituting orange juice for the water. Fold the the candied orange peel into the chocolate mixture. Line the muffin pan with the cupcake liners. Fill and bake the cupcakes according to package instructions. Let the cupcakes cool for 1 hour on a wire rack before frosting.

To make the frosting: combine all the ingredients except the candied orange peel in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Using a small spatula, place about 1 tablespoon of frosting on top of each cupcake. Top with a small sprinkle of candied orange peel.

Berry Shortcake - cheat a little as you whittle your middle!

Now that the weather is warming up, and Punxatawney Phil and his buddies have decided to come out while the tulip bulbs are slowly making their way out, its also time for berries! One can enjoy berries year long, but picking fresh berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries is just a totally unbeatable experience on its own.
Nutritionally, berries are powerpacked with Vitamin C, minerals and phytochemicals for a minimal amount of calories. Flavonoids in berries help prevent certain kinds of cancer.
Start your day with a healthy breakfast, incorporating a handful of berries into any breakfast you can handle - a bowl of warm oatmeal topped with berries, walnuts and honey OR Berries and bananas with granola and cereal and milk, OR a berry and yogurt parfait or smoothie..


Of course, sometimes, its great to indulge in a little added sugar too.. so here is a simple recipe for a Yummy Berry Shortcake, with biscuits.

Ingredients

* 4 cups stemmed and halved strawberries
* 2 cups blueberries
* 2 cups blackberries
* 2 tablespoons honey
* 2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur or use 1 tsp. Orange Zest mixed with 1 tbsp of lemon juice
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 refrigerated can large biscuits
* 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
* Sanding sugar
* Whipped cream, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add all the berries along with the honey, liqueur and sugar. Mix together and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Arrange the biscuits onto a sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Brush butter over the tops and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake according to the cooking instructions on the package. When baked, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Cut the biscuits in half and cover the bottom half with berries. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and drizzle with some of the berry juice. Cover with the top half of the biscuit or lean it on the side. Arrange on serving plates or on a platter and serve.

Whipped Cream:

* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, beat the heavy cream with a hand-held mixer until a foam forms. Add the sugar and vanilla extract. Continue beating until soft peaks form.

Recipe Courtesy: Baking with the Neelys - Food Network

All Hail Kale - Kale, Potato and Onion Frittata

All hail Kale! I've always loved spinach, but having been raised in India, was not exposed to enough greens since they were highly seasonal, and tend to be more muddy and contaminated in the tropical areas.

Kale, together with cabbage, collards and Brussels sprouts belongs to the Brassica family. It is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C and manganese. It is also a good source of dietary fibre, copper, calcium, vitamin B6 and potassium.
So, research shows that Kale turns on your body's natural detoxifying enzymes to help ward off lung and stomach cancers. The B vitamins boosts energy in your activity levels, promoting that healthy glow to your skin.

Here is a nice palate-pleaser recipe from the Self Magazine which can very well be eaten at dinnertime..Honey, can you make this? :-)

Recipe for Kale, Potato and Onion Frittata
* Vegetable oil cooking spray
* 1 yellow or white onion, sliced
* 1 pound kale, trimmed, blanched 3 minutes in boiling water, drained, squeezed and coarsely chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 cups boiled diced potatoes
* 2 whole eggs
* 2 egg whites
* 1/2 teaspoon paprika (preferably smoked)

Preparation

Heat oven to 400°F. In a medium skillet coated with cooking spray, cook yellow onion over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add kale and garlic; stir 5 minutes. Add potatoes. Whisk eggs, egg whites, 2 tablespoon water and paprika in a bowl. Stir in kale-potato mixture. In a cast-iron skillet coated with cooking spray, cook egg mixture over medium-low heat 1 minute. Transfer skillet to oven; bake until eggs are set and center is slightly runny, 6 to 8 minutes. Broil until top is golden, 1 minute.

Serve with: A baked tomato and a salad per person. Halve tomato. Top each half with 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan, 1 teaspoon olive oil and 1/8 teaspoon each chopped garlic, thyme, basil and parsley; season with pepper. Broil 3 to 5 minutes. Combine 1 cup mixed lettuces, 1 slice red onion and 1/2 tsp each vinegar and olive oil.

Read More

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 24

* 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self- rising), sifted
* 2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
* 2 large eggs, room temperature
* 1/2 teaspoon red gel-paste food color
* 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 cup buttermilk
* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
* Cream Cheese Frosting

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour, cocoa, and salt.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, whisk together sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in food color and vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam); add mixture to the batter, and mix on medium speed 10 seconds.
4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen up to 2 months, in airtight containers.
5. To finish, use a small offset spatula to spread cupcakes with frosting. Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

From Martha Stewart Cupcakes
Helpful Hint

Gel-paste food color is much more concentrated than the supermarket liquid variety; if you substitute the liquid, you may need to add an entire bottle (1.5 ounces) to achieve the desired shade.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Red Velvet Cupcakes - Martha Stewart Recipes