banana Archives - Page 2 of 3

Banana Buttermilk Muffins

August 1, 2013 ·

Banana Buttermilk Muffins are healthy muffin recipe that is not only delicious, but takes 10 minutes to prepare. These are sure to become a household favorite!

While I thought it was safe to assume that Pumpkin Banana Muffins are Adam’s favorite muffin, these Banana Buttermilk Muffins may quickly take the top spot, if they haven’t already. Within the first week of making the first batch, I had to make another…and another! It seemed that Adam and Mike (and I too!) were devouring these faster than I could make them. Fortunately, they are super quick and easy to make! The hands on time takes about 10 minutes, and for some reason, these just seem easier to make than other muffins….

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, buttermilk, easy, low fat, muffins, whole wheat

Chocolate Banana Brownies

July 11, 2013 ·

Chocolate Banana Brownies are so rich and fudgy, you would never guess they are low in fat (and can be made vegan)!

Chocolate Banana Brownies | alidaskitchen.com

I’ve been on a bit of a brownie kick lately and found myself choosing between three different brownies recipes to share with you today. These Chocolate Banana Brownies were at the top of the list. A brownie that is so rich and fudgy, you would never guess it’s low in fat (and can be made vegan)? Yes please!

The addition of bananas not only puts a tasty twist on these brownies, but it also helps reduce some of the added fat. There are also no eggs in this recipe. Changes from the original recipe include using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all-purpose (either one works fine, I just wanted a whole wheat brownie) and using brown sugar instead of granulated, because I love the flavor brown sugar adds to baked goods. Use your favorite non-dairy milk and non-dairy chocolate chips, and you have a delicious vegan dessert that everybody will love!

Chocolate Banana Brownies

Author: Alida Fischbach

Yields: 13x9-inch pan of brownies (see note for servings)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 cups packed brown sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup mashed overripe bananas (2-3, depending on size)
¼ cup milk (use soy or almond for vegan)
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (use dairy-free for vegan)
Cooking spray

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350*F. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk flour, brown sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir bananas, milk, oil, and vanilla until well-blended.
Add banana mixture to flour mixture, gently stirring until just combined. Add chocolate chips, folding gently.
Pour batter into prepared baking pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Be careful not to over bake, otherwise the brownie may not be as fudgy). Move pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into squares to serve.

Notes

Note: 24 squares = 150 calores/brownie, 36 squares = 100 calories/brownie. These amounts are approximations based on the ingredients I used.

Source: About.com

Have more overripe bananas? Here are some other healthy, easy recipes to try:

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Banana Buttermilk Muffins

Healthy Banana Cookies

Filed Under: dessert, Favorites, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes, vegan Tagged With: banana, brownies, chocolate, vegan

Healthy Banana Cookies

February 17, 2013 ·

Healthy Banana Cookies are a chewy, fruit-filled cookie made using some of my favorite foods – oats, dates and bananas. They are made from simple, wholesome ingredients, have no butter and added sugar, thus making them a healthier choice. I love the simplicity of these cookies and have to admit these cookies made a delightful breakfast! These Healthy Banana Cookies also happen to be dairy free and can be gluten free.

Healthy Banana Cookies from Alida's Kitchen

I have had this at the top of my ‘to make’ pile for months just waiting for some super ripe bananas. While we always have plenty of super ripe bananas in the house, they’re typically reserved for Pumpkin Banana Muffins or Pumpkin Banana Pancakes (or Strawberry Banana Pancakes once strawberry season hits). Fortunately, I was a muffin and pancake making machine in advance of our new baby’s arrival, stocking the freezer full of Adam’s favorite banana goodies. With a stocked freezer and 3 very ripe bananas, it was finally my opportunity to try these Healthy Banana Cookies!

Healthy Banana Cookies

Yields: approx. 24 cookies

Ingredients

3 very ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking work fine)
1 cup (8 ounces) pitted dates, chopped
⅓ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a large bowl, mash bananas. Add oats, dates, oil, vanilla and cinnamon, and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes.
Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful onto prepared cookie sheets. [Note: the cookies don't spread so you may want to shape them a bit]
Bake cookies for 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and then move to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

These are best enjoyed the day after baking.

Coincidentally, this is also the first month of the Eating the Alphabet Healthy Recipe Challenge for 2013, hosted by Brenda of Meal Planning Magic. Each month, several bloggers will focus on healthy recipes featuring fruits, vegetables grains or legumes, from a couple different letters (this month it is A or B). I thought Healthy Banana Cookies would be the perfect healthy recipe to start off this fun series.

Filed Under: breakfast, dessert, gluten free, healthy, kid-friendly, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: alphabet challege, baby/toddler, banana, cookies, dairy free, dates, easy

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

September 12, 2012 ·

Pumpkin Banana Muffins put a Fall twist on banana bread with the perfect balance of pumpkin and banana.

Pumpkin Banana Muffins | alidasktichen.com

Pumpkin Banana Muffins are a huge hit in our household. They are made with whole wheat flour, bumping the nutrition value. The pumpkin and banana make for a moist muffin, so not a lot of oil is needed. I typically make these as a combination of mini muffins (24) and standard muffins (3) and freeze half of the mini muffins.

So last week was Adam’s first day of preschool. I decided to make Pumpkin Banana Muffins as a special surprise after school. Pumpkin Banana Muffins are his favorite muffin of all time, so I knew they would be a hit. He loved school and was welcomed home with his favorite treat. It is safe to say, he had the best day!

Pumpkin Banana Muffins

Yields: 30 mini-muffins (or 15-18 standard muffins)

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour (or 1 cup all-purpose flour/1 cup whole wheat flour)
½ cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree
¼ cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tins with baking spray and fill empty cups with water. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice.
In a separate bowl, whisk the bananas, pumpkin, oil, eggs and vanilla, until well-blended.
Add banana mixture to flour mixture, gently folding until combined.
Divide mixture evenly among prepared muffin cups.
Bake for 11 to 13 minutes for mini muffins / 13 to 15 minutes for standard muffins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

ETA 10/19/12: I have made these several times since posting and have experimented with different flours, since white whole wheat flour isn’t an ingredient I always have on hand. All whole wheat pastry flour works really well, and the recipe has been updated below accordingly.

Source: Pumpkin Banana Bread

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Popular, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, baked, banana, brunch, easy, muffins, pumpkin, snack, whole wheat

Banana Bread Pancakes

July 24, 2012 ·

I love having extra bananas around the house because inevitable it means they will be made into something yummy. In this instance, I turned them into Banana Bread Pancakes. I have been looking for a good banana pancake recipe for years and, as usual, have never found what I was hoping for. I decided to modify my go-to pancake base recipe, mix a few things up, go heavy on the bananas and see what happens. The result are a healthy banana pancake that tastes just like banana bread. They are delicious plain (that’s how Adam likes them) but for myself, I whipped up a little cream cheese drizzle from my Carrot Cake Pancakes. No matter how you top them, these Banana Bread Pancakes are simply delicious. Adam also gives his official toddler seal of approval, which is always a win in my book!

Banana Bread Pancakes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon oil
3 to 4 overripe bananas, mashed (approx 1½ cups)
Cooking spray

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, oil and mashed bananas until well-blended.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring gently until just moistened (batter may be lumpy). Let batter sit for about 10 minutes.
Preheat nonstick skillet to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Spoon batter onto skillet by the 2 tablespoonfuls to ¼ cupful, depending on desired size (Note: If batter is a little thick, use the back of your spoon to spread/shape the pancakes). Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, buttermilk, easy, freezer friendly, make ahead, pancakes

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

June 22, 2012 ·

We recently picked up several pounds of strawberries from a local farm, and I’m chipping away at my long list of things to make. At the top of the list was pancakes, but not just any strawberry pancakes… Strawberry Banana Pancakes! I searched online for inspiration and found nothing, so I decided to just make something up. I took my standard pancake base recipe, combined it with my Strawberry Vanilla Pancakes and added some banana. The result is a Strawberry Banana Pancake made with a buttermilk pancake base, a good dose of vanilla, and a generous amount of chopped strawberries and mashed bananas. Such a delicious combination!

I never thought my little Adam would ever love any pancake more than Cottage Cheese Pancakes. Well, after making these Strawberry Banana Pancakes, I stand corrected. He devoured 4 pancakes with impressive speed and has been asking about them ever since.

Strawberry Banana Pancakes

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1¼ cups low fat buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
2 cups diced strawberries
2 mashed bananas (about 1 cup)
1 tablespoon oil
Cooking spray or addtional oil, for pan

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, oil and mashed bananas until well-blended.
Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring gently until just moistened (batter may be lumpy) and then fold in strawberries. Let batter sit for about 10 minutes.
Preheat nonstick skillet to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Spoon batter onto skillet by the 2 tablespoonfuls to ¼ cupful, depending on desired size. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until bubbles form and the edges look set. Flip pancakes and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden.

Filed Under: breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes, vegetarian Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, buttermilk, easy, pancakes, strawberries, vanilla, whole wheat

healthy buttermilk chocolate banana swirl bread

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

June 14, 2012 ·

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread is a moist banana bread with a chocolate swirl. The addition of chocolate to the classic comfort food of banana bread is not only delicious but it’s pretty too!

Truth be told, the first time I made this bread, the result was less than stellar. The bread was pretty, and it tasted okay, but texture was off. It was dense and chewy, not quite the light and fluffy texture I look for in a banana bread. And actually come to think of it, even though it tasted good, it didn’t taste like banana bread. Clearly, this recipe was in desperate need of a do-over!

Thankfully Frigidaire is encouraging folks to share do-over moments, which gave me the extra push I needed to try again. I never like wasting ingredients on an unsuccessful recipe, but I loved the concept of the chocolate swirl in banana bread. So I took the original recipe and gave it a makeover.

I made several tweaks, such as using buttermilk instead of yogurt, oil instead of butter and eggs instead of egg substitute. I also added some vanilla and a few extra chocolate chips on top. Then…I crossed my fingers!

A little over an hour later, the results of this do-over were in. The bread rose nicely, had the perfect banana bread texture, and the chocolate swirl was harmonious with the banana bread. This is exactly what Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread should be like! I look forward to making this recipe again and again, and I thank Frigidaire for this do-over opportunity!

Marbled Chocolate Banana Bread

Yields: 1 loaf (16 servings)

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
2 eggs
⅓ cup low fat buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray
Additional mini chocolate chips, for topping (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ x 4¼ inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt.
In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil on medium until blended (about 1 minute). Add banana, egg, buttermilk and vanilla, and beat until blended.
Fold the flour mixture into the banana mixture, gently stirring batter until just moist.
Place chocolate chips in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute (on high) or until almost melted. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, if needed. Stir until smooth and let cool slightly.
Add 1 cup batter to the chocolate, stirring until well combined.
Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan, alternating between plain batter and chocolate batter. Swirl batters together using a knife. Sprinkle top with additional chocolate chips, if desired.
Bake for 1 hour and 10 to 15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack and the remove from pan to wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Disclaimer: This post was sponsored by Frigidaire. When you share your own do-over moment at Facebook.com/Frigidaire, Frigidaire will donate $1 to Save the Children’s U.S. programs. Plus, Frigidaire will help cover the costs for one lucky visitor to win the ultimate do-over.

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: banana, buttermilk, chocolate, cooking light, easy, frigidare, low fat, quick, tastemaker

Banana Cornbread Muffins

April 20, 2012 ·

These Banana Cornbread Muffins were whipped together as a result of a request from my little Adam. For weeks, he had been asking me to make cornbread ~ specifically rosemary cornbread. Since I did not have any fresh rosemary on hand (and let’s be honest…it’s just not the same with dried), I decided to come up with something new. I spotted an overripe banana, got out a pen and a yellow sticky note and started jotting down what became this recipe.

The result is a muffin with a nice balance of banana and cornbread. They are light and fluffy, like any good muffin should be (so more muffin-y than cornbread-y). I made half with a banana slice on top and half without. They look nicer with a slice, but the banana turns brown after a day or so. It still tastes good, but just not as pretty.

Banana Cornbread Muffins
Yields 12 muffins

Ingredients
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ripe banana, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup canola oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
thin banana slices (optional, for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin pan with 12 paper liners (or spray with cooking spray). Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In a medium bowl, whisk the banana, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until blended.
Add the banana mixture to the cornmeal mixture and fold until combined.
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Place a slice of banana on top of each muffin. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, healthy, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, cornbread, easy, low fat, muffins, quick, snack

Banana Graham Muffins

December 12, 2011 ·

One of the reasons I often make muffins or quick breads is so that Mike can take breakfast on-the-go. With this lastest muffin creation, I wanted to make something that Adam would love as well. It definitely did not take me long to come up with this one. It is no secret that toddlers love bananas and toddlers love graham crackers. So why not put the two together in a muffin to create the ultimate toddler treat!

I must confess that Adam is not the only banana and graham cracker lover in this house ~ yours truly is a huge fan as well. These muffins definitely did not disappoint! The crushed graham crackers definitely add a tasty spin on an otherwise simple banana muffin recipe. In fact, they ended up being a nice combination of the two flavors. They were not overly graham cracker-y but also not like banana bread. I added some cinnamon, which ended up very subtle in this recipe. That amount could be doubled if you’re looking for something cinnamony to go with your banana and graham.

So did Adam love them? He sure did! In fact, we all did, and I hope you do too!

Banana Graham Muffins

Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients

1 cup crushed graham crackers
1 cup all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
¼ cup buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tin with paper liners (or spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the graham crackers, flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and sugar.
In a separate bowl, combined the mashed bananas, oil milk, egg anv vanilla.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients, folding gently until combined (be careful not to over mix).
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Adapted from Baking Vintage

Filed Under: bread, breakfast, kid-friendly, Recipes Tagged With: baby/toddler, banana, brunch, cinnamon, easy, graham, graham cracker, muffins, quick, snack

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

November 22, 2011 ·

Here are the Pumpkin Banana Pancakes I alluded to in yesterday’s post. Thankfully I did not lose the eggs and was able to make them. It’s a good thing too. I was excited to try a new spin on an old recipe, and Adam absolutely LOVED them! Similar to Pumpkin Banana Bread, these definitely taste like a cross between pumpkin pancakes and banana pancakes. Not a bad thing if you ask me!

The recipe made around 50 small-ish pancakes. I typically make a huge batch for the freezer and package them in groups of 6 (enough for a few days in each bag). I figured Adam would eat 1 or 2, and I would have the rest to use for pictures during nap time. Well…that morning he ate 4. Then he asked for another one for snack. This left me with 1 pancake for pictures. I couldn’t quite take a picture of just 1 pancake, so I decided to do pictures the next day and took out another 6-pack from the freezer. Of course, what did Adam do the next day? He ate 4 pancakes! I feared having fewer, so I made do with the 3 that remained. I’m just so glad he likes them. I hope you do too!

Pumpkin Banana Pancakes

Ingredients

1¾ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1 cup pumpkin puree
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups milk (whole, skim, 1%, whatever you like)
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Cooking spray

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir and sift flours, baking powder and pumpkin pie spice.
In another bowl, beat eggs with pumpkin, banana and vanilla. Add milk and oil and mix until smooth.
Fold pumpkin mixture into dry ingredients. Let sit for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat griddle to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
Drop pancake batter by the generous tablespoonful onto griddle. Cook until bubbles appear (about 2-3 minutes). Flip and cook until set (about 2-3 minutes). Repeat.

Notes

These freeze really well. I store them in a plastic baggie in groups of 6, with each pancake separated by wax paper squares. I then put all of the plastic baggies in a freezer bag.