Low Fat Banana Bread

With Tropical Storm Isaac in town we were stuck in the house for most of the weekend with heavy rain and wind. Hope everyone else is safe and sound and not as bored as we are. What better to do than some baking to keep busy AND use up the brown bananas. I like that the recipe used applesauce instead of butter and it kept the bread nice and moist. Now I spoiled the low-fat and added chocolate chips but you could use the recommended chopped walnuts for a crunch. This made a great breakfast and snack during the day, assuming we don't devour it before then.

Low Fat Banana Bread
Source: Six Sisters' Stuff

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana (3-5 bananas)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional) I used chocolate chips

Directions:
In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed banana, sugar, and applesauce. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix well.
 
Pour batter into greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes for one 9x5x3 pan or bake 40-45 minutes for two 7 1/2x 3 1/2x 2 inch pans.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Sometimes I just crave banana bread. The only problem is that you have to wait for the bananas to get brown and soft so they are sweet and can be mashed. I bought some at the store that were not green but still had a few days to go. Like a little kid I checked them daily to see if they were ready yet and while they could have stayed another day or two I declared them brown enough yesterday and went to work on my banana bread. You may notice a theme in my recipes, I love chocolate. So naturally I would use a recipe that calls for chocolate chips in the bread for added sweetness. I also enjoy walnuts for an extra crunch and texture but unfortunately didn't have any in the house, maybe next time. I like this bread because it isn't too sweet. Be sure not to over cook it or you will get a crunchy outside and dry out the middle. Otherwise this is great for breakfast or a snack. I knew it was a success when Jason came home and immediately took a slice on our way to walk the dog.

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Serves: 12-18
Source: Woman's Day

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine (not spread), softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 2 large)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 ounces)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Heat oven to 350F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Beat butter, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until blended. Beat in bananas and extract. With mixer on low speed, gradually beat in flour just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 60 to 65 minutes until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack 5 minutes before removing from pan to rack to cool completely. Slice and enjoy!

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Who doesn't love fresh bread with dinner? Isn't it secretly one of the perks to eating out? I know it is for me! One thing my dad whips up that I always love is foccacia bread. This is a super simple way to make rosemary focaccia bread that doesn't even involve making the actual dough! You can simply buy fresh pizza dough from your local grocery store or even pizza place, add a few ingredients and voila! I made ours a rosemary focaccia since we have a huge rosemary bush in our backyard that we haven't made a dent it. If you don't like rosemary you can use the same concept and just use olive oil and kosher salt.

Rosemary Focaccia
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1-pound package refrigerated pizza dough
6 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary needles

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Let the pizza dough warm up a bit on the counter to make it easier to roll out. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll each potion to a 1/4-inch thickness. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle each portion of dough with 1/2 teaspoon of the oil and sprinkle with some of the salt and pepper.
Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from oven, brush with the remaining oil, and sprinkle with the rosemary. Return to oven until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. If desired, serve with a side of olive oil.

Cranberry Oat and Honey Bread

I had some fresh cranberries left over from the holidays that were hidden in my fruit drawer and perfect for this recipe. I also found a container of cranberry honey in our pantry and used almost a whole honey bear. I couldn't believe that the recipe didn't have any butter or sugar! I of course added a tiny bit of sugar just in case ;) This is a hearty, chewy and denser bread that is perfect for a breakfast or snacks on the go.

Cranberry Oat and Honey Bread
Servings: 2 loaves
Adapted from: Eat Yourself Skinny

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used 1/2 cup whole wheat flour)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
2 tsp. sugar
1 cup quick cooking oats
3/4 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup fat-free milk
2 cups fresh cranberries (or 1 cup dried)
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease 2 loaf pans.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and oats.  

In a large bowl, mix together honey, vegetable oil, eggs and milk.  Mix in flour mixture until just moistened.  Stir in cranberries and pour into prepared baking dishes.  Sprinkle the top with extra oats and sugar if desired. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread

There  is a "cold" front here and I say that lightly since down here that means high in the 70s and down to 50s/60s at night. I was excited to be able to wear jeans for once and not be swealtering. It also meant I sort of felt like fall was coming, but it didn't have that crispness in the air. Taking advantage of this I made my mom's pumpkin cranberry bread. This is a staple in our house in the fall and holiday season, something that she makes for all of the holiday cookie/dessert platters. Luckily, it is really simple and reminds me of home and the holidays. The pumpkin keeps it nice and moist, the cranberries a tiny tang so the bread is not very sweet. A big perk is that it freezes well so you can eat one loaf now and keep the other for a gift, company or just another day.

Pumpkin Cranberry Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients:
2 slightly beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
½ cup oil (vegetable or canola)
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ginger
1 cup fresh cranberries cut in half or quartered

Directions:
1. Combine eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin, mix well.

2. Combine flour, spices, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

3. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients. Pour pumpkin mixture into the well, stir just until dry ingredients are moist.

4. Stir in cranberries.

5. Spoon batter into 2 greased & floured 8x3 3/4x 2 1/2 inch aluminum loaf pans. The batter will be thick, I used a measuring cup to scoop and then smooth the batter into the pan with a spatula.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

7. Cool on a wire rack then carefully flip the loaves out of the pans, slice and enjoy! 

Fun Summer Day

Today I am venturing out on my blog from just food posts. We had a busy and fun filled day that started with some delicious breakfast. I am a lover of most breakfast foods yet am usually too lazy to make them on my own, especially during the week. This morning I was up early and had some left over challah to use up so figured I would try a different take on the classic French toast. It was simple to make and flavorful. The cinnamon sugar crunch on top was perfect.

 

Baked French Toast with Blueberries

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing

6 eggs

3 cups whole milk (I used 1%)

3/4 cup maple syrup, plus extra for serving

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1 Tablespoon for the topping

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1 lemon, zested

3 (1-inch thick) slices (8 ounces) day-old challah or sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 cups (12 ounces) fresh or frozen, thawed, and drained blueberries

3 Tablespoons granulated sugar

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs until frothy. Add the milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest. Add the bread cubes and mix until coated. Stir in the blueberries. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the remaining cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the egg mixture in an even layer. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and the filling is set.

Spoon onto serving plates and drizzle with maple syrup.

 

Source: Giada De Laurentiis

After breakfast we went to meet my cousin in Delray Beach for lunch and window shopping on Atlantic Avenue. She was our first “visitor” since being in Florid, which was a lot of fun. It was strange to think I have been here a few months and yet am able to show people around and know where to go already. We had to make our way down to the beach so we could all say we have been there.

There were a lot of signs and tape up all along the beach for the turtle nests. I had only read about them so it was cool to see that they do exist.

Low Fat Banana Oatmeal Bread

I had some extra bananas that I needed to use up and what better way than with some yummy and healthy banana bread. I definitely don't feel badly having this as a snack with all of the oats, bananas and whole wheat

Ingredients:

¾ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
½  tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tsp canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
2 medium egg whites, beaten
3 large bananas, ripe
1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
Chocolate chips (optional)
 

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350°F.

2.    Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon.

3.    In a smaller bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or fork. Add oil and whole egg and mix thoroughly.

4.    Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix well.  Batter will be fairly thick. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg whites together until forms medium peaks then fold into the batter.  I added chocolate chips and mixed them into the batter.

5.    Pour batter into pan (add chocolate chips on top for decoration if you like) and bake until top of loaf is firm to touch, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes. Slice loaf into 10 equally sized slices.

Source:  Sweet Treats and More