Category: Dessert

Banana Bread – An Updated Classic

The icy weather outside kept me indoors today, so I had some extra time on my hands to experiment in the kitchen.

I had two nearly black bananas staring at me — begging me to do something with them. So, I decided I’d try to make a gluten free banana bread — with no white sugar. I’ve never made such a thing before. When it comes to dessert, I generally go all in — white flour, white sugar, butter, oil. I don’t like to skimp on dessert since I hardly make them given my hectic schedule. However, today I thought I would try to alter a traditional banana bread recipe – a classic, if you will.

I knew there were certain items that I wanted to use — brown rice flour, almond meal and maple syrup, specifically — oh, and those two over-ripe bananas. So, I pulled together other traditional cake ingredients — eggs, a little vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and yogurt . . . . . and, voila, I had banana bread deliciousness baking in my oven!

I could hardly wait the 60 minutes it took for the bread to bake. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how the brown rice flour would work in this recipe so I was anxiously waiting for the timer on my oven to sound.

I’m happy to say, I was soooo pleased with the results! In fact, I was overjoyed. I can’t explain the excitement I feel when I make a healthy version of a generally not-too-healthy recipe — especially DESSERT! However, this recipes proves that you can lighten up your desserts and still retain the delicious flavor and texture you are used to – you just need to use some creativity.

Also, just a side note, banana bread is a completely acceptable breakfast — at least in my house!

So, here’s my Banana Bread recipe. I hope you try it — modify it — make it your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment in the kitchen — I’m so happy I wasn’t!

Banana Bread–An Updated Classic
Yields 1 loaf

1 ½ cups of brown rice flour
½ cup almond meal
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
½ cup of maple syrup
⅓ cup of coconut oil
⅓ cup of plain yogurt or sour cream
2 over-ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

optional — add ½ cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips or shredded coconut — or whatever addition suits your fancy.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with an oil of your choice.

In a bowl, add your dry ingredients — brown rice flour, almond meal, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

In a larger bowl add your wet ingredients — eggs, maple syrup, coconut oil (heat to liquid form), yogurt/sour cream, bananas, and vanilla extract. With a hand mixer, beat all wet ingredients until combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat until incorporated.

Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for approximately 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Let it cool. Slice and serve.

January 26, 2015
Entertaining 101: Best Dishes for Feeding a Crowd

Now that we’ve got our planning down, let’s figure out what types of dishes are best for entertaining. When you are expecting a large crowd, individual portions become difficult to manage. Family style (or buffet style), is the way to go. But, what will you serve that will feed a crowd? You need dishes that spread.

Here are my suggestions for the types of recipes (appetizers to desserts!) that work best when entertaining a group of people.

Simple dips and crudite platters
You can make them in advance, and they can generally work for vegetarians and meat-eating folks. And, if you don’t have time to make your own dip or vegetable platter, you can purchase the individual items and assemble. There’s no shame in picking up a store bought hummus or guacamole. Do what works for you.

Pasta
A big bowl of pasta is hearty and can feed many. Make a homemade pesto or marinara or any other sauce of choice and top it onto your favorite pasta. We do not have dietary restrictions in our house, but some of our guests do, so we make brown rice pasta and semolina pasta — two big bowls — both with the same sauce. You can also make a baked pasta — a lasagna or stuffed shells — or baked manicotti (which is what my family eats during the holidays). Generally, kids and adults are both happy with it!

Salads
They will go a mile and everyone enjoys them. My recommendation is to make a green salad and a grain salad. Not everyone at your party may be well versed on farro and quinoa, but everyone can relate to a nice green salad. Make both. Throw some seasonal ingredients into them to make them more festive — like pomegranate seeds, cranberries, toasted walnuts. You get the picture.

Veggies
A big platter of vegetables is always welcomed. You can grill them and serve them along with other appetizers, including breads and cheeses. Or, you can include them on your buffet along with your other dinner items. You can never go wrong with grilled vegetables and they taste even better room temperature.

If it’s too cold to bust out your grill, try a roasted vegetable platter instead — beets, butternut squash, throw some nuts and maybe cheese on top. Yum!

Meat or Fish
This is a little more complicated because cooking meat and fish requires timing it, carving it, etc. That being said, if you don’t mind stealing away from your guests to do so, there are definitely some options. You can roast a whole fish or salmon fillets and arrange on a platter. You can also bake a ham or roast a whole filet mignon and serve it room temperature. I tend to include meat on my holiday table because the older crowd look for it, but I’m seriously considering skipping it this season — just to give myself a break and offer myself a chance to not cook while my guests are around.

Dessert
Well, dessert is easy. Make a big fruit crisp. You can make it in advance, and just pop it in the oven to warm it before serving (with ice cream, or whipped cream or nothing because it’s so delicious on it’s own!). You can make cookies or cupcakes or a cake or pie or two. Just don’t make too much. I prefer quality over quantity.

In addition to the sweets, put out some fruit and nuts as well. Not everyone will be up for a heavy dessert after a big meal.

I hope these tips help make your holiday entertaining a bit easier and a lot less stressful.

December 21, 2014
Thanksgiving Starters, Sides & Desserts

Thanksgiving is one week away. Is your Thanksgiving dinner menu planned? If you are still searching for starters, sides and desserts, we have some great recipes for you. In fact, they are not only delicious dishes, but they are healthy alternatives to traditional Thanksgiving favorites.

Check out some of our favorite recipes below:

A wonderful, light and delicious appetizer is our White Bean Dip with Seasoned Pita Chips.

And, what better way to start your dinner than with a savory Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Croutons?

Looking for a festive salad? Try our Harvest Salad with Arugula, Roasted Butternut Squash and Quinoa.

We have some great sides to accompany your turkey or veggie loaf, including our Balsamic Brussel Sprouts.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

And, our Smashed Potatoes.

For dessert, we try our Apple Raisin Clafoutis.

And, our Maple Sweet Potato Pie!

We hope some of our delicious starters, sides and desserts make it onto your table this holiday season!

November 20, 2014
Maple Sweet Potato Pie

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because the focus isn’t on gifts, but on family — and food! And, not just any food — familiar and traditional food.

In fact, I bet your family is expecting a decadent pecan pie, sugared yams and your famous stuffing. I think the one thing to keep in mind is that it’s a special day — a day to splurge — a day to delight in familiar traditions and recipes, but you might want to consider adding a new recipe or two! This particular recipe is a great alternative to heavier pies made with white sugar and cream. Everyone will love this version of sweet potato pie that lightens up the ingredients but does not compromise flavor.

I used a traditional recipe, but swapped out the white sugar for grade B maple syrup. I generally substitute maple syrup for white sugar — 1:1. However, I used half the amount of maple syrup this time, and it was perfect. You would never know the recipe was altered. I promise!

The key to this recipe is roasting your sweet potatoes. DO NOT use canned sweet potato puree. As a busy mom, I tried a short cut. It didn’t work. Take the time to roast your own sweet potatoes . . . it will set up perfectly and have a delicious, dense texture.

You can use any pie crust that works for you. I tend to use pre-made pie crust. There are some really good ones on the market — I like Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust. It saves time, which is important, especially around the holidays.

You can make one 9-inch deep dish pie with this recipe — or two shallow 9 inch pies.

If you are considering a new Thanksgiving dessert, I hope you try our Maple Sweet Potato Pie. It’s so good, you may even consider it a replacement for your traditional pumpkin pie!

Maple Sweet Potato Pie
Yields 8 slices

2 cups of roasted sweet potato puree (I roasted 3 medium sized sweet potatoes in their skin, in foil, at 400 degrees, until they were fork tender. I peeled them and mashed them in a bowl)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of milk (I used 2% milk, but feel free to substitute)
3/4 cup of grade B maple syrup
1 teaspoon, vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1, 9-inch prepared deep dish pie crust or 2, 9-inch prepared shallow pie crusts (like the ones you find in the freezer case of your supermarket!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, add the mashed sweet potatoes, eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt and vanilla extract to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer until combined.

Pour sweet potato mixture into a prepared pie shell (or two depending on whether you use one deep dish or two shallow pie crusts). Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30-40 minutes for the two shallow pies and an additional 40-50 minutes for the deep dish pie. The pie will be done when the center is set and not jiggly.

Let the pie cool and serve at room temperature — or cold — and top with whipped cream — or nothing — it’s delicious either way!!

Helpful Hint: If your sweet potatoes are too stringy, you can press them through a potato ricer.

November 10, 2014
Apple Raisin Clafoutis

One of my favorite fall activities is apple picking. Not only do our kids love apple picking, but so do my husband and I. Needless to say, we end up leaving with tons of apples.

Apple pie, baked apples, applesauce and apple crisp are usually the first recipes that come to mind, but I like to use the apples to make a really delicious, light — and not too sweet — cake called Apple Raisin Clafoutis.

Clafoutis is a french baked dessert that involves fruit and a custard-like filling. Traditionally, cherries are incorporated, but my version is made with apples, raisins and topped with sliced almonds.

Generally, the cake is made with butter, white sugar and white flour. I’ve modified the recipe, replacing the white flour with brown rice flour, the butter with safflower oil and the white sugar with natural maple syrup. And, to be honest, you would never know the difference!!

The beauty of this cake is that it doesn’t require a lot of effort — not much more than peeling and slicing four apples and making a quick batter in the blender. It’s a no-fuss cake that’s perfect for any day of the week – but it’s also elegant enough for a dinner party or holiday gathering.

I like to serve the cake with whipped cream — or ice cream. If you are limiting your dairy, try cashew cream, or our Banana Maple Walnut Ice Cream! However, you can totally forgo a topping since the cake itself is so delicious!

Apple Raisin Clafoutis

Serves eight

4 apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of safflower oil
1/2 cup of raisins
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/2 cup of maple syrup (*I prefer Grade B for baking)
1/2 cup of milk
4 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup of brown rice flour
1/4 cup of sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-cup shallow baking dish or a 12-inch pie or tart pan.

Add the safflower oil to a large skillet on medium/low heat. Add sliced apples and cook until lightly browned and tender. Add the raisins, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Mix to incorporate; turn off the heat and reserve.

In the base of a blender add the eggs, milk, 1/4 cup of maple syrup, brown rice flour and vanilla extract. Blend on high for one minute. If you are using a Vitamix or other high performance blender you might want to reduce the blending time. At the end of the day, all of the ingredients should be well incorporated.

Spread the apple/raisin mixture in the greased baking dish/pan and pour the batter over the apples. Sprinkle sliced almonds on top of the cake. Bake one hour and serve warm.

September 17, 2014
Banana Maple Walnut “Ice Cream” (Dairy- and Gluten-Free!)

I had heard you could make mock-ice cream out of frozen bananas. I was skeptical, but I had a few spotted bananas on my counter, and I figured why not try! So, I peeled them, sliced them, wrapped them up and popped them into the freezer.

While they were freezing, I contemplated what type of ice cream I would make. You could easily make one-ingredient ice cream with just the frozen bananas, but I wanted to jazz it up a bit. While the ripened bananas are sweet on their own, I wanted to add a little more sweetness. I’m particularly fond of using maple syrup as a sweetener. I thought I’d also throw in some nuts — walnuts to be exact. Maple Walnut ice cream sounded pretty good to me — plus I figured the flavors would complement the bananas (think banana walnut muffin!).

I threw the chopped, frozen bananas into the food processor along with the maple syrup and pulsed it until it was smooth — like a softened ice cream texture. I then mixed in (by hand) the chopped walnuts.

The texture is definitely looser than ice cream, so you may want to put it in the freezer to set up a bit. If so, a loaf pan covered with plastic wrap works out nicely.

This is a great mock-ice cream. It’s creamy and delicious, and it is a perfect ice cream substitute. It’s also ideal for those who follow a dairy- or gluten-free diet.

As far as my family goes, they really enjoyed it — in fact, they were asking for more!

While an ice cream aficionado might turn their nose up, a health-conscious ice cream-loving mom will love this recipe — not only will she get rid of the spotted bananas in the house, but she will reap a healthy frozen dessert in return!

Banana Maple Walnut “Ice Cream”
Serves 4 people

4 ripe bananas cut into 1 inch slices and frozen
3-4 tablespoons maple syrup ( I use grade B for thickness)
1/4 cup of chopped walnuts

In the bowl of a food processor add your bananas and maple syrup (you can adjust the amount of syrup based on your desired level of sweetness). Pulse until the bananas break down, resembling a smooth creamy consistency. Remove mixture and add to a bowl. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Serve immediately or pop back into the freezer for a more solid consistency.

August 7, 2014
Tropical Thai Coconut Smoothie

Piña coladas are my summer-time splurge. I love the combination of coconut and pineapple — it’s just so delicious. Even if I’m not on a tropical island or on vacation, this drink helps me pretend that I am!

I thought I’d try my hand at a piña colada-like smoothie — or what I like to call my Tropical Thai Coconut Smoothie!

I recently discovered young Thai coconuts, and I thought they would be perfect for my concoction. In addition to the Thai coconut water and pulp, I incorporated frozen pineapple, some honey (for sweetness), vanilla extract (to mimic the flavor of vanilla ice cream) and a hint of lime. And, voila, my version of a piña colada (a healthier version) was born!

You can modify the recipe by adding half of a frozen banana or one cup of kale. You can also add some rum! (which REALLY made it taste like a piña colada).

We used a Coco Jack opener to help us dismantle our Thai coconut. If you don’t have a Coco Jack opener, you can certainly use coconut water. In fact our favorite brand of coconut water can be found in our shop!

Check out the photos below for more details on how we managed to open our Thai coconut.

Tropical Thai Coconut Smoothie
Yields between 4 and 5 cups

2 cups of fresh Thai coconut water (which seems to be the standard yield from a fresh Thai coconut), plus the pulp of one Thai coconut
1 cup of frozen pineapple
1 cup of ice
1/2 lime, juiced
1 tablespoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Some optional ingredients:
1/2 frozen banana (please note, bananas are very sweet and potent, so use sparingly)
1 cup of fresh kale

Add all of the ingredients to the base of a blender (I used a Vitamix) and blend until smooth. Portion into glasses, or back into the Thai coconut, and enjoy!

July 23, 2014
Blueberry Crisp (No White Sugar, No Dairy, No Gluten)

I love dessert. I love butter, sugar and cream — and all of the other sinful ingredients that go into a decadent dessert. However, I’ve been on a quest to lighten up my desserts, to reduce my sugar intake and to substitute more “healthy” ingredients into my recipes.

I thought I would start with a crisp. I made a light version of a strawberry rhubarb crisp a few months ago. It was delicious. But, now blueberries are in season, so I thought I would try my hand at a healthy blueberry crisp. I swapped out white sugar for maple syrup — a natural sugar. I included orange juice to add some natural sweetness as well as the zest of orange and lemon which pairs perfectly with the blueberries. Instead of butter, I used safflower oil as the “fat” in the topping. I added walnuts and oats for texture.

I’m really pleased with how it turned out. In fact, my whole family thoroughly enjoyed this crisp — even my mother (who can see right through my healthy dessert recipes) raved about it!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can swap the blueberries for other berries of your choice. You can eat it just as it is, or you can top it with ice cream, a dollop of cream or greek yogurt. I bet this would work out great with apples. I can’t wait for apple season . . . .

Blueberry Crisp
Serves 8-10 people

8 cups of blueberries
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of one orange
zest of one lemon
3/4 cup of maple syrup (grade B)
1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch

For the topping:

3/4 cup of brown rice flour
3/4 cup of almond meal
1 cup of quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of safflower oil
3/4 cup of maple syrup
1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine blueberries orange juice, lemon juice, zest, maple syrup and cornstarch. Mix to combine. Pour blueberry mixture into a 9 by 13 inch baker.

In a separate bowl, add brown rice flour, almond meal, oatmeal, salt, safflower oil, maple syrup and chopped walnuts. Mix to combine. The topping will be loose. It will not be crumbly like a more traditional crumb topping made with butter. I’ve included a picture below so you can see the consistency.

Spoon topping over blueberry mixture. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. Crisp is done when berries burst open and bubble.

Helpful hint: Don’t serve the crisp right from the oven. Let it sit a bit so that it sets up — it will be easier to dish out.

July 16, 2014
Banana-Oat Muffins

Let me tell you why I love these banana-oat muffins:

They are quick and easy to make.
You don’t need to drag your electric mixer out of the cabinet for this recipe. You just need a big bowl, a whisk, and a good masher—like what you’d use to smash your potatoes. Making the batter is quick, and 18 minutes in the oven is all it takes to have piping hot muffins on your table.

They are minimally processed.
Forget your highly processed pantry items! No need for white sugar, brown sugar, white flour or flour of any kind. These muffins are sweetened with just bananas.

They make use of old brown bananas.
I can’t handle seeing old brown bananas on my counter top, and there are only so many brown bananas that I can save in my freezer for smoothies. I love that this recipe makes great use of bananas that are no longer edible.

They are gluten-free.
This recipe is gluten-free, so it’s perfect to share with all of your friends. These days, we all know somebody with allergies, so it’s nice to have a few recipes for baked goods that work for everyone. If you have a gluten allergy/sensitivity, please make sure you are using gluten-free baking powder. Your oats should also be labeled as “gluten-free”. Although oats do not naturally contain gluten, they could have traces of gluten if the oats have been grown next to a wheat field or processed in mill that also processes wheat.

They are guilt-free.
All natural ingredients and no added sugar or flour? I would definitely say that this qualifies as a guilt-free recipe.

And, they are kid-approved.
My kids will actually eat these muffins. I usually sprinkle a few mini chocolate chips on the top of a few of the muffin tins before baking. It adds a little sweetness and feels like more of a treat. Feel free to add your own toppings like blueberries or coconut!

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups old fashioned oats
2 eggs
3 brown bananas, mashed
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Mix all ingredients together, and divide into 12 muffin tins. Bake for 18 minutes.

February 5, 2014
Apple-Pie-In-A-Cup Smoothie

This might be my favorite dessert smoothie ever. I call it a “dessert” smoothie because the apple-cinnamon flavor reminds me of apple pie. Turn to this drink instead of taking down a box of cookies and a half-gallon of ice cream. It has the perfect level of sweetness to satisfy your cravings.

Feel free to add a generous handful of baby kale leaves to this recipe. If you don’t mind the green hue, you will benefit from the added nutrition, and honestly, I don’t detect much of a difference in flavor.

Remember to honor yourself and the experience of consuming this delicious drink. It somehow tastes better when you sit down and sip it slowly out of a beautiful glass. I know you are busy. I’m tempted as much as anyone else to just pour my smoothie into a random old mug and drink it while multi-tasking around the house. Let’s change how we eat. Let’s make a real effort to eat mindfully.

Blend:

1 Fuji apple
1 frozen banana (sliced before freezing)
1 Tbsp almond butter
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1 cup soy/rice/almond milk
2 handfuls of ice
1 handful baby kale (optional)

Makes about 20-ounces of smoothie.

January 19, 2014