Banana Bread Cupcakes

So I was told not to eat bananas, ice cream, seafood and peanut for a few days as part of a knee-injury treatment. Well, I had 5 very ripe bananas in my house. I wasn't going to throw them away. I decided to make banana bread. But not just banana bread - that wouldn't be worth giving away - banana bread cupcakes with two kinds of frosting: cream cheese and chocolate ganache.

Beautifully frosted banana bread cupcakes

I got the banana bread recipe from here. I mixed the bananas into the batter instead of laying on top. I say this recipe needs at least 1/2 cup of butter instead of just 3 tablespoon as the cake came out a little dry.



Cream cheese frosting was 1 package of cream cheese, 5 tablespoons of butter at room temperature (the same stick I used for the cake) and 1 cup of confectioner sugar. Chocolate ganache from Alton Brown. I halved the recipe - using 8oz. of Giradelli semi sweet chocolate chips - and still have plenty left over.

I was told the cupcakes were good but not my best. And that the ganache was pretty awesome!

Strawberry Rhubarb Bread

I forgot to put fat again and have come to believe that straight fat, i.e. oil or butter, in small amount in quick bread sometimes is not that important. Take this bread. It's full of strawberries and rhubarb to give it enough moisture. Agave nectar sweetened it just enough. I think it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole wheat flour


• 1/2 cup all purpose flour


• 1/4 cup toasted wheat germ


• 1 teaspoon baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 2 eggs


• 1/2 cup plain yogurt


• 1/2 cup Agave nectar


• 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries


• 1 stalk rhubarb - sliced into 1/4 inch thick (about 1/2 cup)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a tube pan or a 9-inch square pan (I used tube pan.)


2. Mix together whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, wheat germ baking soda and salt.


3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, yogurt and Agave nectar until combined. Pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just wet.


4. Fold in strawberries and rhubarb. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes if using a tube pan or longer in a square pan.

Note: I was told that I just got used to eating dry low fat, whole grain and too little sugar in my baked goods. She insisted butter made everything 500 times better.

Gleuten-Free Banana Black Raspberry Muffins

In an unsuccessful attempt to reduce wheat in my diet, I bought rice flour and chick pea flour and made these muffins.

I substituted 1 1/2 cups rice flour and and 1/2 cup chick pea flour for wheat flour in this recipe with 2 very ripe bananas and a cup of frozen black raspberries from Trader Joe's.

The result was very dry muffins that tasted like beans (and banana and raspberry.) I guess you can't have everything. You can't be gluten-free and low fat. Or maybe you can but I still can't figure it out.

Nevertheless, I ate all the muffins in a week - can't let food go to waste.

Mango Cardamom Yogurt Ice Cream

It's time to break out my ice cream maker. After a week of non-stop gloom and grey, the weather finally is warm and humid (although still grey.)

This ice cream reminded me of Kulfi I had in India. Or maybe cardamom just reminded me of any Indian edibles.

Making ice cream is easy when you have all the tools: food processor and ice cream maker.

Recipe:
Process 1 peeled and pitted mango with 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom and 16oz. non-fat Greek yogurt and 1/4 cup Agave nectar. Pour the thing into a running ice cream maker. Wait and devour. Clean up the mess when you are done eating.

Wholewheat Walnut Bread

Success! I thought "oven spring" was a myth. Something that I could never achieve in my home oven. Time and time again that I slashed my bread before going into the oven, the bread came out without expanding, blooming slash marks like bakery bread.

But look!

Ha ha! That was the most beautiful and delicious loaf of bread I have ever baked. My heart filled with joy as if I just gave birth to a beautiful perfect baby. Not that I have ever given birth or that I would ever eat my baby.


Closeup!

Here's what was different: I invested in a cast iron dutch oven. Preheated it in a 450 degrees oven for 40 minutes. Baked the bread with its cover for the first 30 minutes in 400 degrees oven (yes - the plastic knob broke.)



I used Peter Reinhart's wholewheat sandwich bread formula with wild yeast starter plus 6 oz of walnuts added during kneading before the first proofing. Anybody who wants to bake perfect 100% wholewheat bread, please get this book.

PS. My two subsequent attempts failed to repeat the blooming. Hmmmmph.... Knead harder.

Strawberry Clafoutis

I don't really know what Clafoutis is. I saw this recipe here and thought I would give it a try. Turned out it's really easy and delicious. It took no time to whip up the batter - which then is poured over prepared fruit. The result was comfortingly soft pudding-like strawberry cake.

In an attempt to reduce wheat in my diet (so that I can eat more bread), I substituted oatmeal for all purpose flour. Since the whole batter is mixed in a food processor anyway, processing oatmeal into oat flour isn't so much more work. This recipe is a keeper. I will use it again and again with any fruit in season.

Stir Fried Buckwheat Noodle with Swiss Chard and Bacon

I posted only 3 times last month... No, I'm not pregnant. I'm not on a diet. I didn't acquire a boyfriend.

I watched House. A lot of House.... It's addictive. But I learn something. I need to eat more vegetables.

So I bought Swiss chard because it looked beautiful. I never used or consciously ate this vegetable before. But I figured what vegetable would not be good stir fried with bacon. I was right.

Ingredients

• About 1 pound of Swiss chard


• 1 clove garlic - chopped


• 4 strips of bacon


• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar


• About 10 oz. of buckwheat noodle (The noodle came individually tied into portions. I used 3 portions.)


• 1 tablespoon cooking oil


• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Wash and roughly chop chard leaves. Thinly slice the stems.


2. Boil about a quart of water. Add a pinch of salt. Cook the noodle in the boiling water until just cooked. About 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and toss with a tablespoon of oil.


3. Cut bacon into chunks and cook in its own fat in a large pan with chopped garlic until crispy - about 5 minutes.


4. Stir in Swiss chard and the noodle.


5. Season with rice wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Make 3 servings.