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Yummy lower calorie banana bread

29 Sep

lower calorie banana bread.jpg.scaled.500 Yummy lower calorie banana bread

We had a bunch of nearly overripe bananas hanging around so it seemed like a perfect time to make banana bread! I was a bit uncertain about how this would come out because I made a few substitutions even from the modified recipe I was following. It is quite good, though, and a bit more airy than traditional banana bread, which I liked. I think the next time I’ll look for some ways to add a bit of protein in so that it’s a good breakfast bread that will give some sustained energy through the day.

Ingredients

  • 3 large eggs
  • 4 medium bananas, mashed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup Splenda
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup King Arthur organic whole wheat flour (or other wheat flour)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400F and spray bread pan with Pam or other nonstick cooking spray
  2. Beat eggs, sugars, and Splenda together, then add vanilla extract and mashed bananas
  3. Combine flours, baking soda and salt in large bowl, and then add liquid mixture. Stir by hand just until mixed.
  4. Pour batter into bread pan and bake until a toothpick in the center comes out clean (it took about 28-30 minutes in my oven)

A good trick for even-more-fabulous banana bread? Make it the night before you want to eat it. When it’s done in the oven, remove, let cool and then wrap in saran wrap overnight before eating. For some reason, the overnight in saran wrap seems to add a little something!

Yummy lower calorie banana bread

Recipe monday

10 Sep

Bean Soup

For many years I could not face beans.
I could just not get myself to eat them.
Might be because I only ever had them overcooked and soggy.
It all changed some years ago on a trip to Florence.
I ordered a Tuscan vegetable soup and I was so unhappy when it was put in front of me.
The soup was full of these huge white beans that was floating around.
But I did taste and boy had I been wrong.
These beans was so full of taste and had the most wonderful texture.
After that my “bean life” changed.

Bean and cabbage soup
serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 red chili, finely chopped
1 large carrot, thinly sliced
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder, mild
1/2 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
salt
pepper
1 can white beans, rinsed
2 oz pancetta, cubed
2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a large saucepan.
Saute onion, garlic, chilli and carrots until the onion gets soft.
Add stock, curry and cabbage.
Let the soup simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the beans.
Saute the pancetta in a skillet until golden.
Add the cabbage and saute until the cabbage has fallen and becomes soft.
Serve the soup in warm bowls with the pancetta/cabbage mixture over and a sprinkle of parmesan.
Photos by Colin Cooke
Enjoy!
Bean Soup

via sweetpaul.typepad.com

I love the photos posted at this blog and since I’ve been eating a LOT of soup recently, the recipe sounded like a fabulous addition to the lineup. Hopefully nothing in there will irritate my stomach…maybe I’ll wait a few weeks to try this, but it’s definitely on my fall/winter soup list!

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Chewy, crispy, something in between? A guide to getting the chocolate chip cookies YOU want!

2 Feb

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week, I baked chocolate chip cookies. They were delicious, though a little crispier than I usually like.

Anyhow, in evaluating my recipe, I decided to figure out just WHAT makes a chocolate chip cookie chewy, and by the same token, what makes it crispy. The best, and most concise article I found was The Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookie. Click through to read about how low fat butter or margarine can affect the consistency of your cookies, and why you should always sift flour in order to avoid making ultra dense, flour-heavy cookies. And eggs? A little extra can go a long way to making your cookie chewy and delightful.

Do you have a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe? Do they come out chewy or crispy? Share your experiences in the comments!