Super Easy All Natural Gluten Free Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 c coconut oil (can substitute butter)
• 1/4 c pure maple syrup (can sub rice malt syrup, agave, honey, etc.)
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2 overly ripe bananas, mashed
• Optional: 1 c walnuts, blueberries, or chocolate chips 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and baking powder.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs.  Add in the rest of the wet ingredients (oil, syrup, vanilla, and mashed bananas) and stir. 
4. Combine the wet and dry ingredients.
5. Fold in optional nuts/berries/chocolate chips.
6. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour or until it passes the skewer test.
7. Let cool before removing from pan.  Slice and enjoy!  Delicious served warm!

This recipe was passed along to me from my sweet friend, Carla, and originally comes from the blog The Natural Nutritionist.  It freezes really well.  I love the almond flour at Costco because it is extra fine as well as a great deal in comparison to buying it elsewhere.  One SUPER EASY modification I made was to make the whole thing in the blender - no bowls, no mess!  I started with the wet ingredients, blended, and then added the dry ingredients, folding in the optional berries at the end.  I cannot get over how easy it was!  I've made it several times, so it's definitely a keeper!

Toasted Coconut Bread

Source

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (295 ml) milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose or whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
2 teaspoons (10 grams) baking powder
1 to 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (your choice)
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
5 ounces (140 grams) sweetened flaked coconut (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup non-fat, plain Greek yogurt
Nonstick cooking spray for baking pan

Directions:
1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.
3.  In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Add sugar and coconut, and stir to mix.
4.  Make a well in the center, and pour in egg mixture, then stir wet and dry ingredients together until just combined. Add yogurt, and stir until just smooth — be careful not to overmix.
5.  Coat with cooking spray and flour a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
6.  Spread batter in pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, anywhere from 1 to 1 1/4 hours.
7.  Cool in pan five minutes, before turning out onto a cooling rack.

This recipe is adapted from smittenkitchen.com

Pumpkin Oat n' Honey Muffins (No flour, no sugar!)

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 c oats (regular or quick is fine)
• 1 c plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t pumpkin pie spice
• 1 c canned pumpkin
• 1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray tin with non-stick cooking spray.  My most favorite is called Baker's Joy (it has flour added in). You could also use a silicone muffin pan.  (I don't recommend using paper liners for these.
2. Place all of the liquid ingredients in the blender (including pumpkin), and then blend adding oats in 1/2 c at a time until smooth.  You may need to stop the blender a few times to stir.  Stir in chopped walnuts after blending is complete.
3. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

You could go crazy with the flavor combinations and possibilities here.  You could add blueberries, chocolate chips, and play around with different sweeteners and flavors of yogurt. I'm not going to lie and say that these are the prettiest muffins you've ever seen.  They look good coming out of the oven and then "sunk" a bit as they cooled, but they were moist, tasty, and something I feel good about feeding my family.  I made them sans walnuts for my toddler, but for me, I would add them in for sure.  Will definitely be a repeated recipe.  Be sure to check out the banana version too!

Banana Oat n' Honey Muffins (No flour, no sugar!)

Ingredients:

• 3 c oats (regular or quick is fine)
• 1 c plain nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/2 c honey
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 2 ripe bananas
• 1/2 c walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray tin with non-stick cooking spray.  My most favorite is called Baker's Joy (it has flour added in). You could also use a silicone muffin pan.  (I don't recommend using paper liners for these.
2. Place all of the liquid ingredients in the blender (including bananas), and then blend adding oats in 1/2 c at a time until smooth.  You may need to stop the blender a few times to stir.  Stir in chopped walnuts after blending is complete.
3. Divide batter among 12 muffin cups and bake for 20 min. or until toothpick comes out clean.

You could go crazy with the flavor combinations and possibilities here.  You could add blueberries, chocolate chips, and play around with different sweeteners and flavors of yogurt. I'm not going to lie and say that these are the prettiest muffins you've ever seen.  They look good coming out of the oven and then "sunk" a bit as they cooled, but they were moist, tasty, and something I feel good about feeding my family.  I made them sans walnuts for my toddler, but for me, I would add them in for sure.  Will definitely be a repeated recipe.  Be sure to check out the pumpkin version too!

Cornbread Stuffing with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Celery

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 each red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, diced
1 1/2 medium onions, minced
3 ribs celery, diced
1 cup chicken or turkey stock
6 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp minced fresh marjoram or oregano
1 to 2 tsp salt
1/2 to 3/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
7 to 8 cups baked cornbread, diced into 1/2 inch cubes

Directions:
1. Saute peppers, onions and celery in olive oil, cooking until tender but not browned, 10 to 15 min.
2. Add stock, sage, marjoram, salt, and pepper and cook over medium heat for 3 to 5 min.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine cornbread and vegetable mixture, being careful not to overmix.
4. Transfer mixture to a baking dish. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown and heated through.

Yield: 8 servings

I made this for Thanksgiving last year and LOVED it! It was a big hit. I'm pretty sure I'll never go back to regular stuffing again! If you like to put sausage in your stuffing, you could easily add it into this recipe as well!

Recipe from Country Living Magazine

Traditional Popovers

Ingredients:                                                        source
Non-fat cooking spray
2 large eggs, lightly beaten, at room temperature
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400° F for 20 minutes. Coat each cup of a six-cup muffin or cupcake tin with non-fat cooking spray.

In a smaller bowl, lightly whisk the eggs until they change color. Whisk in the milk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and salt until well blended. Gently whisk the egg mixture into the flour mixture until only small lumps are left, and set aside.

Place the muffin tin in the oven for 4 minutes. At 3 minutes, give the batter a light whisk. Using an oven mitt, remove the hot tin from the oven and immediately divide the batter among the prepared cups. Bake for 25 minutes without opening the oven door. The popovers will be puffy, with crisp brown crusts and hollow, moist interiors. Serve immediately, with butter if desired.

Yellow Squash Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs crookneck yellow squash
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2  cup brown sugar
• 3 cups whole wheat flour
• 5 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour (streusel)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed (streusel)
• 3T butter (streusel)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (streusel)

Directions:

1. Wash squash, trim ends, and cut into 1-inch slices.
2. Cook in a small amount of water for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Drain well and mash. (I did mine in a blender)
4. Measure 2 cups of the cooked squash, combine with eggs, butter, and applesauce, and set aside.
5. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
6. Make a well in center of mixture.
7. Add squash to dry ingredients, stirring only until moist.
8. Spoon into greased muffin tins, filling 3/4 full.
9. Combine all the streusel ingredients in a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Alternately, you can mash the ingredients together in a bowl using a fork, or just smoosh everything together with your fingers. Sprinkle over muffins or coffee cake immediately before baking.
10. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of muffin comes out clean.

 
The original recipe called for 1c butter, but I was very impressed with the 1/2 applesauce substitute.  I added the cinnamon streusel so it wouldn't be too healthy! This would also be very good if you added apple chunks and some cinnamon to the recipe or even some craisins and walnuts.  My sweet Emma wanted them 'plain' as she was a bit skeptical about the main squash ingredient. Good news... SHE LOVES THEM!   She's already requested that I make more so she can have them for breakfast next week too.  Great way to use up some of that summer squash from the garden! p.s.  That picture was taken this morning on my patio table outside. Have to love that natural lighting for photos!

Banana Monkey Bars

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dark rum or apple juice  (I used fresh squeezed, 100% apple juice)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
• 3 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• Cooking spray
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Combine the raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at high for 1 minute, and set aside. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 3 ingredients (flour through salt) in a bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Set aside.
• Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Add banana and next 3 ingredients (banana through egg whites), beating well. Add the flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in raisin mixture and walnuts.
• Spread the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

From MyRecipe.com

Banana Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 c flour (I use 1c whole wheat and 1c all purpose)
• 1 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 c butter
• 3/4 c brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/2 c mashed overripe bananas *Depending on size, this is about 6 bananas. Mashing only takes about 30 seconds in a Kitchen Aid mixer - I like to leave it a little on the lumpy side.
• Optional fixins: 1/2 c chocolate chips, 1/2 c chopped walnuts, or 1/2 c blueberries (I often add frozen ones, just go to upper end of bake time)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.
4. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture, stir just to moisten. Gently stir in an optional ingredients: chocolate chips, walnuts or berries.  Pour batter into prepared loaf ban.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.  Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

I really enjoy banana bread, but let me clarify... MOIST bread.  Dry banana bread is a travesty in my humble opinion.  That's why I love this recipe (only mildly adapted from one I found on allrecipes.com).  I am obsessed with how moist it is and I love the ridiculous amount of banana flavor.  Most banana bread recipes call for 2-3 ripe bananas. This one is double that... and I believe double the banana flavor.  I love keeping the mashed bananas a little on the lumpy side because I love the added texture.  You could easily put the bananas in a blender as well if you wanted a more uniform texture.  Emma is a huge fan of the chocolate chip banana bread (as is Eric :), and I prefer a little more traditional with walnuts or blueberries if I'm eating it for breakfast. Enjoy my family's favorite banana banana bread!

Banana-Blueberry Bread

Ingredients:
1 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1 c (2 medium) mashed ripe bananas
1/2 c low-fat plain yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
2 c all purpose-flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 c fresh or frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour bottom only of 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil; beat well.
3. Add bananas, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs; blend well.
4. Add flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently stir in blueberries. Pour into greased and floured pan.
5. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. (I usually bake it for 50 minutes, then move the rack a notch up from the center of the oven and bake it for 10-15 more minutes. The yogurt keeps the middle pretty doughy if you're not careful).
6. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan. Cool 30 minutes or until completely cooled. Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator.

This is one of my favorite breads! It's delicious!

Recipe from Pillsbury Best Muffins & Quick Breads

Pulla Bread

This sweet cardamom coffee bread, traditionally comes from Finland, and was often served in my home at Christmas time (my dad's dad was Finnish, my maiden name is Seppä).  I have memories of braiding pulla (pronounced poo-lah) with my Grandma Seppä, my dad and my step-mom as a kiddo.  I also remember my family making lots of pulla and delivering it to friends and family over the holidays.  This was the first year that I've been able to share the tradition of making pulla with my daughter, Emma.  She takes great delight in braiding the bread!

Although Grandma Seppä never ever used a bread machine to make hers, I will humbly admit that this recipe and "project" turns into something very do-able with the aid of the dough cycle.  Although the process itself from start to finish is quite time consuming (about 3 hours), there is very little hands-on time.

Ingredients

• 1 egg and 1 yolk (save white for glaze)
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 T butter
• 4 1/2 T sugar
• 3/4 t salt
• 1 1/2 t cardamom
• 3 c flour
• 1 T yeast
• 1-2 T sugar for glaze
• 1-2 T slivered almonds for glaze

Directions

• Put all the ingredients in the bread machine pan and set the cycle for white bread DOUGH.
• After cycle is finished, punch down, cut dough in thirds, and let rest for 5 minutes
• Roll each third of dough into a 20 inch rope and braid ropes togther, tucking ends under
• Place braid on buttered cookie sheet
• Cover bread and let rise in a warm place until about 50% larger in size
• Brush with egg white, then sprinkle with almonds and sugar
• Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees.
• When making these for gifts, I often divide the dough into 9 pieces to make 3 smaller loaves from one batch of dough.

*This is delicious served warm or toasted with butter and a cup of coffee.  Enjoy and Hyvää Joulua!