Bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S

Sometimes, when I'm at the grocery store I must forget that I live alone because I come home with enough groceries to stock the Johnson and Wales store room.  And towards the end of last week I bought 8 bananas because they were on sale.  As I said above, I live alone.  What am I going to do with 8 bananas?  Well, I made two of my favorite banana dishes and attempted to write recipes for them. 

Use #1: All of the eggs we made in class week put me in the mood for a good breakfast last weekend. As much as I love breakfast food, I rarely go the trouble of making something elaborate because it's hard to make a batch of pancakes, for example, for just one person. However, this weekend I had a friend over for brunch on Saturday, and we made some delicious banana-walnut stuffed french toast.  The buttery, crispy exterior, soft custard interior, and rich nuttiness of the walnuts was a perfect kick-off to the day.

 

 

Use #2: I've always been an oven-hoverer, constantly checking on my baked goods through the oven window, but I'm especially guilty when it comes to banana bread.  I don't know if that's because it smells so good or because I love eating it, but I had several bananas left over from the French toast on Saturday, so I set them aside to make a batch of one of my favorite foods.

As I was gathering my ingredients, I could hear my nutrition chef talking to me from one shoulder and my shallow-frying chef from the other.  Though I know how to make some not-so-healthy banana bread, I opted for a little baking experiment.  I cut down on the saturated fat, and made a few additions of my own.  The finished product?  I could hardly tell a difference. 

We briefly discussed baking in my nutrition class, and what I learned is that taking all of the fat out of something is a bad idea.  Not only does it have a rubbery texture, but it's not satisfying as a baked good.  And it's okay to eat desserts.  Just don't eat a lot of them.  So while this banana bread is no substitute for a slice of home-made whole grain bread, it's at least better for you than most quickbreads.  You'll see in the pictures that I added chocolate chips to some of the mini-loaves for a chocoholic friend of mine.

Banana-Walnut Stuffed French Toast

Batter for dipping:
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. white sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Filling:
2 bananas
1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 loaf French bread
vegetable oil or butter to coat the skillet
powdered sugar for dusting
serve with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup

Method of Preparation:

• Whisk together the eggs, milk, sugars, and cinnamon until well combined.  Set aside.

• Mash the bananas. Stir in the walnuts and brown sugar until incorporated.

• Cut the end off of the French bread loaf.  Cut the loaf into 3/4 - 1" slices.  Make a slit in the middle of each slice but don't cut all the way through.  Each slice should look like a pocket.

• Fill the pocket of each slice with 2-3 Tbsp. of the banana mixture.

• Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add enough butter* or vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
  *Note: If using butter, work over medium-low heat so the butter doesn't burn.

• Dip each slice into the egg mixture for a few seconds and place directly into the heated skillet.  Working in batches, cook the French toast until golden brown on each side and heated through, flipping each slice only once.

• Serve immediately with a dusting of powdered sugar and a drizzle of honey.


Banana Bread Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and then finely ground* 

3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup moderately sweet apple, peeled and very finely chopped
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 whole egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla extract

*I don't really like the chunkiness of nuts in my banana bread, but I like the flavor which is why I ground them up really fine.  You can leave them chopped if you want.

Method of Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease or line a muffin tin.

• Whisk the mashed bananas, melted butter, chopped apple, sour cream, eggs and vanilla until well-combined.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flours, salt, baking soda, sugar, and ground walnuts.

• Fold the banana mixture into the dry mixture and stir until just combined.  The batter should be thick and have chunks. 

• Using an ice-cream scoop, fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full with the batter.

• Bake for 16-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a few crumbs attached.