Banana Trail Mix

This recipe can be adapted anyway you like to suit your taste more. Subbing in different nuts and dried fruit makes for more interesting and new ways to enjoy the same base of the recipe.

The recipe uses coconut oil  but that could defiantly be swapped with melted butter. As well, the banana could be swapped with yogurt, you just have to be aware that the final product may come out less sweet.

Ingredients

3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup oats

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon table salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut, divided

1/3 cup chopped candied ginger

1/3 cup chopped dried cherries or cranberries

1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate (you can sub in chocolate chips)

1/2 cup virgin coconut oil, melted

1 cup ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup honey

1 large egg, preferably at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon turbinado (raw) sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch by 5-inch loaf pan (see note below on how to make muffins).
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded coconut, then mix in the chopped ginger, dried fruit, pecans and dark chocolate.
3. In a separate, medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, mashed banana, honey, egg and vanilla.*
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup coconut. Top with a light sprinkle of turbinado (raw) sugar.
5. Bake for until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes or longer. Let the bread cool in the pan before slicing. This bread is dense and not very easy to slice; I found that my sharp paring knife worked better than a serrated bread knife.

*If your coconut oil goes back to its solid state when you’re stirring the batter, just warm the mixture for short 30 second bursts in the microwave, stirring between each, just until it is melted again. *

Banana Empanadas

Banana Empanadas

 

Empanada Dough

Ingredients:

3 cups flour (2 cups allpurpose 1 cup whole wheat)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cold water

2 egg

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vinegar

3 tablespoons shortening

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.
 3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.
 6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours

Banana Filling

Ingredients

3 cups sliced bananas

2 tablespoons light or dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine bananas, sugar and cinnamon. Mix well and set aside.
Unroll pie crusts onto a flat surface.

Using a ring mold, make circles in the dough. Put the banana mixture on the dough and place another round on top. Pinch around the edges of each section to seal. Transfer the empanadas to the prepared baking sheet and make slits in the top of each to allow steam to escape. Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake until crust is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and place the empanadas on a platter. Serve with ice cream or sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using.

Banana Muffins

This are absolutely delicious and are prefect on so many levels.

I have a friend who is terrified of bananas:everything about them scare her. Even the sight of bananas makes her cringe. Me being me, I snuck one of these in front of her without her knowing the flavor. She absolutely loved them!! I have cured her insane phobia and got a free complement out of it!

Ingredients

2 2/3 cups All Purpose Flour

1 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 sticks butter

1 cup light brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup buttermilk (milk or coconut milk can be used here as well)

1 cup shredded coconut (I skipped them since I didn’t have any in hand)

Directions
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with a kitchen mixer using paddle attachment. Add sugar and beat for a few minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time while continue to beat at low speed and vanilla. The mixture will be silky smooth – add banana and lower speed.

Mix in the flour and buttermilk alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour.

3.Fill into cupcake pans (fill up about 2/3-full, you should get approximately 18 cupcakes), bake them for about 18-minutes or until a tooth pick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Banana Bread

This recipe is actually stolen from grandma`s kitchen!

Inspiration: I decided to make banana bread because it's my Father's favourite. My house always smelled of fresh banana bread because he was so in love with it. I remember he would always let me squish the banana's with my hands, which at the age of 7-17 is very amusing. So this baked good is for him, love you Dad!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup white sugar

1/3 cup softened butter

2 eggs

3 medium bananas

1. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cup white sugar.

2. Then add 1butter(better if warm/soft),eggs,  mashed bananas and make sure completely stirred.

3. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees f.

SWITCH IT UP:

Depending on what you like to eat in your loaves, adding chopped walnuts and extra banana's makes for a delicious and one of a kind treat.

From mix to master piece!!