chocolate swirl marbled banana bread

we've made many loaves of banana bread over the years.  we've made traditional banana walnut bread, and we've switched it up by adding other things in (peanut butter banana bread and chocolate chip banana bread) but we've never marbled banana bread.

we've made marbled cakes and love them because the swirl pattern is always so pretty and because you don't have to choose between vanilla and chocolate cake since you get both!

we had some bananas on the kitchen counter that took some abuse from the recent high heat and humidity.  i took one off the banana tree for a smoothie and the others fell right off because their peels were so ripe.  oops!  i couldn't let those bananas sit with open peels, so i had to drop what i was doing and make something with them.

i wanted to make something a bit different than a traditional banana bread, and after just a few moments of searching banana bread images on pinterest, i came across a marbled banana bread and was intrigued.

this recipe is so easy.  it's a simple base banana bread recipe that takes half of the batter and adds melted chocolate in order to make two contrasting colored batters.  since chocolate and banana are two flavors that go great together, these two batters marbled together give this bread a great flavor!

chocolate swirl marbled banana bread
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 55 minutes
yields: 1 loaf
adapted from just a taste

ingredients:
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 large eggs
5 tablespoons melted coconut oil, cooled
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup granulated white sugar

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate chips for 30-second increments, stirring between until smooth.  set aside to cool.

in a large bowl, combine the mashed bananas, milk, eggs, oil, and vanilla.  beat with an electric hand mixer to combine.  add the flour, baking soda, and sugar.  beat just until combined.  remove half of the batter and place it in a separate bowl.  fold the melted chocolate into one half of the batter.

grease a loaf pan and line with parchment paper.  fill the loaf pan with alternating scoops of the banana batter and the chocolate batter.  use a knife to gently swirl the batters together for a marbled look.  bake for 55 minutes until the bread is golden and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.  allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

peanut butter banana bread

goodness gracious!  i truly cannot believe that the last time i posted a recipe on the blog was all the way back in july and here we are on the first day of march!  that's a record.  it's not that i haven't been making all sorts of delicious things in the past 8 months, it's just that i've been so incredibly busy that i haven't had a chance to take a single picture of anything that i've made.  sad, for sure.

on sunday i was looking around my kitchen and sighed as my eyes fell on 3 overly ripe bananas sitting on the counter.  i love bananas and had high hopes for this bunch when i bought them at the grocery store last weekend, but the weather was so back-and-forth that i think those silly bananas got confused and turned ripe too fast.  sure, we'll blame it on the weather.

what does one do with ripe bananas?  make banana bread, of course.  i absolutely love banana bread in every format.  there is something nostalgic about banana walnut muffins, and something cozy about a slice of banana bread from a loaf.  i knew i wanted to make a loaf of banana bread, but i wanted to change it up a bit and do something different from the traditional chopped walnuts in it.  thus, peanut butter.

peanut butter and banana is one of those classic combinations that i go back to again and again because it never lets me down.  march 1st is national peanut butter lovers day, by the way!  this was the first time i added peanut butter to the batter of my banana bread and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

as soon as you slice into this loaf it has such a wonderful peanut butter smell.  the taste of the peanut butter is subtle and gives the banana bread a nice little added something.  it's a surprisingly light and fluffy bread too!

ps: the cute place mat that is under the loaf was made by ryan's aunt sandy.  she sure is great when it comes to sewing projects!

peanut butter banana bread
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 1 hour
yields: 1 loaf
adapted from love and olive oil

ingredients:
6 tablespoons salted butter, softened
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar.  add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each.  beat in the vanilla and mashed bananas.  in a microwave warm the peanut butter for 45-50 seconds until slightly melted.  add the peanut butter to the batter and beat well.  sift the dry ingredients into the batter and mix just until incorporated.

pour the batter into a loaf pan that is greased lined with parchment paper.  bake for 1 hour until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean.  allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

banana protein muffins (gluten free)

let's be honest right up front: these muffins are not attractive.  in fact, they're pretty ugly as far as muffins are concerned . . . but this is a classic case of "don't judge a book by its cover" or in this instance, "please don't judge my unattractive muffins before you taste them!"

i found a variation of this recipe on instagram and i was intrigued because it incorporated banana, greek yogurt, almond meal, and coconut sugar.  those ingredients got me inspired.  i ended up making a bunch of changes, but still keeping the original essence of these muffins.  i created my own version which i'm calling "banana protein muffins" because they're packed full of protein thanks to the yogurt, two types of nuts, flaxseed, and powdered peanut butter.

i like that this is a mini recipe and only makes 6 muffins.  that way you don't have to commit to having a ton of muffins sitting on your kitchen counter looking at you.  i know they're ugly, but gosh, they sure are delicious!

banana protein muffins

prep time: 5 minutes

baking time: 25-27 minutes

yields: 6 muffins

adapted from dessert for two

ingredients:

1/4 cup peanuts

1/4 cup cashews

1/4 cup oats

1 tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 tablespoon powdered peanut butter

1 ripe banana, mashed

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1/4 cup coconut sugar

directions:

preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line six muffin cups with paper liners.  in a food processor, combine the peanuts, cashews, oats, and flaxseed meal.  pulse until finely ground.  add the mixture to a large bowl along with the powdered peanut butter, mashed banana, yogurt, and sugar.  mix well until combined.

scoop the batter into the lined muffin cups and bake for 25-27 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the muffins comes out clean.  allow the muffins to cool in the pans for 5 minutes before removing them from the pans and allowing them to finish cooling on a wire rack.

enjoy!

love, laurie

buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate (vegan + gluten free)

this weekend was packed.  on friday night after work, we headed over to a family friend's house to help out with a few chores such as moving boxes, cleaning furniture, and doing some touch-up paint on the outside of her house.  on saturday, we ran some errands and then met up with my parents to cool off a local water park since we were in the middle of a heatwave.  on sunday, we spent the majority of the day outside at a work function for ryan.  luckily, in the midst of all of that, we carved out a little time on sunday morning to have a peaceful breakfast in our pajamas on the back porch.

we had a very ripe banana sitting on the kitchen counter that needed to be used up, so we found a good use for it in some pancakes.  it has been a long while since the last time we made buckwheat pancakes, and we had some buckwheat leftover in the pantry, so we pulled it out and put it to use.

these pancakes are exactly what sunday morning pancakes should be.  mashed banana acts as the base and combines perfectly with buckwheat, oats, and dark chocolate.  oh my goodness, these pancakes were so good!  we were both so impressed by how tasty they were.  (guess what?  they're vegan and gluten free too!)

buckwheat, banana, and oatmeal pancakes with dark chocolate
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: 2 servings
adapted from yammie's noshery

ingredients:
1 large ripe banana
3/4 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

directions:
in a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork.  add the milk and vanilla.  stir with the fork until combined.  add the buckwheat, oats, baking powder and salt.  stir just until combined.  fold in the chocolate chips.

heat a lightly greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 1/4 cup of batter onto the griddle for each pancake.  cook for 3-4 minutes until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 3 minutes until they are dark and cooked throughout.  serve warm, topped with additional chocolate chips, sliced banana, and warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

hummingbird cake

it has been three weeks since i've shared a recipe, and we are long overdue for something delicious here on the blog.  i'm sorry to have kept you waiting, but i have a special treat for you today with this great cake recipe!

for years, i have come across hummingbird cake recipes all over the place.  i've seen numerous versions of this cake online and i have recipes for it in several of my cookbooks at home.  every time i have thought about making it, i have decided not to because not everyone in our family enjoys coconut.  as it turns out, after all those years of pushing the recipe aside, there isn't even any coconut in the cake (just on the outside).

over the weekend, i was flipping through a cookbook and flipped past a recipe for hummingbird cake.  it reminded me that i still had never tried this cake, so i thought it would be the perfect recipe to make for my dad's birthday.  so, i set to it and made it for my dad's birthday dessert which we enjoyed after cleaning up all of those leaves this weekend.

hummingbird cake is thought to have been invented in jamaica sometime in the late 1960s.  in an effort to attract tourists, the jamaican tourist board sent press kits to the united states which included a few recipes from the island (one of which was a version of this cake).

the cake became popular in the southern part of the united states and gained the nickname "the cake that doesn't last."  southern living magazine claims that it has become the most requested recipe in the magazine's history since they first ran a recipe for the cake in 1978.  (in fact, the first known publication of a hummingbird cake recipe was in the february 1978 issue of southern living magazine.)

so what the heck is hummingbird cake?  i had the same question.  it's a banana cake with pineapple and pecans.  it reminds me so much of carrot cake (just minus the carrots, of course).  it's dense (in a good way) just like banana bread. and is unique since it has more fruit in it than flour.

this cake is covered in fluffy cream cheese frosting and decorated with toasted coconut.  the combination of the bananas, pineapple, pecans, cream cheese, and toasted coconut give it a very tropical taste.

hummingbird cake
prep time: 15 minutes
baking time: 45 minutes
yields: one two layer 9-inch round cake (16-18 servings)
adapted from cooking classy

cake ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
1 cup finely chopped pineapple
1 cup chopped pecans

frosting ingredients:
16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5 cups powdered sugar

directions:
preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  grease and flour the side of two 9-inch round baking pans and line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper.  to make the cake: in a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg.  toss the chopped pineapple with 1/4 cup of flour and set aside.  in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugars and eggs until pale and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes).  mix in the oil and vanilla.  add 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix just until combined.  mix in the mashed bananas, then mix in the remaining flour mixture.  fold in the pineapple and the pecans.  evenly divide the batter between the prepared pans.  bake for 45-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.  once baked, allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes before removing the cakes form the pans and allowing them to cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

to make the frosting: in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, combine the cream cheese, butter, vanilla, and 1 cup of the powdered sugar.  mix to combine.  gradually add the remaining powered sugar to achieve desired consistency and thickness.  spread the frosting over one layer of the cooled cake, place the second layer on top and spread the remaining frosting over the entire cake.  decorate with toasted coconut.

enjoy!

love, laurie

mocha peanut butter banana smoothie

i had some left over black coffee in the refrigerator for a few days.  instead of just using it for iced coffee, i decided to make it into a smoothie.  in an effort to use up a few things in our kitchen, including a very ripe banana sitting on the kitchen counter, i threw a few ingredients together in the blender.

the result was a refreshing smoothie.  the cold coffee paired perfectly with the banana, peanut butter, and cocoa.  a splash of half-and-half cream and agave nectar gave it a great flavor.  it really hit the spot!

mocha peanut butter banana smoothie
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large smoothie

ingredients:
1 cup cold coffee
2 teaspoons half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1 banana
3 ice cubes

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

banana bread pancakes (vegan + gluten free)

we woke up to find six inches of snow on saturday morning.  before we even contemplated bundling up and shoveling, we made a batch of pancakes to start our morning.  priorities.  

we absolutely love banana bread with nuts, and these pancakes taste just like classic banana bread.  they are insanely good!  not only do they taste great, these are some healthy pancakes too!  they are dairy free, egg free, oil free, sugar free, and gluten free.

what's left to put in them?  lots of good stuff!  oats, walnuts, and pecans are ground into a flour to act as the base of these pancakes.  that's combined with ground flax seed meal, baking powder, and a pinch of salt.  then there's almond milk and vanilla.  they get a great flavor from cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice, and of course we can't forget the star of these pancakes: the banana.

we were so pleasantly surprised by how delicious these pancakes were.  especially without any dairy, eggs, oil, sugar, or gluten.  they take a little bit longer to cook than traditional pancakes, but they are very much worth the wait.  grab a fork and dig in!

banana bread pancakes
prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10-12 minutes
yields: 8 pancakes (2 servings)
adapted from wholehearted eats

ingredients:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon ground flax seed meal
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 banana

directions:
in a food processor, grind the oats into a fine flour.  once they are ground, set the oat flour aside and grind the nuts into a flour.  add the oat flour back into the food processor along with the baking powder, flax seed meal, spices, salt, almond milk, vanilla, and banana.  puree the mixture until smooth and all of the ingredients are fully incorporated.

heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan on medium heat.  pour 3 tablespoons of batter onto the griddle for medium pancakes.  cook for 5-6 minutes, until small bubbles begin to form.  flip the pancakes when they start to bubble, then cook for 5-6 minutes, until they are golden brown and cooked throughout.  once cooked, transfer the pancakes to a baking sheet and place in a preheated 200 degree F oven to keep warm while you cook the remaining pancake batter.  serve warm with sliced bananas, walnuts, and warm maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

chocolate peanut butter chia seed smoothie

i found a leftover banana sitting on our kitchen counter that was getting pretty ripe.  so, i decided to put it to good use in a smoothie.  into the blender it went with cocoa powder, peanut butter, soy milk, and chia seeds.  in my opinion, you just can't go wrong with the combination of chocolate and peanut butter and banana.  yum!

laurie, you put chia seeds in there?  yes!  now, i will be the first to admit that i was skeptical when i initially heard of chia seeds a few years ago.  it took me awhile to warm up to them, but now i'm a huge fan.  i didn't know what i was missing all this time, and who knew there were so many uses for those little seeds?!  we are totally on the chia seed bandwagon at our house now.

this smoothie is delicious.  it is like drinking liquid dessert.  you would swear it was a milkshake, but there isn't any ice cream in there.  in fact, there isn't any dairy at all.  soy milk all the way.

the chocolate and peanut butter give this smoothie an awesome flavor, and the banana acts as a great base.  the chia seeds make it super thick.  when chia seeds mix with liquid they expand and become gelatinous.  (it's like nature's version of gelatin.)  it's super weird, but it's super cool too.

you certainly could make this smoothie without the chia seeds, but you'd be missing out for sure.  chia seeds are rich in antioxidants, protein, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acid.  cheers to good health!

chocolate peanut butter chia seed smoothie
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large serving

ingredients:
1 banana
2 teaspoons dark chia seeds
2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
1 cup vanilla soy milk

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

sunshine smoothie

over the weekend i found a leftover banana that was getting pretty ripe on the counter and a cara cara orange that had been sitting in the fridge for a few days.  in an effort to use them up, i decided to make a smoothie.

i juiced the orange and put the juice in a blender with the ripe banana.  i added some frozen strawberries and some almond milk.  the result was a delicious and refreshing smoothie.

it was so dreary outside (i am sick of winter!!!) and this smoothie was so tropical and cheery . . . so i decided to call it a sunshine smoothie.  the weather may have been gross outside, but this smoothie sure brightened up my day!

sunshine smoothie
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large serving

ingredients:
1 cup frozen whole strawberries
1 ripe banana
1 medium orange, juiced
3/4 cup almond milk

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

vegan banana walnut waffles

even though we are not vegetarians, we often make a lot of vegetarian recipes.  however, we don't tend to make many vegan recipes.  one of my goals for the new year is to see if i can start cooking/eating a bit more vegan.  it's all about balance in life.  i can eat my weight in chicken parm, so i have to find ways to balance that out.  you know how it is.

we just love breakfast at our house.  we eat cereal every morning on weekdays, so weekends are all about fun breakfasts.  we are pancake and waffle fanatics!

on saturday morning, we made banana walnut waffles.  i'll let you in on a little secret about these waffles . . . they're vegan!

cooking vegan seems so difficult at first, but really it's all about finding the right substitutions.  if you do it right, you won't even know that a recipe is vegan.  that's exactly the case with these waffles.  you won't find any milk, eggs, or butter in this recipe.  we used almond milk in place of milk (of course, you could use soy milk or rice milk too) and we used oil in place of butter.

these waffles turned out so good.  they don't look vegan, and they certainly don't taste vegan.  they actually tasted just like banana bread.  the ripe banana and the chopped walnuts gave them such a great flavor.  there is a hit of cinnamon in them and a dash of pure maple syrup too.  such a great combination.

we served our waffles with sliced bananas, extra walnuts, peanut butter, honey, and pure maple syrup.  (i'm sure a little bit of nutella spread on top of these waffles would be awesome too!)

this recipe made plenty of waffles, so we had some left over.  it's just wonderful to have leftovers, we're big fans of leftovers in our house.  we stored them in the refrigerator in ziploc bags and then reheated them in the toaster when we were ready to eat them again.  you could freeze the leftover waffles too and then reheat them in a toaster or toaster oven.  talk about a great toaster breakfast!

vegan banana walnut waffles
prep time: 10 minutes
cooking time: 4-5 minutes per waffle (depending on your waffle iron)
yields: about 5 servings
adapted from shutterbean

ingredients:
1 3/4 cup almond milk (or soy milk)
1/4 cup water
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
2 ripe bananas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

directions:
preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer's instructions.  in a small bowl, combine the almond milk, water, and vinegar.  stir and then set aside to allow the milk to curdle.  in a separate bowl, mash the bananas.  add the curdled almond milk mixture along with the oil, maple syrup, and vanilla.  stir well to combine.  add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.  stir just until combined, then fold in the chopped walnuts.

pour enough batter into the waffle iron to just barely cover the waffle grid (usually about 1/2 cup of batter per waffle).  cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the waffles are golden brown.  once cooked, transfer the waffles to a baking sheet and keep them in a warm oven while you prepare the remaining waffles.  serve hot with sliced bananas, additional walnuts, peanut butter, honey, and/or maple syrup.

enjoy!

love, laurie

chocolate chip banana bread

we had a few overly ripe bananas hanging out on our kitchen counter recently, so we decided to make a loaf of banana bread in order to use them up.

banana bread is a treat that can't be beat, and the addition of chocolate chips to the batter made it even better!

super easy and really simple to whip up, this recipe is a classic.  you could always swap out the chocolate chips for walnuts instead, or you could just add some walnuts in there too along with the chocolate chips.  now that sounds good!

chocolate chip banana bread
prep time: 10 minutes
baking time: 60 minutes
yields: 1 loaf
adapted from the daily muse

ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) salted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  add the egg and beat well to incorporate.  mix in the vanilla and the mashed bananas.  in a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda.  add half of the sifted flour mixture to the batter and mix just until incorporated.  add the remaining flour and beat well.  stir in the lemon juice.  fold in the chocolate chips.

pour the batter into a loaf pan that is greased and floured or lined with parchment paper.  bake at 375 degrees F for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 45 minutes, until the bread is golden brown on top.  once baked allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

mini banana walnut muffins

one of my favorite things that we made for mother's day brunch this past weekend was our banana walnut muffins.  since we knew that there would be a lot of food for brunch, we decided to make these muffins miniature, and they were just the right size.

these muffins have a great banana flavor.  they have a touch of sweetness, but they are not too sweet for breakfast/brunch.  the walnuts in them also provide a great crunch.  if you're not a fan of walnuts, you could always eliminate the walnuts or substitute a different type of nut instead.  (i bet these muffins would be great with few chocolate chips in them too!)

these mini banana walnuts muffins are the perfect addition to a breakfast/brunch gathering!

mini banana walnut muffins
prep time: 5-10 minutes
baking time: 16-18 minutes
yields: 20 mini muffins

ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

directions:
preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  sift the flour and baking soda into in a large bowl.  add the sugar, melted butter, egg, and vanilla.  beat well with an electric hand mixer until combined.  in a separate bowl mash the bananas with a fork.  add the bananas to the mixture and beat well.  stir in the chopped walnuts.

spoon the batter (approximately 1 tablespoon per mini muffin) into a well-greased mini muffin pan.  optional: add additional chopped walnut pieces on top of each muffin.  bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.  once baked, allow the muffins to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing them from the pan and transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

enjoy!

love, laurie

banana peanut butter oat smoothie

we had one lonely banana hanging out on our kitchen counter for several days.  neither of us wanted to put forth the effort to make a small batch of banana bread/muffins with it, so we decided to throw it in the blender to make a smoothie with it instead.

after debating what should accompany the lonely banana in the blender, the choice was clear.  some things are just made to be together . . . bananas and peanut butter are a match made in heaven.

we also threw some skim milk, ice, and old-fashioned oats in there too.

the result was an awesome smoothie that tasted just like a milkshake . . . and it's healthy too!  i call that a win-win situation.

i think this combination is my new favorite smoothie recipe!

banana peanut butter oat smoothie
total time: 5 minutes
yields: 1 large smoothie

ingredients:
1 ripe banana
3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup skim milk
4-5 ice cubes

directions:
blend all ingredients together in a blender until smooth.

enjoy!

love, laurie

banoffee pie (banana toffee pie)

over the weekend, my grandfather came to visit.  my grandfather lives in arizona, so we rarely see him.  recently, he has been visiting many of his relatives on the east coast, and on saturday he came up to our house for dinner.  when i found out that he was coming, i started thinking about what i should make for dessert.  here's a breakdown of how the thought process went in my head . . . grandpa >> british accent >> england >> love actually movie >> keira knightley >> banoffee pie.

if you followed that without getting confused, high five!  if your lost, here is my explanation . . . my grandfather has a british accent.  every time i hear him talk, i think of england.  whenever i think of england, i think of one of my all-time favorite movies love actually.  keira knightley was in love actually, and there is a scene in love actually where keira knightley mentions banoffee pie.  logical, right?

moving on . . . so, i decided to tackle banoffee pie for dessert this weekend.  i had never had banoffee pie before, but it has always been on my list of things to order if i ever found myself sitting in a quaint little london cafe.  since i don't plan on traveling to london any time soon, and since i was already going to have a man with a british accent in my dining room, i decided to bring london to me.  as it turns out, banoffee pie is incredibly easy to make.  it is simple, it is sweet, and it makes you dream of london.  it sure is messy and sticky, but it is oh so good.  if you like bananas and toffee, this is the pie for you!

banoffee pie
prep time: 10-15 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes
yields: one 9-inch round pie
adapted from sprinkle bakes

crust ingredients:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles
4 tablespoons salted butter, melted and cooled

filling ingredients:
2 large bananas
1 tablespoon lemon juice (divided)
8 tablespoons butter
14 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 tablespoons corn syrup

topping ingredients:
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

directions:
to make the crust: in a large bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs and the sprinkles.  pour the melted butter evenly over the crumbs.  mix together, making sure that all of the crumbs are evenly coated.  pour the crumbs into a 9-inch tart pan or pie pan, and press the crumbs firmly against the bottom of the pan and up the sides of the pan, making sure that the crumbs form an even crust.  chill the crust in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.

for the filling: slice one of the bananas and place it in a small bowl.  toss the banana slices with half of the lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown.  arrange the banana slices in the bottom of the crust, then return the crust to the refrigerator.  in a saucepan, over medium heat, combine the butter, condensed milk, brown sugar, and corn syrup.  stir until the butter has melted, then raise the heat to medium-high.  bring the mixture to a gentle bubble, and allow it to bubble for about 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly.  remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.  stir well, then pour the mixture over the sliced bananas.  chill for several hours or overnight.

for the topping: slice the second banana and place it in a large bowl.  toss the banana slices with the remaining lemon juice.  arrange half of the banana slices on the top of the pie.  using an electric hand mixer, whip the heaving whipping cream in a large bowl until thickened and stiff peaks form.  cover the top center of the pie with the whipped cream, and place the remaining banana slices on top of the whipped cream.  decorate with chocolate curls, chocolate shavings, and/or chocolate sprinkles.  keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

enjoy!

love, laurie