Banana Cream Cheese Breakfast Cakes

Oh look, another muffin recipe. Ha!  Sorry, they're just about my favorite things on this earth.  Thus, I go out in search of new muffin recipes all the time.  As a matter of fact, I should probably think about branching out to include cranberries or other kinds of fruit in my muffins.  Incidentally, that's what brought me to this next recipe. 

Banana breads and banana-things aren't always my favorite - although I love eating bananas by themselves.  However, when I saw this recipe I thought it would be fun.  Plus, I'm actually combining two different recipes to bring this to you. 

The recipe for cream cheese filling can be found here.  The banana muffin part is a recipe I found in the latest Food Network Magazine (May 2012 issue), compliments to Gary Danko.

BANANA CREAM CHEESE BREAKFAST MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups plus 3 tblsp cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 stick plus 2 tblsp unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 6 tblsp sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, room temperature
3 very ripe bananas, mashed

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2.  Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking soda and salt into a bowl.

3. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla with the paddle attachments on medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Beat in the mashed bananas until combined.  Add half of the flour mixture and beat on low speed until almost combined, then add the remaining flour mixture and beat until just combined (do not overmix).

4. Drop a small scoop of batter for each muffin.  Drop in about 1 tsp of the cream cheese mixture for each muffin then scoop on the remaining batter over the cream cheese mixture (cups should be about 3/4 full).

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the filling) comes out clean, 20-35 minutes. Transfer the pan to a rack and let cool about 15 minutes, then remove the cakes to the rack to cool completely.

PERSONAL NOTES:

The directions for the cream cheese mixture in the magazine seemed so involved, I went back to the cream cheese filling I used for other muffins.  It was a good decision, I like the way they came out.  I love biting into muffins or cupcakes only to find a surprise in the middle.  Yum!

Oh, and I didn't bake the muffins all that long... probably only 20 minutes - max.  If I baked them for 35 they would have burned.  So my recommendation is to check them at 20 minutes and see if they need more time or not.

Avocado & Crab Salad

What a treat it was to stumble upon this recipe for avocado and crab salad.  Two of my favorite things; especially in the warm weather.  One thing I love about this dish is that it's actually healthy for you!  I know I speak for lots of people when I say that avocado is VERY good for you.  It's packed with the Omega-3's we need so much and don't often get.  To top it off, it's made with crab.  MMmmmm... crab...

The recipe is adapted from this one. Thank you skinnytaste.com!

AVOCADO & CRAB SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium Hass avocado

4 oz lump crab meat

2 tbsp chopped red onion

2 tblsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, combine onion, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro salt and pepper. Add crab meat and toss well.
Cut avocado open, remove pit and spoon out avocado. Cut into large chunks and add to crab. Mix carefully, not to mash the avocado. Spoon back into avocado shells and enjoy!



PERSONAL NOTES:

What an easy little meal to make! I had it done in about 10 minutes, if that.  The original recipe called for the juice of one lime and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, but as always I chose to go in a different direction with the red wine vinegar.  Cabernet vinegar is a particular favorite of mine...

Oatmeal Cinnamon Muffins

Yet another experiment with muffins.  I chose this recipe because I'm looking to get rid of a box of Quaker Oats that I've had hanging around.  I only use that stuff to bake with - I prefer to eat steel cut oats (they're SO good!).  Thus when I saw this recipe, I hopped on the opportunity to use more Quaker oats.

This recipe is adapted from this one found on Allrecipes.

OATMEAL CINNAMON MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup old-fashioned oats

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

DIRECTIONS:

In a large bowl, combine oats and buttermilk; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in eggs.

Combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda; stir into oatmeal mixture just until moistened.

Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake at 400 degrees F for 18-20 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

PERSONAL NOTES:

To be perfectly honest, I'm not a huge fan of these. They're good when they're right out of the oven, otherwise they get super chewy real fast.  So make these if you're planning to eat/serve them all quick.

In terms of the recipe itself, I almost never keep buttermilk on hand.  So this is where I make use of the seemingly unending supply of fat free Greek yogurt.  By the way, not all Greek yogurt is created equal.  My two favorite brands are Fage and Chobani. 

If you like chewy, rustic flavored and textured muffins, then give this one a whirl. 

Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins

I really like cinnamon.  Looking back at some of my older posts, many of them are cinnamon something-or-others.  Of all the cinnamon baked goodies I've made, I can't say there's been a bad one in there.  Kinda like pumpkin, cinnamon anything is just a wonderful thing.

Enter these new muffins into the picture: Cinnamon & Sugar Muffins.  Of course I had to give them a go.  The verdict: they're really good!  Definitely a keeper recipe.  One important thing about these muffins that make them a particular favorite is that they're low in calories.  Each muffin is approximately 155 calories.  Not only that, they're DELICIOUS.  And as with muffins or scones in general, these are convenient to take with you and have on the go.  As a yoga teacher, I'm always on the go.  Thus, these guys work great for me.

I adapted the recipe from this one found on Simpledailyrecipes.

CINNAMON & SUGAR MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 cup non-dairy milk (soy, almond, coconut, etc.)

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon distilled vinegar

2 cups flour

2/3 cups sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

For the topping

• 1/2 cup melted butter in one bowl
• 1/2 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon in another bowl

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oven to 400ºF. Grease bottoms of 12-muffin cup pan.

Beat milk, applesauce and vinegar in a medium bowl. Add in flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt all at once. Stir just until flour is moistened. Batter will be lumpy; do not over stir.

Use a large cookie dough scooper to fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake until golden brown, 16 to 20 minutes. Immediately remove from pan and carefully roll hot muffin tops in melted butter, then in cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Store cooled muffins in a container with a loose fitting lid and enjoy them later on in your day.

PERSONAL NOTES:

These would be wonderful vegan muffins had I followed the directions as stated.  But you know me, I have to go switching things up.  In place of the non-dairy milk (for which I usually use coconut milk), I used fat free Greek yogurt.  Let's just say that's my all-time favorite go-to ingredient.  It's just so versatile.

Beautiful British Scones!

So scones are my latest endeavour in baking.  I'm experimenting with a few different types.  I've previously made the Cinnamon Streusel Scones and last week made Black Treacle Scones.  Yesterday I tried out this wonderful recipe for what I consider typical English scones.  SO good!  I adapted the recipe from this one found on Allrecipes.

This latest recipe worked out great.  Although, I have to say that if the Black Treacle Scones had raisins in them, I'd probably like them better.  (Plus, the Black Treacle Scones were only about 90 calories the way I made them!).

BEAUTIFUL BRITISH SCONES

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter

1 egg

1 cup raisins (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt. Cut in the butter. Stir the sour cream mixture and egg into the flour mixture until just moistened. Mix in the raisins.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead briefly. Roll or pat dough into a 3/4 inch thick round. Cut into 12 wedges, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom.

Yields 12 scones.

PERSONAL NOTES:

I must have made these guys much smaller than the recipe stated.  The original recipe yields 12 scones and I halved it (after all, it really is just me and my hubby chowing down on them. We don't need 12 large scones!).  Even after cutting it in half, I still came out with 10 scones.  I used a glass to cut out round scones.  I suppose I could have made them thicker, but I just didn't.  Frankly, I really like them as they came out. The way I made them each scone is approximately 220 calories.

In place of the sour cream I used fat free Greek yogurt.  My favorite go-to ingredient when recipes call for sour cream or even buttermilk.  It's a fantastic substitute.  You would never tell the difference in flavor. 

In place of butter I used Olivio so there's no cholesterol.  And for the egg I used Egg Beaters - another  go-to for eggs used in dishes.  Because believe me, when it comes to eating eggs, I'm going to make the real thing!

Zucchini Cakes

I teach yoga four nights a week.  That means I either have to eat something before I go or wait till I come back home.  If I wait till I come home I'm tired and don't want to spend too much time cooking. This is where this next recipe comes into the picture.  I found this recipe the other day on Pinterest and thought it sounded good.  My favorite part about this dish (aside from the fact that it's really tasty) is that it took less than 30 minutes to make it from start to finish.

You can find the original recipe here. 

In the fall and winter I made lots of dishes with winter squash.  Now that spring is officially here with summer fast approaching, I'm looking to try out a whole slew of new dishes with summer squash.  I love squash.  It's yummy.  And here's another bonus: it's really good for you too. See what the folks over at Livestrong have to say about it.

ZUCCHINI CAKES

INGREDIENTS:

1 large zucchini, grated
1 large egg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Salt/pepper to taste
1 tbsp Adobo spices
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated


DIRECTIONS:

1. Remove excess liquid from freshly grated zucchini by placing them between paper towels and squeezing.
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix thoroughly.
3. Heat a large pan on medium, and spray with Pam. Shape spoonfuls of the zucchini batter into 2-inch (diameter) patties, and drop onto the sizzling pan. Cook each side for about a minute and a half, or until the outside is golden brown.
4. Finish the cakes off in the oven — stick them on a baking pan and broil them for 1-2 minutes.
5. Serve hot, alone or with ranch dressing.

PERSONAL NOTES:

As I mentioned above, this was an easy and quick dish to put together.  I will DEFINITELY make these again.

The directions state to remove excess water from the zucchini but I didn't see a need for that.  There just didn't seem to be any excess water. 

Instead of using Adobo spices I just used an all-purpose season salt. It worked fine. 

Overall this was tasty as-is.  When I make it next time I'll add 2x the amount of zucchini and cut back on the breadcrumbs by at least 1/3 cup.  I think it needs more zucchini in it, less bread.

Black Treacle Scones

I wanted to be productive during my midday break.  Being productive can amount to a great many things. Today as usual, that meant trying out a new recipe.  And I didn't go through the vast list (or cookbooks) to find this.  No, I went trolling online for something new.  I don't know why I keep looking for new things when there are already so many dishes I want to try out.

Anyhow, I wanted something new and of course something easy.  Enter Black Treacle Scones into the picture.  Original recipe is courtesy of allrecipes and can be found here. 

The last time I made scones I made Cinnamon Streusel Scones.  While they tasted fine and cinnamon-y, the consistency just wasn't what I was expecting.  I'm used to traditional scones like the kinds you'd have with an English tea service.  Served with jam and clotted cream.  You know which scones I'm talking about.  When I saw the recipe for Black Treacle Scones I thought they screamed British!

And here they are...

BLACK TREACLE SCONES

INGREDIENTS:

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

4 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons molasses

1 cup milk

DIRECTIONS:

- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet. 

- In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry blender. Combine milk and molasses in a small bowl; stir into flour mixture until moistened. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll dough out into a 1/2 inch thick round. Cut out circles with a medium biscuit cutter and place pieces on prepared baking sheet so that they are barely touching.

- Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Move to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. For soft scones, cover with a dry cloth for 10 minutes. For crisp scones, do not cover.

PERSONAL NOTES:

I really don't have too much to add to this.  I kept pretty close to the original recipe.  For milk I used skim (as always). 

Oh wait, what am I saying?  When mixing the wet ingredients with the flour mixture it was super dry.  Like, maybe I didn't need so much flour.  In a pinch I used a small bit of fat free Greek yogurt to add moisture.  That worked - and they came out great!

These will be amazing with jam and clotted cream or even with just butter.