Going even more Green

Soooooo, it's fun lying to kids, isn't it? I'm joking! sort of. My future children can blame MY mom for lying to me as I was growing up, and OFTEN. My mom was notorious for sneaking things into seemingly innocent desserts like brownies and would taunt us AFTER we had sampled them with, "GUESS WHAT'S IN THEM." She'd usually answer me and my brother's bafflement with "zucchini!" or "carrots!" I used to have generally unpleasant feelings from these sneaky vegetable revelations. However I know now why she did it. It is immensely satisfying to trick children into eating things that are good for them. Mwha ha ha haahahha.

Williams-Sonoma has a new catalog and a spread with smoothies that piqued my interest. Especially that attractive looking GREEN thing front and center. I went in search of green smoothies and found several variations. The beautiful thing about smoothies is, they're so versatile. You can almost throw anything in a blender and it'll come out good. But I was on a mission so I followed the one I found on All Recipes, and the highly rated adaptation, relatively close. (Next will be kale!)

Now, the kid in question is my 13 year old nephew who is like most kids his age: he usually recoils at the sight of real vegetables. Sure, he can have some iceberg lettuce or starchy potatoes but get into leafy greens and he gets a ~look on his face. Like he'd rather eat dirt. So I gave him an enticing "We're going to try a GREEN DRINK!" preview. He's generally agreeable but eventually he asked, "What makes it green?" And I said, with a straight face, "Oh, I color it." >)

I sneaked the baby spinach leaves into the blender and kept it hidden behind me as I tossed in the yogurt, ground flax seed, frozen banana chunks and apple and voila! Beautiful green drink!

Now, the adapted comment on All Recipes used plain yogurt and agave syrup for sweetness. I used vanilla yogurt AND agave because, c'mon, I'm selling it to a kid. But only a teaspoon of syrup, so I didn't go crazy.

But you know who did go crazy? The nephew. He loved it. And I only kept it to myself long enough to enjoy the fact that he liked something that was sweet, yeah, but also protein-rich and good for him. He was even pleasantly surprised when I told him it was spinach and wanted to make more when he got home. :)

I can't wait to make this drink for a morning pick-me-up!

GROOVY GREEN SMOOTHIE
Adapted from All Recipes, mamaiscookin

1 frozen banana, cut in chunks
8 ounces vanilla yogurt
1 apple, cored and chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1 Tbsp ground flax seed
1 Tbsp agave syrup (optional)


Place the banana, yogurt, apple, spinach and flax into a blender. Cover, and blend until smooth, stopping frequently to push down anything stuck to the sides. Pour into glasses and serve.


Servings: 2

Chunky Indeed

I bought the Ben & Jerry's ice cream recipe book with high hopes. Finally! The secrets of some of my favorite ice creams revealed! well. It didn't exactly work out that way.

I tried the coffee recipe of theirs and it was good but I've never had their coffee ice cream anyway so I couldn't compare. So I moved on to banana because I HAVE had Chunky Monkey. Boy howdy; that was NOT Chunky Monkey. The consistency of the cream was icy (probably because the banana itself is quite watery) and I couldn't understand why it came out so wrong. I'm not especially surprised Ben & Jerry's didn't reveal their REAL recipe but, geez; something close would've been nice.

I should have given up but you know me; failure is not acceptable. It has to be right. So I went in search of another recipe and found one even titled "chunky" and made reference to being damn close to the famous flavor. I went to it and finally, something resembling the original! And so incredibly easy! Win!

In an effort to make it even closer to the brand flavor, I melted down some Dove dark chocolates and spread them in a thin (1/8 inch) layer on parchment paper. I chilled the chocolate in the fridge until hard and roughly cut it into rectangle pieces (maybe 2 x 1 1/2"). I don't love the texture of chocolate chips in ice cream and merely chopping a bar would make chocolate shavings throughout the mix. This worked really well. Homemade chocolate chunks. :)

I was pleased with how nice this one came out. It'd be even better with some chocolate syrup drizzled over top (but what wouldn't be better with that?)

CHUNKY BANANA NUT ICE CREAM
Adapted from All Recipes, Submitted by: Stephany Brown

4 bananas, broken into chunks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup white sugar
1 1/3 cups heavy cream, chilled
2/3 cup cold milk
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks


In a blender or food processor, combine bananas, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar, cream and milk. Puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to the freezer canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

When ice cream begins to stiffen, add walnuts and chocolate chunks.

ChocoNanaButter, Experiment 2

The chocolate-banana-peanut butter experimenting continues. I feel a little like a mad scientist, just concocting stuff with three ingredients and hoping it'll hold together. My more wackier ideas are looking better and better as I work on the balance of said ingredients. The key seems to be the banana is very easily overpowered by the strong chocolate and peanut butter flavors. Even here, with banana creme filling in the cupcakes, the intense chocolate and creamy peanut butter completely take over and then just a hint of banana comes through in a bite.

I'd like to start toying with more predominantly banana recipes (like banana ice cream with chocolate or maybe peanut butter cup chunks stirred in) to see if that helps balance the flavors. I also bought banana flavoring which I am, admittedly, terrified of (mostly because it's "imitation" and alcohol based). I'm just not too comfortable with putting something like that in my cooking...

But even if you're not feeling adventurous or, you know, inclined to this ChocoNanaButter creation, the straight peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes are amazing. They're Ina Garten's (with a guest author for the peanut butter icing) so you know they're good.

The icing is sweet buttery goodness..

PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE & BANANA CUPCAKES
Adapted from Ina Garten


Chocolate Cupcakes

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, shaken, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup good cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing, recipe follows
Banana Creme Filling, recipe follows
Chopped salted peanuts, to decorate, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 sugars on high speed until light and fluffy, approximately 5 minutes.

Lower the speed to medium, add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. On low speed, add the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture alternately in thirds to the mixer bowl, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until blended. Fold the batter with a rubber spatula to be sure it's completely blended.

Divide the batter among the cupcake pans (1 rounded standard ice cream scoop per cup is the right amount). Bake in the middle of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, remove from the pans, and allow to cool completely before filling with banana creme and frosting.




Kathleen's Peanut Butter Icing:

1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Place the confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on medium-low speed until creamy, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as you work. Add the cream and beat on high speed until the mixture is light and smooth.


Banana Creme Filling

1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
1 large banana
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the milk in a heavy bottomed pan until very hot but not boiling.

Mix the sugar, flour and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the hot milk and beat until well blended. Pour back into the pan and continue to stir vigorously over low heat for minutes, until very thick and smooth. Add the egg yolks and cook for a few more minutes. Cool, stirring from time to time.

Mash the banana and beat it until smooth. Add tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional), and stir the mixture into the cooled filling.

Cut a cone out of the cooled cupcakes. Trim tip of top cone, fill cupcake with cooled banana creme and return top of cupcake.

Frost each cupcake with Peanut Butter Icing and sprinkle with chopped peanuts, if desired.

ChocoNanaButter, Experiment 1

About a year ago, Reese's put out a special Elvis edition of their peanut butter cups with banana creme added to commemorate his famous peanut butter/banana fried sandwiches. Ever since, I've been fascinated with the peanut butter/banana/chocolate combo. I've envisioned pies, stuffed croissants and more. It fell by the wayside when summer rolled around and the rich, thick dessert held little appeal. Well. My experimental side won out.

As far as experiments go, this one was a moderate success. I wouldn't say complete for a few reasons. It's messy and it's only OKAY. I think, maybe, my proportions were off - the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter was too much when dealing with a stronger flavor (dark chocolate) to smooth peanut butter. And the banana was nearly drowned out completely.

But it's worth trying. If you do decide to try at home, start with less chocolate than you'd think (I used about four of the individual Dove dark chocolates and I think it was too much). They melt and they're strong so take it easy on those! Even when you think there isn't enough (of chocolate or peanut butter), keep in mind that they're going to melt and alllll run together in the gooey sandwich.

Be prepared with many, many napkins...

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER BANANA SANDWICH

2 pieces bread
2 tbsp butter (or as needed)
2-3 tbsp peanut butter
1-2 ounces chocolate, chopped
1 banana

In a frying pan, melt 1 tbsp of the butter. Make sure butter does not burn. Slice the bananas into 1/4-inch thick slices. Spread the peanut butter on 1 slice of bread and place chopped chocolate on peanut butter. Cover with banana slices in a single layer and top with the remaining slice of bread. Spread the remaining butter on one side of the sandwich. Grill the sandwiches in the frying pan, unbuttered side first, until each side is golden brown and chocolate is melted.

Cut diagonally and serve.

Banana = Healthy, right?

You know when sometimes you just get the craving to make something for no reason? That was the impetus for this. Random craving to bake. I froze a few bananas (I'm on a fruit-freezing spree, huh?) and I just felt like using them for no reason in particular. I let them thaw out, cut off the end and squeezed that junk out. Couldn't be easier!

I read a few reviews that were left on this recipe from the user submitted All Recipes.com and most substituted oil for butter which I did. The muffin itself is quite satisfying but as others noted, what makes them REALLY good is the crumb topping. Mmm. They wouldn't be half as good without it, to be perfectly honest. :)

But I've been having one for breakfast over the past week, convincing myself that bananas make it healthy. ...I'm going to make some bran muffins (with applesauce instead of oil) so I'm TRYING for healthier, okay??

BANANA CRUMB MUFFINS
Adapted from All Recipes, Submitted by Lisa Kreft

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter


1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.