Friday, November 10, 2017

Banana Oat Blender Muffins

So, this recipe started with a couple of posts I saw on my facebook feed.  One was for banana oatmeal blender bread.  I made that last week.

http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51821/gluten-free-banana-bread-recipe/

The main problem with the bread was that the cook time was really low.  20 minutes.  I mean, no.  It's a quick bread, but no.  So I baked it 50 min, and it needed more.  Still, it was delicious.  I adjusted it a bit though, added a little bit of oil. And probably a few TBSP of brown sugar in place of the liquid sweetener. And chocolate chips.  The consistency of this kind of bread is chewy, not crumbly.

I decided this week to do a muffin version.  I'd found this recipe and gave it a try (shared from the same page, 100 days of real food).  The advantage of the muffin version is that I can add different things, since hubby doesn't like chocolate.

http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/oatmeal-yogurt-blender-muffins-recipe

Of course I edited again.  First, it's Friday and I'm out of a lot of things.  And I don't have Greek yogurt.  So I made homemade buttermilk with milk and vinegar, and subbed that (but used less).  Also, I used maple syrup instead of honey.

Recipe called for 15 min baking, and it needed 20.  Again, a little chewy.  I'm not sure if the chewy is the oats/ banana, or the lack of butter/ oil.  It bums me out that when I look for gluten free/ oat based muffin recipes, people seem to want to make them fat free. Or veganized.  I'm fine with veganized, because I was almost out of eggs.  But damn it, don't be afraid of fat!  I think there is a big tendency (still) to use applesauce, bananas, and honey/ maple syrup as the liquid.

So I'm still on the lookout for a recipe that calls for butter or olive oil too.

I was very excited to see them puff up, but then they sank, just like the picture in the link.  They taste fine, but need a teeny bit more sugar.  My versions were chocolate chips, blueberries, coconut, and walnut.



Banana oat blender muffins
2 c. rolled oats
2 very ripe bananas
2 eggs
3/4 c milk with 1 tbsp vinegar, let sit a few minutes
3 T maple syrup or honey
2 T olive oil or melted butter
2 T brown sugar (new)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash salt
1 tsp vanilla

Toppings: blueberries, chocolate chips, coconut, walnuts...?

Put everything into blender, blend until smooth.
Pour into muffin cups.  Top with toppings.  Bake at 400F for 20-22 min.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Today's cooking chores and meals

So, there's this "new kid" (not really new anymore) at work who is vegan.  Though he'll eat dairy if it's the only option or free leftovers.

He was eating Mujaddara (Arabic rice and lentils) and it reminded me how much I like that stuff.

So I'm making it for dinner tonight.  I was supposed to go to Mom's night and see a movie, but too many of them are sick so they cancelled.  And I'm healthy, WTF?

I skipped my run today, was going to walk instead.  Now I think I'm going to go have a glass of wine instead.  Fair trade, right?  I've got a trail run tomorrow and I just bought new shoes.  ALL my shoes are dying. 
1. I've got my walking shoes, that are the same running shoes I always buy. But this year's version was narrower!  Too small for running.
2.  My running shoes, that I bought for my 1/2 marathon are pretty much dead, and also too small.  They are fine for 4 miles, but more than that, no.
3.  My trail running shoes are too tight. 

Basically, my feet grew this year.

4.  My Ecco work shoes, that I've had for 15 years?  Soles are shredded.  I just noticed.  I stopped wearing them for a few years around pregnancy because my feet swelled.  Anyway, dead.  I have a different pair of black shoes that will work.

I bought D width New Balance trail shoes, which don't have enough cushion but we'll have to see.

So, today's cooking chores: because some day I'm going to need ideas.

Made gluten free oatmeal banana bread.  I added chocolate chips.  And edited the recipe.  Because: of course I did.

Made salsa and guacamole.

Next up:
Baba ganoush
Mujaddara with onions
Peanut lime sauce (maybe...)

Stuff we ate this week:
Rice/ quinoa with Thai red curry chicken and veggies (Trader Joe's frozen harvest hodgepodge)
Rice/ quinoa with Madras lentils (Costco, premade)
Salmon, roast potatoes, salad, green beans
Yellow squash fritters