St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding

I feel like I'm always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to food fads. What's in today, is out tomorrow. There has been a cupcake craze, the bacon craze, kale and green smoothies everywhere and the list goes on and on. Chia seeds have been around for quite a while, but I'm a novice when it comes to this ingredient.

I've known of chia seeds since I was little and chia pets made regular appearances in commercials. I did own a couple of them over the years and let me tell you, they never worked for me like they did on TV (#majorfail). So yes, I knew about chia, but it never crossed my mind to eat them. 

For the last year or so, I've seen more and more recipes including these little seeds pop up all over the internet and they began to peak my interest. I started to do some research on them and to my surprise they are a super food. Who knew that these little buggers are chock full of Omega 3, can balance your blood sugar, keep you full longer, add age-defying anti oxidants as well as many other health benefits.  Color me impressed!

So I figured I'll "ease" into it by starting with a fairly basic recipe for Chia Seed Pudding. There are a lot of recipes for this, but the gist is pretty much the same. Almond milk, yogurt, some kind of natural sweetener and of course chia seeds. Mix it up and let it sit overnight. The seeds do their magic thing after a few hours and you have this amazing concoction that is incredibly tasty on top of being healthy.

With St. Patrick's Day only a couple of weeks away I decided to add a little whimsy by matching my fruit topping to the colors of the Irish Flag. Kiwis, bananas and mandarin oranges along with a few toasted almonds for added crunch completed the pudding. The verdict: So freaking good! I think I have a new breakfast favorite and I can't wait to make this again. What a great way to wake up your family on St. Patrick's Day with this healthy breakfast.

St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding
~makes 4 servings~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup plain (2 percent) Greek Yogurt 
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 small kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 large banana, peeled and cut into slices
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges (no sugar added), drained
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tsp. pure maple syrup

Directions:
In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the vanilla extract and the 1/8 teaspoon of salt until just blended. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, in a small bowl, toss the toasted almonds with 2  teaspoons maple syrup. Set aside. Spoon the pudding into 4 glasses or bowls. Top with kiwis, bananas, and mandarin oranges.  Mound the almonds on top and serve.

Slightly adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis

Banana-Caramel Decadence Cupcakes

Sometimes the best laid plans simply don't work out. Today's post was supposed to be this well planned out apple dessert, but the dessert gods weren't in agreement and I decided to switch gears yesterday. Looking for inspiration in my kitchen my eyes caught four very ugly looking bananas sitting on the counter. Now you all know the story, sometimes you can't buy them fast enough and then there are times when no one touches them at all. I actually think there is some kind of conspiracy going on in my house. I wouldn't be surprised if my family made a pact to let bananas go bad every once in a while just so I can come up with a dessert.

I knew I didn't want to make a cake or banana bread, so I went to one of my most used cookbooks, Martha Stewart's Cupcakes for inspiration. While a couple of them sounded pretty good, none of them struck a chord, so I just took one of Martha's recipes and fiddled with it until I had what I thought was a pretty darn good cupcake. I used her Banana Pecan cupcake recipe as my starting point, but not being in a nut kind of mood I started thinking of things I could replace them with. Looking through my pantry it struck me, butterscotch chips and bananas = match made in heaven. For the frosting, I stuck with the suggested caramel buttercream, I mean why mess with a good thing, right?

Before I started baking, I scaled the recipe down to half. With so many treats being baked lately I knew I didn't need 30 cupcakes hanging around. The original cupcake batter called for light brown sugar, which I realized I was out of after I had started putting things together. Well, dark brown sugar it was  and that turned out to be a great decision. The batter is made quickly and goes into the oven in no time, where it will make your house smell out of this world while baking. After cooling the cupcakes, they are frosted with the most delicious buttercream known to man (fair warning here, for all of you spoon frosting eaters). And finally (since we didn't have enough decadence yet) I drizzled the finished frosted cupcakes with even more caramel.

Good lord, I might have had to take a cold shower after eating one of them. I usually prefer chocolate over all things caramel, but these cupcakes gave chocolate a run for their money. Pure bliss! These will be made again without a doubt. I'm glad I had to change dessert directions at the last minute, but this ended being one of my favorite cupcakes this year!

Banana-Caramel Decadence Cupcakes 

~makes about 15 cupcakes~

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

For the caramel:

1 cup plus 4 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup heavy cream

For the caramel buttercream:

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 cup sugar

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup of the prepared caramel

Directions:

For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, slat, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, whisk together mashed bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and brown sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs, one  at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with banana mixture, and beating until just combined after each. Stir in butterscotch chips.

Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

For the caramel: Combine sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is clear. Stop stirring, and cook until syrup comes to a boil. Continue to boil, gently swirling pan occasionally to color evenly, until mixture is very dark amber. Remove from heat; add cream in a steady stream (the mixture will spatter), stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Let cool.

For the caramel buttercream: With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until pale and fluffy. In the heatproof bowl of a standing electric mixer, combine 1/4 cup sugar and the egg whites. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water; whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).

Attach bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, mix until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue whisking until egg mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 5-10 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low. Add beaten butter, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

Switch to the paddle attachment. With mixer on medium-low speed, very slowly pour in caramel; beat a couple of minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and continue to beat until caramel is fully incorporated.

Putting it all together: Frost cupcakes by using a small offset spatula to spread the buttercream or fill a pastry bag (fitted with the tip of your choice) with the cream and pipe on. Drizzle with additional caramel (you should have some leftover). Refrigerate up to 3 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before serving.

Slightly adapted from: Martha Stewart's Cupcakes 

Peanut Butter French Toast

 

Our weekday mornings are hectic to say the least. Everyone is leaving at different times, there is madness galore with people looking for backpacks, water bottles, or homework, and we don't have any time to sit down as a family to enjoy a breakfast together. I usually make sure to have an assortment of cereals in the pantry and also muffins or breakfast burritos in the freezer for quick on-the-go eating. So when the weekend finally arrives, we like to slow things down a bit and enjoy breakfast or brunch as a family.  Weekend breakfasts are a great opportunity to "splurge" a little and eat something we wouldn't normally have for breakfast during the week. It also means, that we can usually skip lunch that day which frees up some time for me in the kitchen as well.

For these special breakfasts, I like to make things like pancakes, waffles, quiches or french toast. Last Sunday felt like a french toast kind of morning, so I looked on the fabulous internet for a recipe. I didn't have to look further than allrecipes.com, which is a great source for so many dishes. I wanted a french toast that was a bit different than our old standby, but something that still could be made quickly and that I knew the kids would enjoy. That is when this Peanut Butter French Toast caught my eye. After reading some of the reviews and the trouble people had in incorporating the peanut butter into the milk and egg mixture, I knew what would solve this problem. I decided to add all the ingredients into my blender just like I did with my peanut butter ice cream a while back, and again this worked like a charm. Fantastic smooth batter ready for dipping. I also decided to go with a typical french bread cut on an angle rather than a plain white bread. After frying the battered bread in a bit of butter, I added sliced bananas along with maple syrup to each portion to complete the presentation.


This recipe would have made Elvis proud, in fact, I think he would have been "All shook up" about it! It was simply wonderful. The bread was cooked perfectly with just a hint of peanut butter, without  it being overpowering. The bananas and the maple syrup were definitely the icing on the cake french toast. All plates were practically licked clean, everyone was very happy and tummy's were full . So, if peanut butter and french toast are your kind of breakfast as well, I would definitely give this recipe a try, it certainly is a new favorite in our home, and has already been requested again.

Peanut Butter French Toast
(adapted from allrecipes.com)
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients:

1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1/4 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 slices French bread
Butter or oil for frying
Sliced banana
Maple syrup


Preparation:


In a blender add milk, eggs, peanut butter, sugar, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Blend until smooth.


Heat the butter or oil in a griddle or frying pan over medium heat.


Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in pan, and cook on each side until golden. Serve hot with sliced bananas and maple syrup.

Ice Cream Fridays: Banana Cajeta Cashew Gelato

Welcome to another edition of Ice Cream Fridays. Every Friday you can look forward to a new ice cream recipe which will hopefully inspire you to break out your old dust covered ice cream maker that is hiding somewhere in a closet (yes, I'm talking about you). Since I'm always looking for inspiration and ideas, feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog or on my facebook page, and let me know what ice cream flavor you would like to see. Who knows, you might just get lucky and it will be featured the following week.

Sometimes my friends get a kick out of supplying me with an ingredient and letting me "loose" in the kitchen to come up with a dish. This is how today's ice cream flavor came about. My friend Laura supplied me graciously with some Cajeta. Cajeta is sweetened goat's milk that is cooked until thick and dark in color, like Dulce de Leche, it is also very popular in Mexico. It is quite delicious by itself drizzled over the top of plain vanilla ice cream, but I knew I wanted to find something that really integrated the flavor.

This is where one of my ice cream books came to play. While my daughter was flipping through the pages one day she got very excited when she came across this Banana Cajeta Cashew Gelato. She showed it to me, thinking it would certainly fit the bill for working the ingredient into a great dessert. Boy, was she right. What made this even better was the cashews which I had received from Oh!Nuts. All I needed to do was make the ice cream base. I still had some ripe bananas left over from my banana cake so I was covered.  The ice cream starts by making a plain vanilla base. After chilling it thoroughly, ripe bananas are blended with half of the mixture until smooth before mixing it with the rest of the base. The mix is then frozen in your ice cream maker, and finally towards the end, chopped cashews are added to the Gelato. Upon layering the finished mix in your freezer bowl, cajeta is drizzled over the top and then quickly swirled in before freezing.

This was a very different but wonderful flavor combination. The kids didn't care for the cajeta by itself, but once integrated into the ice cream they went crazy for it. I'm really glad my friend introduced me to an unknown product which I ended up liking a lot. In case you can't find cajeta readily available, I'm including a recipe on how to make it yourself. However, if the thought of goat milk caramel is just a bit too exotic for you, the cajeta can be simply replaced with Dulce de Leche and you will still be left with a delicious ice cream.

Banana Cajeta Cashew Gelato
(adapted from Ciao Bella)
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

Plain Base (recipe to follow)
2 ripe bananas, chilled
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup coarsely chopped roasted salted cashews
1/2 cup Cajeta, slightly warmed (recipe to follow)

Preparation:

Make the Plain Base and chill as directed.

Place the bananas, sugar, and lemon juice in a blender and add half of the base. Blend until smooth, then whisk into the remaining base.  Pour the mixture into the container of an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer's instructions. Add the cashews 5 minutes before the churning is completed.

Just after churning, drizzle the cajeta over the top and quickly and lightly swirl in a zigzag pattern with a spoon or butter knife.

Plain Base
 


2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar


In a heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Place over medium low heat and cook, stirring occasionally so a skin doesn't form, until tiny bubbles start to form around the edges and the mixture reaches a temperature of 170 degrees F.

Meanwhile, in a medium heat-proof bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth. Gradually whisk in the sugar until it is well incorporated and the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Temper the egg yolks by very slowly pouring in the hot milk mixture while whisking continuously. Return the custard to the saucepan and place over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until the custard is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon and it reaches a temperature of 185 degrees F. Do not bring to a boil.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl and let cool to room temperature, stirring every 5 minutes or so. to cool the custard quickly, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water and placing the bowl with the custard in it; stir the custard until cooled. Once completely cooled, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.


Cajeta
(makes about 3 cups)

2 cups goat's milk
2 cups sugar
1/8 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican
1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 tablespoon water

In a large, heavy-bottom saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and vanilla and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the dissolved baking soda. When the bubbling stops, return the pan to the heat, bring back to a simmer, and cook, stirring often, for 1 hour, or until the mixture starts to thicken and turn golden. At this point the cajeta will start to thicken fast, so don't leave the pan unattended. Continue to cook stirring constantly so it doesn't burn or stick to the bottom of the pan, for another 20 minutes, or until the cajeta is a  rich brown color and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. It should cool to a medium- thick caramel consistency. If it's too thick, add a samll amount of water; if ti's too think continue to cook until thickened.

Transfer to a container, let cool, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Warm slightly before serving. It will keep for about 1 month in the refrigerator.

Our Favorite Banana Cake

 

When Sam from Oh!Nuts contacted me a while ago and asked if I would like to pick a few of their products, I got excited. I mean, considering that I use nuts and dried fruit quite frequently in my recipes on this blog, I was thrilled with this offer and wrote back to Sam very grateful with a list of items. I got even more excited after looking over their website and realizing it is truly a bakers paradise. Any kind of nut or dried fruit you can think of, they have it. My selection was for dry roasted cashews, dried figs, and ground hazelnut meal. The latter got me the most excited. It is something that is readily available at any super market in Germany, but I can hardly get my hands on in the United States.  I usually make do in recipes with other nuts that I tend to grind down myself, but the consistency or flavor isn't quite the same. I'm very grateful for the opportunity Oh!Nuts gave me, and also impressed with the quality of their products. I know I will be making purchases from them in the future.

I knew right away that I was going to use the hazelnut meal to make my mom's incredible Banana Cake. This banana cake recipe is by far the best recipe ever invented! I know, this is a strong statement, and maybe I'm just a teeny bit biased when it comes to this cake, but let me explain. I have been eating and baking this cake for as long as I can remember. When I was little, my mom would bake it for us, but as I grew older and was able to help in the kitchen, this was one of the first cakes my mom let me mix up by myself.

The measurements for this cake are mostly in metric. This is how I grew up baking, and I think it is actually a much more accurate way for measuring ingredients. To do so, you'll need a kitchen scale. If you don't own one already, I urge you to purchase one, since many recipes benefit from the use of it. They are pretty inexpensive, mine happens to be one of those kitchen tools that I use almost daily.

This cake is like the perfect marriage between a banana bread and chocolate cake. The flavor is amazing. The recipe makes for a cake that is incredibly moist, not too sweet, with an amazing banana flavor, and best of all glorious chocolate. The hazelnut meal adds a wonderful nutty taste without changing the texture of the cake. Even people who do nut care for nuts in their dessert have loved this cake. The batter is made quickly, especially if you go ahead and measure out your ingredients before starting. It is baked in a bundt cake pan that has been greased with butter, and instead of flouring, is "dusted" with sugar. This adds a wonderful crust to the baked product. I usually serve this cake as is, but if I have guests, the baked cake will get a simple dusting of powdered sugar prior to plating. No glazes or frosting required.

My kids beg me to bake this cake, and many times I will go ahead and end up freezing half of it for later use, which this cake does beautifully. This recipe has been in my family for probably 40 years, and is one of my most treasured recipes. I have not met anyone who didn't fall in love with this cake and requested the recipe. I hope you'll give it a try and end up loving it as much as we do!

Our Favorite Banana Cake

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

250 g unsalted Butter, at room temperature

200 g sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar

3 large eggs

3 ripe bananas, mashed

2 tablespoons dark rum or milk*

300 g all-purpose flour

30 g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

75 g ground hazelnut meal

2-3 tablespoons milk

200 g semi-sweet chocolate chips

 Powdered sugar (optional)

*I like the flavor the rum adds to the batter but if you don't use alcohol in your baking, milk will work as well

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a bundt cake pan with butter, then coat the pan in sugar. Set aside.

Working with a stand mixer, preferable fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract or vanilla sugar (if using) and beat for another minute. Add the eggs one by one; beating well after each addition.

Add the mashed bananas, dark rum (or milk), and combine. Don't be concerned if the mixture looks curdled, it will come together once you add the rest of the ingredients.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

Add the flour mixture to the banana batter and with the mixer on low, mix until just combined. Scrape the sides. Add the hazelnut meal, and mix again, add 1 tablespoon milk at a time if the mixture is too thick. The finished batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.

Fold in the chocolate chips.

Fill the batter into the prepared bundt cake pan. Bake for 55-65 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove cake and set on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before inverting. Let cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar, if desired.

Adapted from: "my mom"

Banana Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream

Our family goes through "banana stages". Sometimes I can't buy them quick enough before they are devoured, but then there are times when no one will touch them for days. Right now with it being so hot, bananas don't last long on the counter unfortunately. So what's one to do with an abundance of ripe bananas? The most "logical" choice was to make banana whoopies. 

These little cakes are once again from the book "Whoopie Pies" by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell. I love looking through this book since it offers so many possibilities. There are many recipes for each, the pies and the fillings, but it is up to the baker to decide which flavor combinations to use to put it all together. The possibilities are endless, which makes this so much fun.

I decided to use a classic chocolate buttercream as the filling in my banana whoopies. The pies are quickly mixed up, and I loved the fact that this recipe incorporated some whole wheat flour. One suggestion the book offers is to use a tablespoon or two of flax meal or wheat germ, and I went ahead and added some wheat germ into the batter since I had it on hand. I figured this way I could justify how "healthy" they were.

Pecans are optional in this recipe, so I decided to forgo them this time though they would certainly make a great addition. The chocolate buttercream is a pretty basic recipe, so I decided to amp up the "health" factor and go with Hershey's Extra Dark Cocoa Powder. This made the filling less sweet but at the same time, more decadent and rich tasting.

This is comfort food at it's best. These little delicacies were gone in no time. My husband had to sneak a few out to his colleagues who loved them just as much as my kids did. Since the filling wasn't too sweet or too chocolaty, my husband enjoyed a few of them as well. Definitely a repeat recipe, but maybe next time I'll add the pecans and go with a cream cheese frosting, or a maple buttercream, or a ............ I guess you'll all have to wait and see what strikes my fancy the next time around!

Banana Whoopie Pies with Chocolate Buttercream
(adapted from "Whoopie Pies")
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the pies:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used stone ground organic)
2 tablespoons wheat germ (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup chopped toasted pecans (optional)

For the filling:
1 1/3 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Extra Dark)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons heavy (whipping) cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt


Preparation:

For the pies: Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees f. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together both flours, baking soda, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper.

In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, shortening, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until combined.

Add the bananas and the pecans (if using) and beat on medium for about 2 minutes, until completely combined. Add the flour mixture along with the wheat germ if using. Mix until combined.

Using a spoon, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto one of the prepared baking sheets and repeat, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake one sheet at time for about 10 minutes each, or until the cakes begin to brown. Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet or at least 5 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

For the filling: In the work bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the confectioners' sugar, cocoa, and butter, starting on low and increasing to medium speed, until the mixture is crumbly, about 1 minute. Add the heavy cream, vanilla, and salt and beat on high until smooth, about 3 minutes.

Assembling the whoopie pies: Spread filling onto the flat side of one cake using a knife or spoon. Top with another cake, flat-side down. Repeat with the rest of the cakes and filling.
Alternatively, you can use a pastry bag with a round or star tip to pipe the filling onto the cakes, which will give you a smoother, neater presentation.

Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

Breakfast time is serious business at our home. My kids are unhappy if there isn't a good variety to choose from. They are quite satisfied if I have a couple of cereals to chose from or my breakfast burritos are in the freezer. I also tend to make muffins and freeze those for easy grab and go breakfasts, but with the temperatures outside being already hot in the morning, breakfast isn't as appealing as usually.

Since I believe that a well balanced breakfast is important to start the day right, I'm trying to come up with different choices for those already steamy mornings. This is where the Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie comes in handy. This smoothie is very easy to make, super filling, and perfect even if you are on the go.

The ingredients in this smoothie harmonize well together, but it also lends itself to a variety of different ingredients. Look at it like a blank canvas and just pick and choose whatever sounds good to you and your family. For example: soy milk, replace it with regular milk or almond milk. Don't care for bananas? Use a different fruit. Don't have strawberries? Go with raspberries or blackberries. Instead of honey, use brown sugar, white sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar. The possibilities are endless.

This smoothie has been a staple for breakfast and even a few lunches for a couple of weeks now, and so far the kids have not grown tired of it and all it's endless combinations. The recipe makes 1 very large or two smaller smoothies but can easily be doubled. 

I hope you'll give this smoothie a try and enjoy it for your next breakfast as much as we do.

Strawberry Oatmeal Breakfast Smoothie

 ~makes 2~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats

1 cup Vanilla soy milk (I use the light kind)

1/2 cup plain yogurt

1 banana, broken into chunks

14 frozen strawberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 to 1 tablespoon honey

Directions:

In a blender add rolled oats. Process until almost powder like. Add soy milk, yogurt, banana, strawberries and blueberries, vanilla and honey. Blend until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe

Lots-Of-Ways Banana Cake

For this weeks BWD: Baking with Dorie Challenge, it was Grapefruit's pick once again and she decided on Lots-Of-Ways Banana Cake on Page 204 and 205 in Dorie Greenspan's book

Baking: From my home to yours.

I was ecstatic when I heard about this pick since I really love banana cake, as does the rest of my family. I've been making a great chocolaty banana cake for a long time so this recipe had to measure up to this old family favorite.

The recipe itself is more of a guide line. Dorie gives a lot of suggestions as to what ingredients you can use but ultimately with this recipe the sky is the limit since there are so many flavor combinations possible. Practically, besides the flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and bananas, nothing is written in stone, and it is up to the individual baker as to where to go from there.

I had a hard time trying to decide which direction I wanted to take with this cake since all the combinations sounded so delicious, but I finally settled on a tropical version. In addition to coconut rum, unsweetened coconut milk and sweetened coconut flakes, I added chopped dried mango and dried pineapple to the batter.

Since I had just made a two layer cake for Easter I did not want to go this route again so I decided to just use my Wilton 17 by 11 inch cookie sheet that I lined with parchment paper. I baked the cake for  25 minutes and it came out perfect. I let it cool and then proceeded to frost it with a simple sweetened whipped cream. I sprinkled some more of the dried pineapple and mango on top and cut it into bars.

The cake itself was moist right out of the oven, but the magic happened over night. The dried fruit had absorbed some of the cakes moisture and plumped up inside the cake as well as on top of the frosting. The flavors worked wonderful together and considering my husband brought home an empty cake carrier, I'm thinking his colleagues at work liked it as well.

Did it measure up to my recipe of chocolate banana cake? It did but differently, I still like the chocolate banana version better, but will add this tropical kind into my recipe files for future baking adventures. I think this is a wonderful cake that screams sunshine. As always, Dorie Greenspan and her phenomenal recipes do not disappoint.  

Check out Grapefruit's page for the recipe and Elizabeth's page to see what they thought about this cake and what twist on this recipe they came up with.

For our next BWD in two weeks (the 26th of April) it is Elizabeth's pick with The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart  on Page 331 and 332. So if any of this has peeked your interest and you want to join the fun with us next time, just shoot me or Grapefruit an email and we'd be more than happy to have you.

Hummingbird Cake

I found this recipe in my newest Food Network Magazine. On first glance I thought it was just another recipe for a carrot cake but after further examination I was hooked. I mean what's not to like with bananas, pineapple, pecans and a decadent cream cheese frosting? The name Hummingbird cake was also unusual so I went on a little hunt trying to figure out where this cake came from.

The history of the humming bird cake seems to go back to Southern Living magazine. It published the recipe in its February 1978 issue which was submitted by a Mrs. L.H. Wiggins. Unfortunately Mrs. Wiggins did not include an explanation as to the cake's unusual name. It is said though, that the name comes from the hummingbird being drawn to immensely sweet sources. The cake is also known under different names in the south such as "Nothing Left Cake", "Granny's Best Cake" and last but not least "Jamaican Cake".

It is a southern cake with the essence of the tropics and South American influence with it's banana, pineapple, and pecan nut flavors. The cake is reminiscent of a dense carrot cake, but more flavorful.

Food Network Magazine's version comes to together quickly. Their version yields a two layer cake but I've seen several recipes that incorporate three layers.

This is surely not a light cake but it is delicious, easy to make, and with a cream cheese frosting to finish it off, it is a cake kids and adults alike will love. I will most definitely make a Hummingbird Cake again, but next time I might explore the original version of this recipe by Southern Living Magazine.

Hummingbird Cake

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter, for greasing

1 cup pecan pieces

1/2 cup pineapple, finely chopped

3 ripe bananas, chopped

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pans

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

Cream Cheese frosting (recipe follows)

Toasted Pecans for decoration (optional)

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 8-inch round cake pans and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment and dust with flour.

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and bake until fragrant and toasted, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then roughly chop. Toss with the bananas, pineapple, and 1/2 cup flour in a medium bowl.

Whisk the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger in a bowl. Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a separate bowl with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes. Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.

Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, then gently fold to make a thick batter. Fold in the pecan-fruit mixture, then transfer the batter to the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are firm and toothpick inserted in to the middle come out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool in the pans on a rack, 25 minutes, then invert the cakes onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread about half  of the frosting on top, then cover with the other cake layer. Spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of the cake. Decorate with additional toasted pecans if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with a mixer until fluffy, then gradually beat in the butter until combined. Sift the confectioners; sugar over the cream cheese mixture ad beat until smooth. add the lemon zest and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.

Adapted from: Food Network Magazine