Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Mo' Muffins*

I'm on a baking roll. Specifically, a muffin-baking roll. Last week the insides of my oven saw not one, but two batches of muffins. You already know about the rhubarb pecan muffins, whipped up for a Fourth of July picnic. But the muffin madness did not stop there.

A couple of days later, the Best Husband Ever noted that our banana stash was going brown fast. I mumbled something about baking banana bread, although because it was so hot out I didn't really mean it. After he left for work, however, a spirit of muffin creation came over me, and so I pulled out my mixing bowls and flour and got working.

They were banana muffins, of course, made with my heart- and star-shaped silicone forms. The original recipe calls for oat bran, whole wheat flour, and applesauce, among other things. I didn't have any applesauce on hand, so I subbed in a couple of tablespoons of pureed pumpkin and one tablespoon of coconut oil. I also replaced half the brown sugar with stevia baking blend. I sprinkled some crushed pecans on top and sent the muffin batter into the oven.

Coconut oil + bananas + pecans = delicious. Now that I'm not as afraid of fats as I was during the time of my eating disorder, my baking has improved vastly. No longer does the Best Husband Ever cringe when he takes a bite of proffered muffin or bread. Instead, my baked goods are now "pretty good," these banana oat bran muffins included. They were moist and flavorful, and I especially liked how each muffin contained substantial chunks of banana, as I only roughly mashed the bananas.

But after turning out a dozen delectable muffins, I still had a lingering banana to find a home for. Fortunately, I already had an idea and so I got out the blender. In went the ripe banana, one can of garbanzo beans, about a tablespoon of lemon juice, and hefty pinches of garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg, plus a light sprinkle of ginger. I was going for banana curry hummus (or banummus, if you will), and it turned out great. I smeared some on a muffin a short while later, an intriguing combination that I really enjoyed. (I didn't offer this concoction to Best Husband Ever. That would have been pushing my luck, poor guy.)

Now, both muffins and hummus have disappeared into our collective stomachs. We have a new bunch of green-ish bananas hanging in their basket in the kitchen, and I have no doubt that we will consume those before they become too mushy to handle. If we don't, though, I know exactly what I'm going to do with them.

*I totally wanted to name this week's post on yoga "Mo' Money, Mo' . . . Yoga?" but somehow that didn't seem appropriate. Mostly because it makes no sense. So I indulged in my white girl gangsta speak today. Thanks for humoring me.

4 comments:

  1. Hmm, I would never have thought to do a banana infused hummus. Was it more savory or sweet?

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  2. Love the idea of banana instead of tahini in the hummus. Did you drain the garbanzos?

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  3. Lovely -- this hummus turned out sweet, but you could definitely make it savory, too! Do do that I might omit the cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger.Traci -- yep, I always drain and rinse my canned beans, and then add fresh water as needed during the processing.

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  4. Thanks for the pointer. I grabbed the recipe to add to my database. I'm in charge of the salty/savory snack for our next Bead Guild meeting (August 5), and I may make this. I'll let you know how it comes out.

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