Banana Nut Muffins (df)

Something I strive for in my daily living
is to avoid wasting food.
So, when bananas get too ripe for snacking on,
I whip them into a quick bread or muffins.
This concoction is dairy-free,
as it uses olive oil instead of butter.
It's also short on sugar,
as the bananas boost the sweetness on their own.
This easy recipe will help you 
use up all those overripe nanners,
so nothing goes to waste.
Don't forget to compost the peels!

Banana Walnut Muffins

1 1/2 C unbleached flour

1/2 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/4 t baking powder

1/4 t salt

3/4 C sugar or sucanat

2 overripe bananas, mashed

3/4 C light olive oil

1 egg

1/2 C walnuts

Combine bananas, sugar, oil and egg in small bowl.

Mix well and set aside.

Add dry ingredients to medium bowl and sift with whisk.

Add wet ingredients and then nuts,

and mix until just combined.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bake 12-15 minutes (for muffins),

35-45 minutes (for loaf),

turning pan around midway.

Cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

Makes 1 dozen muffins or 1 loaf.

Saturday Blog Link Party

Baking with Olive Oil

For most of our baking, 
nothing beats creamy butter.
Cooking for a child with multiple sensitivities has been a challenge.
He must avoid wheat, gluten, dairy, 
soy, pineapple, coconut and a few other things.
I still want him to have goodies,
like any kid should be able to enjoy.
So, we focus on the foods he can have.
Over the years, I've been able to figure out what works.

One thing that works wonderfully 
is substituting olive oil for butter in baked goods.
We use light olive oil in baking
because it has a more subtle flavor,
so it's not noticeable in the final product.
It adds the moisture needed,
(gf baked goods are notoriously dry),
without adding any new flavors to the dish.
We also use it to grease the baking pans we're using.
 It gets added to everything from blueberry pancakes 
to pumpkin bread to icebox cake.
It makes baking a breeze since we always have some on hand.

Here's a helpful chart if you want to give it a go:

Butter/Margarine	Olive Oil
1 teaspoon	3/4 teaspoon
1 tablespoon	2 1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup	3 tablespoons
1/3 cup	1/4 cup
1/2 cup	1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons
2/3 cup	1/2 cup
3/4 cup	1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon
1 cup	3/4 cup

source

If you need to bake for someone with allergies,
(or even if you don't),

give olive oil a try.

Here's one of Lil' Guy's favorite recipes:

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Bread

1 C gf flour mix                                      1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder                                 1/2 t salt
1/2 C sucanat or brown sugar           1/2 C pureed pumpkin
1/4 C light olive oil                               1 pckg. pear sauce
2 handfuls chocolate chips

Combine dry ingredients in medium bowl.  
Whisk to sift.  
Add wet ingredients and stir until well combined.  
Stir in chips.  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  
Grease loaf pan and pour in mixture.  
Bake 35-45 minutes, pausing at 25 minutes to cover if getting too dark.

Makes 1 loaf (8-10 servings).
Enjoy!