Fruit-filled Banana Bread

Sometimes in life, our good intentions drive us to over-buy on produce. Then we have cabbage rotting in the crisper, wilted kale and celery, oranges drying out on the counter, or brown-spotted bananas on the table. But this is not always a bad thing. Wilted veggies can be put in the freezer to become vegetable stock at a later date. Fruits that aren't moldy can be juiced or put into smoothies. And my favorite thing to do with mushy, old bananas is to make banana bread. This is why I never worry about buying too many bananas, because I know the ones that get old and turn brown are going to be made into a delicious breakfast or anytime treat! If I only have one, I put it in the freezer until I accumulate 3 or 4 bananas. Then it's game on. For this version I got the basic recipe from Simply Recipes and added some extras of my own.
Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries (or blackberries)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries

Step 1: Mash the bananas in a bowl. Add the wet ingredients: egg, butter, vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, blueberries and cherries. Pour the wet into the dry and mix well.

Step 2: Spray an oven-safe bread pan with oil, and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until browned on the outside and a fork comes out clean in the middle.

This bread is soft on the inside with a perfectly crunchy top crust. The blueberries and cherries are chewy sweet surprises in every bite! I think this bread is perfect for adding all sorts of fruit goodies, you could use any berry you like. Healthify it with whole wheat flour, or add flax seeds. Use splenda or nutrisweet instead of regular sugar. Use applesauce instead of an egg to make it totally vegan. The possibilities are endless!

And for only 228 calories a slice, this is a great grab-and-go breakfast or evening snack to ward off a sweet tooth without breaking the calorie bank.

 

	Nutrition Facts   12 Servings Amount Per Serving   Calories 228.3   Total Fat 5.8 g       Saturated Fat 3.4 g       Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g       Monounsaturated Fat 1.5 g   Cholesterol 29.1 mg   Sodium 147.7 mg   Potassium 167.5 mg   Total Carbohydrate 42.1 g       Dietary Fiber 1.7 g       Sugars 22.2 g   Protein 3.2 g   Vitamin A 4.3 %   Vitamin B-12 0.8 %   Vitamin B-6 10.9 %   Vitamin C 6.1 %   Vitamin D 1.7 %   Vitamin E 1.4 %   Calcium 0.9 %   Copper 3.6 %   Folate 11.8 %   Iron 6.5 %   Magnesium 3.9 %   Manganese 10.4 %   Niacin 7.3 %   Pantothenic Acid     2.1 %   Phosphorus     4.1 %   Riboflavin 9.3 %   Selenium 10.7 %   Thiamin 12.1 %   Zinc 1.8 % *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

 

Fresh-picked raspberry and peach crumble

There is a farm near me where you can pick your own berries. They vary by season and demand from blueberries and strawberries to raspberries and even apples. There is also a small market where they sell farm-grown produce, pastured chicken eggs and meat. Needless to say I've found a little patch of heaven. So I took advantage of a beautiful Saturday morning to go berry picking with my oh so patient boyfriend, and came home with two gorgeous pints of raspberries. I had one more pie crust I'd picked up cheaply last month, so naturally I made a pie with them.

Ingredients:
1 pint rinsed raspberries
1 can peaches
1 pie crust

1 cup flour + 2 tbsp
1 cup sugar + 1 tbsp
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup oats
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients - flour, sugar, oats, baking soda and powder,  and a pinch of salt.

 Step 2: Add the cold butter in chunks, mix well. I'm not cool enough to have a pastry cutter, so I just squished it all together with my hands until well mixed. It should be a crumbly, tasty mess.

Step 3: Drain the peaches, place in a bowl with the raspberries. Sprinkle on 1 tbsp vanilla, 2 tbsp flour and 1 tbsp salt, mix.
Step 4: Pour the fruit mix into the pie crust and cover with the crumble mixture.

This is what it looks like just before going in the oven. Drool.

 Step 5: Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until crisp is browned and fruits are bubbly.

 YES PLEASE.

 The pie crust cover conveniently doubled as a lid. The day after, the berry juices start to pool. Anyone know how to avoid this, besides cornstarch?

This would be simply amazing served warm over french vanilla ice cream. In fact, I'll be going to the store later today...