Showing posts with label banana. Show all posts

Chocolate, Peanut Butter 'Nice' Cream | Dairy Free


I am not going to claim this 'nice' cream is better than full-fat, rich vanilla ice-cream. It is however delicious, chocolate-y, rich and sweet. It is great for after the gym, as a dessert or even breakfast. Plus it dulls the chocolate craving. Yes, you can now have a guilt-free ice-cream for breakfast. It is incredible how the frozen banana makes such a perfect soft-serve consistency. This 'nice' cream is also dairy free meaning you can serve it to all your vegan and lactose intolerant friends! This treat is so customisable, but this flavour combination is my favourite. Feel free to top with fresh fruit, toasted nuts, chocolate sauce (dairy free or not). Make it your own! You will, however, need a blender or preferably a food processor. 

Makes one large serving
Ingredients
2 frozen bananas, cut into 2 cm pieces 
1 tbsp of raisins or 2 dried dates 
1 tbsp of peanut butter, I prefer chunky rather than smooth 
1 tbsp of unsweetened cocoa powder 

Preparation
  1. For best results freeze your bananas overnight. At the very least for 4 hours. If you do not wait long enough you will have more of a chocolate mousse than a soft-serve consistency. Either way is delicious, but not properly frozen is better. 
  2. Pulse the raisins in a blender or food processor until smooth. 
  3. Add the bananas and pulse or blend until almost completely smooth. You want a few lumps remaining. If you are bananas are not blending evenly, scrape down the sides and make sure everything is getting equal opportunity to hit the blade. 
  4. Add the cocoa powder and peanut butter. Blend until fully smooth. Make sure to stop as soon as the mixture is lump-less otherwise it will get too loose. Alternatively you can add the peanut butter at the end for a streak of peanut butter running through. 
  5. Enjoy! 
  6. For extra texture, sprinkle on some dried fruit and nuts.
banana breakfast chocolate
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Super Quick | Anniversary Banana Pancakes with Roast Plums


My boyfriend and I just celebrated five years together. What better way is there the celebrate anything than pancakes? Not that you need a reason for pancakes. This banana pancakes are easily made guilt free. For us the maple syrup and buttery plums are just enough decadence to make these simple and super quick pancakes sing.



Ingredients Serves 2 

2 eggs
2 bananas, very ripe
4 heaped tbsp of flour (wholemeal or white)
4 small plums
2 x a small knob of butter

Optional Toppings: greek yoghurt, honey or maple syrup, a physalis fruit

Preparation 

  1. Mash the bananas until smooth. 
  2. In a bowl, whisk the bananas with the eggs. 
  3. Add the flour and whisk until the batter is smooth. 
  4. On a medium heat with a small knob of melted butter, add 2 tbsp of batter for each pancake and fry on each side until golden. You can tell the pancake is ready  to flip when small bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. 
  5. When almost finished making the pancakes, in a separate pan, heat a knob butter in a medium heat. 
  6. Remove the core of the plums, cut in half and add too the pan. 
  7. Fry the plums until golden. 
  8. Serve the pancakes with the plums and your choice of toppings. 
  9. Enjoy! 
banana banana pancakes breakfast
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Healthy and Delicious Banana Bread (No added oil or sugar)


I've always heard that banana bread is just as good without added sugar because over ripe bananas are just so sweet. I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet or at least second to my dad. So unsurprisingly I have been skeptical of banana bread with no added sugar. However, I have really been craving something more exciting than just plain toast for breakfast, so I thought I would give it a try. This banana bread can be made sweeter with a tbsp of honey and some chocolate chips (I added the chocolate as you can tell). Honestly though, you don't need either one. If you feel like you want the honey then go ahead and add it or drizzle some one the finished, baked product. I tried this recipe out on my family and a few friends. The general consensus was that no one believed it was healthy. This banana bread is still super sweet and packed full of potassium. I'm kind of craving some now. Too bad I don't have any bananas at home. Crap.

FYI: If you have a nut allergy, the almond meal can be substitute with just more regular, plain, old, white flour.



 Ingredients










2.5 dl or 2 (US) cups of plain flour
2.5 dl or 2 (US) cups of almond flour/meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
10 pitteded dates
8 very ripe bananas
2 eggs

Optional:
1 tbsp of honey
a handful of dark chocolate chips

Preparation

  1. Preheat your oven to 150C or 300F. 
  2. Prep a loaf tin with baking spray and line with baking/parchment paper. 
  3. Add your dates, bananas and honey (if using) into a food processor or blender. Pulse until almost smooth. A few lumps of banana will make for a lovely texture once baked. Alternatively, you can mush your bananas with a fork and finely chop your dates. 
  4. Pour your wet ingredients into a large bowl. 
  5. In a smaller bowl combine all of your dry ingredients (baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and flours). 
  6. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the larger bowl with the wet ingredients. Combine with a spatula taking care not to over mix. Then add one egg. Combine. Add another 1/3 of the dry into large bowl. Then the last egg. 
  7. Finally add the final 1/3 of flour and combine with the spatula. 
  8. If you are using chocolate chips toss them in some plain flour, then fold into the mixture as well. Take care not to add too much additional flour.
  9. Gently pour or spoon the banana bread mix into the prepared loaf tin. 
  10. Bake for 60-70 minutes in the centre of the oven until fully golden and fully baked. A toothpick should come out clean from the middle. 
  11. If around 30 minutes you feel the banana bread is browning too quickly, simply cover the loaf with some aluminium foil. 
  12. Enjoy as is or lightly toasted! I like mine with fresh raspberries. Cream cheese is a naughtier but delicious topping too!
banana banana bread breakfast
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Quick Banana, Fig and Almond Porridge

Serves 1 / Approx. cooking time 2 minutes 

Ingredients 

 100ml of porridge oats
200ml of milk of any kind
4 dried figs, diced
about 10 almonds (or to your taste), roughly chopped
half a banana, mashed
1/2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon or cardamon
pinch of salt

Serve with: honey, greek yoghurt and granola.


Preparation 

  1. Combine your oats, salt and milk in a bowl. Microwave for 2-2 1/2 minutes and then stir. Alternatively cook on your hob/stove on a low simmer for about 10 minutes. 
  2. As soon as the porridge has finished cooking, add the figs, almonds and mashed bananas. 
  3. Add the spices a little bit at time, adjust if you want a strong flavour. 
  4. Serve with a dollop of greek yoghurt, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of granola. 
  5. Enjoy! 
almond banana breakfast
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Bananas Foster Cupcakes


I made these cupcakes for my sister's coming home party and they were a big hit. I knew I wanted a caramel frosting as that is my sister's favourite topping, but I could not think of what to pair it with. Then I thought of bananas foster and came up this combination. I think it's a real winner! Hope you give it a try.

      Prep Time             Cook Time              Serves      
20 min 18-25 min 12
Ingredients 

Banana Cupcakes 

100g of unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs 
175g of sugar 
225g of flour
2 tsp of baking powder 
3 tbsp of greek yoghurt
3 medium-sized, very ripe bananas 

Caramel Frosting 

200g of softened, light brown sugar
60ml of milk 
225g of butter
250g of icing sugar 

Preparation
  1. Preheat the oven to 180C and line a cupcake tin. 
  2. Cream together the butter and sugar. They should be well incorporated into a pale yellow mixture. 
  3. Whisk or beat in one egg at a time. 
  4. Mash the bananas, whisk or beat them in as well. 
  5. Spoon in the greek yoghurt, combine well. 
  6. Finally, sieve in the flour and baking powder. Combine in or whisk. 
  7. Bake in the oven for 18-25 minutes. Use a fork to check for readiness. The top of the cakes should not be brown but have a spongy texture when touched. 
  8. Set aside to cool. 
  9. For the frosting, melt the butter on a medium/low heat. Add the brown sugar.
  10. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 2 minutes, stir constantly. 
  11. Then, let the caramel cool to lukewarm before adding the icing sugar. Set aside about 2 tbsp of the caramel for drizzling. 
  12. Mix the icing sugar in increments. The right amount should produce a frosting that can hold a peak. 
  13. Once the cupcakes have cooled, frost them with the frosting. 
  14. Drizzle the remaining caramel on top. 
banana banana cupcakes bananas foster
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Two-Ingredient Banana Pancakes



These pancakes are so delicious and ridiculous easy to make. On a plus side they are healthy, gluten and dairy free! They do have a slight eggy flavour a bit like french toast tends to have, but they sure taste decadent. I would use 1 egg/banana per person.

Ingredients 

 2 bananas
2 eggs

Toppings: greek yoghurt, fruit, honey, chocolate sauce, etc.

Cooking Time!
  1. Puree or mash the bananas until they are no lumps left. 
  2. Whisk the eggs, add the bananas. 
  3. Mix. 
  4. Pour the mix into a heated non-stick pan. Use your judgement for size.  
  5. Optional: add chocolate chips or fresh berries at this point. 
  6. Fry on a medium heat for about 2 minutes on each side. 
  7. Serve with your choice of toppings! I used greek yoghurt and honey, delicious!
Makes 8 mini pancakes. Approximate prep and cooking time 5-7 minutes. 
banana banana pancakes breakfast
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Easy Breakfast: Greek Yoghurt, Honey, Almond Bars and Banana


If you find your are out of cereal one morning, using a breakfast bar instead is a quick replacement. It may not be economically to be buying cerebral bars to put on cereal; however, it serves as an excellent replacement. This recipe is super easy, and the benefit of using a cerebral bar is you can limit your sugar intake but adding a fixed serving size. The honey and banana provide a great kick of sugar to start your morning as well. Best of all, it is filling enough to keep you going until lunchtime.

Ingredients 

100-200g of greek yoghurt
1 almond bar (I used nature valley almond bars), chopped or cut into small pieces
1 banana
Honey for drizzling
almond almond bar banana
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Banana and Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

I absolutely love cupcakes. They are much simpler to make than a cake. Plus it comes in individual serving sizes, which means no sharing! Banana and chocolate chip is a classic flavour combination, and for a lighter option these cupcakes are great without the frosting. Bearing that in mind, cream cheese frosting is a delicious accompaniment. These recipe can also be baked in a loaf tin for a classic banana bread. You can frost bread too; don't worry.

 Ingredients
2 bananas
1 1/2 dl sugar
1 egg
50g melted butter
2 tsp of baking powder
4 tbsp of cream
2 1/4 dl of milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence, sugar or extract
150g (or more!) of chocolate chips, optional

Frosting Ingredients 
This frosting is based on this recipe, and it makes a great cream cheese frosting. 

110g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
110g of cream cheese, at room temperature 
250g of icing sugar
1tsp of vanilla essence or extract 

Baking Time!

  1. Preheat the oven to 175C. 
  2. Mush two bananas with a fork and then mix them with the sugar. 
  3. Add one pre-mixed egg. 
  4. Pour in the melted butter and cream. 
  5. Add 2 1/4 dl of flour with the vanilla and baking powder. Mix well at a low speed. 
  6. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Make sure to mix some flour with the chips prior to adding them to mix to prevent sinkage. 
  7. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. 
  8. A knife show come clean out of the cupcakes when they are finished. 
Frosting 
  1. Cream together the butter and cream cheese. 
  2. Use a medium speed on a standing mixture or high on a hand mixer for about 5 minutes. 
  3. The finished produced should be smooth, airy and a lighter colour than the original mixture. 
  4. Slowly add the icing sugar to prevent spillage. 
  5. When you have finished the frosting should be thick and be able to hold a peak. 

NB: This recipe can also be used make a delicious banana bread or muffins. For banana bread simply add the mixture to a bread tin and bake for approx. 40 minutes. For muffins simply leave off the frosting. 
baking banana banana bread
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