Banana Bread (with optional cran raisins)

I know that I have another banana bread recipe here, but I found another one that I liked equally as well, but for different reasons. This recipe is a bit lighter than the other one, meaning it isn't quite as moist. Also, I added cran raisins to this recipe giving it an extra flavor, which combined beautifully with the bananas.

24-Hour Fruit Salad

This recipe was submitted to us from one of our readers, Jessie. It is a delicious variation on fruit salad, and will make a great summer desert. The recipe calls for pineapple, bananas, mandarin oranges, and grapes. However, I would suggest that you could use almost any type of fruit that you have in your refrigerator. The custard is simple to make, not overly sweet, and very...for lack of better words, fluffy. A great treat to have in the fridge on a warm summer day.

*As a warning, Jessie warns that her husband could probably eat the entire fruit salad in one sitting, so make sure you get your share before you divvy it up to anyone else!

24-Hour Fruit Salad
Recipe submitted by twolittlechef's reader Jessie
Picture by Caroline

3 eggs
3 T flour
12/ t salt
1/4 dry mustard
6 T sugar
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water

1 cup whipping cream

2 cups diced pineapple
4 1/2 sliced bananas
4 cups mandarin oranges
2 cups grapes

1. Beat eggs and add dry ingredients, then add lemon juice and water.
2. In a small to medium pot over low heat, cook slowly and stir constantly until very thick dressing forms. Beat 2 minutes; let cool in refrigerator.
3. Whip cream in a frozen bowl until peaks are stiff (the stiffer the peaks the better) Combine custard and cream in a large bowl (add some reserved pineapple juice here to make the cream the consistency that you want, and a bit sweeter).
4. Gently mix fruit into cream dressing. Refrigerate overnight or at least a few hours. The longer it rests the better.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

Do you have some fusty, black banana's laying on your counter, but you don't want to throw them out and waste them? Here is the answer. These muffins are wonderful and a change from banana bread. And, they are made from whole wheat, so they are even healthier! These muffins are not as sweet as banana bread and they will freeze well, so you can make a batch or two and freeze the rest for later. If you don't want to add the chocolate chips you can substitute them for walnuts, or just leave them out all together.

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins
Recipe by King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking (awesome book, I highly recommend it)
Pictures by Caroline
Yield: 12 muffins

½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium-to-large bananas)
¼ cup honey
2 large eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour, traditional or white whole wheat (I used half white and half whole wheat)
2/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with muffin cups, and grease the muffin cups with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
2. Beat together the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the banana, honey and eggs, beating until smooth. Add the flour and chocolate chips, stirring until smooth. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and let it rest at room temperature, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
3. Divide the batter among the muffin cups; they’ll be nearly full. Bake the muffins until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, 23 to 28 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and after a couple of minutes transfer the muffins to a rack to cool.

Black Walnut French Toast

This is a recipe that twolittlechefs reader, Kelly, submitted. It is a variation on traditional french toast, and it is delicious. Now I happen to love french toast, so I may be bias. However, when I make this again I will make it with my own french toast recipe and add the banana-nut topping. When I make french toast I don't use any milk, and I add a bit of vanilla and cinnamon. Anyway you make it though, the topping is sure to be a crowd pleaser. Thanks Kelly!


Black Walnut French Toast
Recipe from Southern Living Magazine (submitted by twolittlechefs reader, Kelly)
Picture by Caroline

Ingredients

2 tablespoons chopped black walnuts (or traditional walnuts or pecans)
1 tablespoon light butter
1 large ripe banana, sliced
1/4 cup honey
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
8 white bread slices
Vegetable cooking spray
1/4 cup reduced-calorie maple syrup.

Directions

1. Place a small skillet over medium-high heat until hot; add chopped black walnuts, and cook, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or until toasted. Remove from skillet.
2. Melt butter in small skillet over medium heat; add banana slices, and cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in toasted black walnuts and 1/4 cup honey, and remove from heat.
3. Meanwhile whisk together eggs and next 3 ingredients in a shallow dish or pie plate. Lightly press bread slices, 1 at a time, into egg mixture, coating both sides of bread. Cook bread, in batches, on a nonstick griddle coated with cooking spray over medium heat 2 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure, if necessary. Transfer to a serving plate. Serve with banana mixture and syrup.

*From Kelly who submitted this recipe: “I love breakfast and so this was a great twist to a classic. I made it this morning for some family and they were asking for the recipe - always a good sign! We had it on corn cakes instead of French toast and it was good that way too.”

Banana Bread

If you have some old, brown, past-their-prime bananas laying around...here's your solution: Banana Bread. This is a pretty standard recipe, but it is great, especially if you put the streusel topping on top. This bread freezes well, so you can make several loaves and pull it out the next time you have people over.

Oh, one last thing I learned from my brother-in-law; try toasting the bread and putting butter on it, it is delicious!

Banana Bread

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens (75th Anniversary Edition)

Pictures by Caroline
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 55 minutes
Oven: 350°
Makes: 1 loaf

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1 ½ cups mashed bananas (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1 recipe Streusel-Nut Topping (optional, although a must in my opinion)

1. Grease bottom and ½ inch up sides of one 9x5x3-inch pan or two 7 ½x 3 ½ x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy as shown in picture above). Fold in nuts (if you are doing two loafs you can make one with nuts one without, just add the nuts after you spoon the batter into the pan). Spoon batter into prepared pan. If desired, sprinkle Streusel-Nut Topping over batter.
3. Bake in a 350° oven for 55 to 60 minutes for a 9x5x3-inch pan, or 40 to 45 minutes for a 7 ½x3 ½x2-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent over-browning; I always do this). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

Streusel-Nut Topping:

In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour. Using a pastry blender (I just use the back of a spoon or my hands), cut in 2 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional).