Banana Cinnamon Dessert Enchiladas

Happy Cinco de Mayo from my house to yours. But truth be told I am so going to be eating this dessert throughout the year. Because if there is one thing I always have on hand, it is ripening bananas, flour tortillas and cinnamon. And of course it was so delicious
 
 I am always looking for a healthier dessert and something to do with bananas that have gotten past the point where my family will eat them. We like our bananas nice and firm around here. This recipe turned out even better than I hoped -- so delish. Next time I may add a little Nutella inside the tortillas. We ate ours without any chocolate sauce. We were out. But really a few crumbly choco chips over the top and it was just perfect.

p.s. Maybe my definition of healthier is different than yours. But we changed out evaporated milk for coconut milk (for the lactose intolerant girl) There is no cream, no butter and really not a ton of sugar in each dessert. These are low fat but they don't taste that way. They are my definition of an amazing healthier dessert.

BANANA CINNAMON DESSERT ENCHILADAS
Makes 6. 

• 3 ripe bananas 
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 6 flour tortillas
• 1 cup sugar (This is a lot. You will have leftovers for cinnamon/sugar toast)
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 cup coconut milk or evaporated milk
• 1/4 Cup chocolate chips

How to make it

•  Mix together sugar and spices.
• Peel bananas and cut in half lengthwise;
• brush bananas with lemon juice.
• Place one banana half at end of tortilla;
• sprinkle with sugar mixture.
• Roll tortillas and brush with milk. 
• Sprinkle top with sugar mixture after brushing the top and sides with evaporated milk.

• Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes in a well greased pan. Add chocolate chips on top for last 5 minutes. (they will get all crumbly)
• Remove from pan immediately and serve with hot fudge or chocolate sauce, or ice cream or just plain. They are decadent enough without any topping.

Banana Nutter Cookies

Recipe Trial and Pantry Recipe:
Yep, it is another recipe for ripe bananas. You can never have too many of those now can you? I found the recipe in a cookbook I have had for 17 years. Festive Fare: Lite Menus for Playful Days. 

I had never heard of these cookies so they became our Sunday baking project. Quite tasty if I do say so. I think you will like them too. 

 The Recipe
1 Small Banana, mashed
1/4 Cup margarine
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1/3 Cup White sugar
1/3 Cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup flour

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cream together banana, margarine, and peanut butter. Add sugars and then remaining ingredients. Place dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. 
Yield 2 Dozen cookies

Banana Split Homemade Ice Cream

I have been neglecting this blog. But that is only because I was busy making ice cream for my Alive! Utah Taste section this month. If I had time I would make ice cream every day with my new ice cream maker. It is so much fun. The banana split ice cream I came up with for this article seriously tastes just like a banana split, which just happens to be my favorite way to eat ice cream. This recipe is so simple to make. Check out that recipe and nutella ice cream and Grandma's homemade vanilla at this link this month. http://aliveutah.com/taste

Yes I realize I am still cheating but I have some awesome posts for you later this week.

Mmm Mmm Tip Banana Storage

Well, Banana Week is over and I promise there will be no banana recipes next week. I did however want to end the week with a few storage tips I have received this week as people have heard about the banana marathon. I will be trying all of these because I have several bananas left.

1. Cut bananas in half and wrap individually or flash freeze. Place in the freezer to be used for chocolate dipped bananas. Thank you to From Our Tummies to Yours.

2. Puree banana and place in ice cube trays to be used later for smoothies. Thank you Frieda from Lovin from the Oven.

3. Mash 3 bananas at a time and freeze in individual quart size freezer bags. Pull out when you are ready to bake banana bread.

Tropical Banana Update: I did make the tropical banana bread but I got a little flustered in the middle of baking when my son came and asked me how to fill water balloons so he could hit them with his bat. I totally mixed the recipe wrong. It turned out OK but it was not spectacular.

Baking Bananas -- Banana Raspberry Bread and Whole Grain Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Part of the reason I bought so many bananas is because I love banana breads for breakfast. And I am going to freeze whatever we don't gobble up this week. And so I began my baking with these two recipes. I also made some banana chips that are going to go into my banana granola this week.

I also tried a new banana bread recipe which was originally Strawberries and Cream Banana bread. I threw in some raspberries and the tart taste blended perfectly with the sweet banana flavor. I was a little distracted by the raspberry seeds but the contrasting flavors made up for the seeds. I love this super moist recipe that uses sour cream to keep the bread from drying out.

I also did my standard banana muffins and threw them in the freezer for breakfast down the road. Everyone has their own banana muffin recipe here is mine: This recipe works just as well for banana bread.

1/2 Cup butter
1/4 Cup sugar and 1/2 Cup Splenda
2 eggs slightly beaten
3 medium mashed bananas
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 ts Baking Soda
1 C. Whole grain pastry flour
1/3 Cup Water
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 Cup chocolate chips (optional)

Melt butter and blend in sugar. Add beaten eggs and mashed bananas, blending until smooth. Combine flour, salt and soda in a separate bowl. Alternate adding whole wheat mixture with hot water. Stir in nuts or chocolate chips.

Bake in a 9x5 loaf pan or 12 muffin tins at 325 degrees.
1 hour 10 minutes for bread
Approx 20 minutes for muffins or until golden and toothpick inserted comes out clean.


Tomorrow I am baking a batch of tropical banana bread and I will try to have that recipe up tomorrow night.

Banana and Cherry Jell-o Pops

There is a story about me and my Jell-o making abilities that goes something like this. When I was a freshman in college I had no cooking skills whatsoever. My roommates like to remind me, as they laugh and writhe in giggling agony, of the day I realized I really didn't know my way around a kitchen. I was making dinner for my boyfriend and Jell-o was on the menu. I looked at my roommates announced I should start the Jell-o and they responded with a perfectly legitimate question. "When is he coming?" My naive response. "In 2 minutes."

Oh I have come such a long way in 17 years. I still don't make Jell-o very often. I think those packets make great flavorings for pies, Like my pineapple lime pie. I do however keep boxes and boxes of jello mix and pudding on hand (OK mostly pudding). So, in honor of so many things: my roommates, my vastly improved cooking skills, banana week and summer, I give you the recipe for my own invention, Cherry Banana Pops.

Recipe

1 box (4 oz) of sugar free cherry gelatin (or other delicious flavor)

3 bananas

1 tsp lemon juice

1 8 oz tub of light whipping cream (or make your own if so inclined)

1 can of Apple Cherry juice concentrate (feel free to use any flavor your heart desires)

1 Cup boiling water

1 Cup cold water

Ice cubes

Place cherry gelatin in medium bowl. Add 1 cup boiling water and stir 2 minutes until gelatin is completely dissolved. Add enough ice cubes to 1 cup cold water to make 2 cups cold water. Add to gelatin and stir until ice cubes are completely dissolved. Pour evenly into 16 plastic cups or popsicle mold. (I used huge wide cups and the popsicles were a little too big. 5 oz cups would have been much better.) Add about 1/4 cup to each cup and freeze for 1 hour.

Slice 3 bananas and add bananas and lemon juice to whip cream. Spoon mixture onto frozen gelatin in cups. Stick plastic spoons or popsicle sticks into center of each cup and freeze for another hour. Top off with juice and freeze for an additional 4 hours or overnight.

To remove pops from cups, place bottom of cups under warm running water and press firmly on bottom of cup.

The Granola Experiment -- Banana Tropical Granola

No two pantries are alike. And my pantry is an ever changing place, which is why I have decided to conduct the granola experiment. I love granola. However, I do not love how much a small amount of granola costs at the grocery store. I also love all different flavors of granola. And so I am venturing on an experiment this month to try and concoct my own granola repertoire with what is available each week in my pantry. Of course you can join me in this venture. Just mix and match the nuts or fruits with what you have available. It is amazing the goodies you can find in your pantry just waiting to team up with some good old fashioned oatmeal. I would love to find a recipe that closely resembles those granola balls by Quaker Oats that come in those sparsely packed snack packs. So, if you have such a yummy delight send it this way. Here is my first granola creation and I have to say it is quite addicting. Even my picky son who doesn't like hot oatmeal cereal is loving this stuff.

Banana Granola
4 Cups of old fashioned oats (no instant or quick)
1/4 C shredded coconut (this is all I had)
3/4 C coconut milk powder (I bought mine in bulk because it is a really versatile little flavoring)
1/4 C milled flax seed
3/4 C pinenuts
1/4 C chopped hazlenuts
1/2 C crushed frosted shredded wheat cereal (You know the leftovers on the bottom of the cereal bag)
1/4 tsp salt
10 Tb butter
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup (I used sugar free syrup and I think it tastes just as great)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Cup coarsely chopped banana chips

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine first 7 ingredients. Melt butter in the microwave or over low heat. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients (except bananas). Pour over dry ingredients. Cook for 30 minutes on greased baking pans. Do not overcook! Cool and add bananas
Now I reserved two cups of this granola without bananas because I wanted to mimic my son's favorite cold cereal, Honey Nut Bunches of Oats, which is a little pricey when it is not on sale. The result got a thumbs up.

Add two cups of granola to 3 cups of corn flakes and drizzle with two teaspoons of honey. Toss gently. Mmm mmm, my boy gobbles it up.

Next week: Cinnamon Raisin Granola