BananaApple Muffins

BananaAppleWalnutBuckWheatSteviaNoOilMuffins

Holle, This morning I wanted to use a ripe banana that was lounging around in the fridge. Thought about digging out the generic muffin recipe and then decided it was time to practice what we preach...cook without a recipe.

So, here's what I tried. I remembered that the basic muffin mix is:

... one cup of dry stuff
... eighth cup of sugar
... half cup of wet stuff
... one egg
... eighth cup of oil

I mashed up the banana in the bottom of a measuring cup, added one egg, beat that up vigorously, added a packet (.035 oz or 1 g) of Stevia. The stevia has been in the pantry for awhile and it had become a wafer. I thought it would dissolve in the mixture but don't think that happened. Next time, I'll mash it up first; put it back in its original powder state. I'm experimenting using the Stevia in place of processed sugar or honey. The wet stuff:

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
  
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup rice milk
• 1 g Stevia
  

In my best ever small mixing bowl, which Momma gave to me years ago ( I recall that it was a gift she got from an oil company )...anyway it is the best because not only is it the perfect size, the bottom is a round bowl that makes mixing and scraping so easy, and it has a built-in handle on the rim that allows you to control the bowl during the mixing operation. Thanks again, Momma!

I used the following:

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup measure filled with
• ...heaping dinner tablespoon of soy flour
• ...shy 1/4 cup of brown rice flour
• ...filled to top with buckwheat flour
  

I have become lazy about sifting dry ingredients, mostly because all the whole grain flours I like to use won't sift completely. Now, I just measure everything and use a wire whisk to mix it. These flours are just what I had on-hand today, no rhyme or reason to them except the soy flour , which I always add for nutritional value (1 tablespoon/cup of dry stuff per the Cornell Rich Formula) and I really like the taste of brown rice flour. The buckwheat I bought to try. I do like it, especially for muffins; it has a texture close to cornmeal. I tried it recently in a cobbler batter and probably won't repeat that one; the texture was different but ok; it was the flavor that didn't really complement the fruit.

Anyway, back to the muffins. You could make these gluten-free by eliminating the whole wheat flour and using a gluten-free flour or flour mix. To the flour I added:

• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon sea salt

Whisked briskly. Decided to grate up part of an apple that Daddy left on the cabinet. To the dry ingredients, I added:

• 1/4 apple with peal, grated with medium micro grater into the dry ingredients
  
• handful (1/3 cup) whole, raw walnuts, chopped medium fine

Stirred the apple and walnuts into the dry stuff until they were well coated. Made the usual hole in the middle. Poured in the banana, egg, Stevia, milk mixture. Using my cooking tablespoon, I mixed around the bottom, outside of the bowl to get the dry stuff in the bottom wet first, then quickly beat the remainder until all the dry stuff was wet. Used that great built-in handle on the bowl to hold it while I did the mixing.

Notice that I didn't add any oil. I recall reading that you can substitute banana or applesauce for oil. At any rate, I didn't add any oil to the batter.

Next I got out my 6 cup muffin pan and started preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

In the muffin pan, I pour a little puddle of olive oil in each cup, about 1/2 teaspoon. With the batter next to the muffin pan, I spread the oil all around a cup and up the sides, then filled that cup with batter. I finally figured out that trying to prep all the cups and then fill them wasn't working too good. It's better to prep and fill one cup at a time so that the oil is still on the walls of the cup when you add the batter.

Baked for 23 minutes in the 400 degree oven. As you can see, they browned up nicely. They are moist, not sweet, have that whole graininess that makes your body happy. Unfortunately, I got started late and Daddy already had cereal. I'll let you know the true test tomorrow, when he has some with jam..I'm thinking raspberry.

Love
eMom