Pink Grapefruit and Avocado Smoothie

I AM STILL ENJOYING A SMOOTHIE (almost) every day. I say almost because things do come up. Last weekend, we had an out-of-town family get together. Four of us girls shared a hotel suite and had a blast! I was outnumbered on the temperature control; I like to be very warm but the other three said, "no way".

I knew this beforehand so I packed extra warm PJ's for hanging around the room. And I refrained from packing my blender though I did think about it. The hotel had breakfast so we ate there. I'm not used to eating breakfast at all, but I did enjoy slipping on my sweat yoga pants and riding the elevator down to a choice of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, biscuits and gravy, waffles, pastries, grits, oatmeal, fresh fruit, yogurt, and ice cold orange juice.

Somehow, I became the designated waffle maker.  I thought about Mama telling me of a trip she was on with Daddy. While she was checking out the hotel's breakfast line-up, a man walked up beside her, one she thought was her husband, and she asked, "Do you want me to make you a waffle?" The man replied, "Well, sure." Mama was very embarrassed when she realized the man was a stranger, fortunately a good humored one.

Avocados have become one of my favorite smoothie ingredients. Not only are they full of good nutrition, they blend up so smooth and creamy, taste delicious, and keep me satisfied for hours.  Almost every smoothie I make has a banana because they add just the right amount of sweetness. A juicy pink grapefruit makes this one just perfect.

Pink Grapefruit and Avocado Smoothie
1 ripe avocado
1 pink grapefruit
1  ripe banana
1/2 cup yogurt
Milk, coconut water, or juice as needed or desired for consistency
1 serving protein powder (optional)

Peel and roughly chop avocado and put into blender. Add one peeled banana. Peel grapefruit including the white pith. Holding the peeled grapefruit over the blender to catch juices, cut sections away from the membrane using a sharp paring knife and let them drop into the blender. Squeeze the grapefruit to catch all the juice. Add the yogurt and protein powder if using. Add liquid of choice and blend to desired consistency.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

WHEN MY HUSBAND COMES HOME WITH A BAG FULL of ripe bananas, I know it is time for baking banana bread. Though he swears he is not hinting but merely in the mood to eat some bananas, I see how many he eats.

I am always happy to make him some of the banana bread he loves but this time, since I seem to be turning into a cake lady, I made a banana cake instead.  It turned out delicious.  Moist and tender with a lovely banana sweetness, topped with the piquant flavor of cream cheese and unsweetened dark cocoa,  it also had an additional toasty crunch from the walnuts.

Enjoy! We loved this cake.

Banana Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

1 1/2 cups ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp. lemon juice

3 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Frosting:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Garnish:

Toasted walnuts

Banana slices, optional

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) cake pans.

In a small bowl, mix mashed bananas with lemon juice.

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt.

In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and the 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp. vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Stir in the banana mixture.

Pour batter in prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.

For the frosting, beat together the cream cheese, 3 tablespoons milk, powdered sugar, 1/4 cup butter, vanilla, cocoa, and cinnamon to a spreadable consistency. Beat in additional milk if necessary. For a darker frosting add more cocoa. Spread onto cooled cake.

Top with toasted walnuts and decorate with additional banana slices, if desired.

Fresh Homemade Banana Split

Fresh Homemade Banana Split
3 scoops ice cream - your choice of flavor
Homemade Fresh Strawberry Sauce
Homemade Fresh Pineapple Sauce
Homemade Fudge Sauce
Buttery Salted Roasted Pecans
Freshly Whipped Cream

Topped with a cherry and served in antique banana split boats.

Fresh Homemade Sauces for Ice Cream (Banana Splits)

I knew all along that when I made banana splits, I would use fresh fruit and keep the sauces as simple as possible. I have enjoyed the syrupy sauces I've eaten at the ice cream shops, but it is summer! Let us eat fresh fruit.

Fresh Strawberry Sauce for Ice Cream
1 pint fresh strawberries, sliced and divided
1/4 cup sugar (or a little more if your berries are tart)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine about two-thirds of the strawberries with sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining strawberries and the vanilla. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving.

Fresh Pineapple Sauce for Ice Cream
2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
Juice of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
Pinch cinnamon

Combine pineapple with lemon juice and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat and add cinnamon. Let the sauce cool to room temperature before serving.

Homemade Fudge Sauce for Ice Cream
2/3 cup cream
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
pinch of salt
6 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, divided
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine cream, syrup, brown sugar, cocoa, salt, and half of the chopped chocolate in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, until the chocolate is barely simmering. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and stir in the remaining chopped chocolate, butter, and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes before serving.

Banana, Tahini & Kefir Smoothie with Cocoa Nibs

This is not a sweet smoothie. The banana is sweet but nothing else. The taste is very pleasantly nutty and tangy with a texture I can only describe as gritty from the cocoa nibs. The grittiness is not like biting into a grain of sand in salad greens which haven't been properly cleaned. Horrors! No, this crunchiness is more like biting into coarse sugar sprinkled on top of a muffin.

There is plenty of good nutrition here; protein, B vitamins, minerals, as well as more antioxidants than green tea, plus probiotics.

Banana, Tahini & Kefir Smoothie with Cocoa Nibs
1 banana
1 - 2 Tbsp. tahini
1 cup unflavored kefir (or yogurt)
2 T. cocoa nibs
1 serving protein powder (optional)
Milk (soy, almond, coconut, cow)

Place banana, tahini, kefir, cocoa nibs and protein powder into blender. Process, using enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

Drink and chew at the same time. Fun!

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

This smoothie seemed a little decadent, but no worries. It is plenty healthful.

I have used silken tofu here, not the firm, curdy type you are probably thinking of. Silken tofu usually comes in an aseptic package on a grocery aisle rather than in the produce department. Silken tofu has a smooth, creamy, custard-like texture and a very mild flavor. I promise that with the other stronger flavors, you would never, ever guess there was tofu present. But you would enjoy the health benefits of the soy bean along with a truly smooth creaminess.  And it actually does taste like a liquid peanut butter cup. Yum.

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie
(A Deborah Madison Recipe)
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsp. honey
1 banana
2 Tbsp. dark chocolate syrup
1-2 tsp. instant espresso powder

Puree all ingredients in blender until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice.

~I just noticed that the recipe says  to serve in small glasses--4 servings. Oops. I already drank the whole thing.~

Avocado Smoothie

So far, this has been my favorite smoothie. It was so creamy and delicious and I never imagined it would taste so good, based on the ingredients.

Avocado Smoothie
1 ripe avocado
1 banana
Fresh orange juice, squeezed from 3 oranges
1 cup almond milk, or other milk, or yogurt
2 Tbsp. honey, optional
1 serving protein powder, optional

Blend together until smooth and creamy.

Blueberry Strawberry Smoothie

I loved the pretty orchid color of this smoothie. Nothing really innovative here, but the taste is terrific.

Blueberry Strawberry Smoothie
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 banana
1/4 cup pomegranate juice
1/2 cup yogurt
1 serving protein powder, optional

Blend all in electric blender until smooth and creamy.

Banana Bread for Pritchard Parker (A re-post from March 15. 2009)

When my mother visited, she brought a loaf of banana bread. I never had any of it, and I think my husband, Pritchard Parker, ate most of it. For weeks, he would mention that banana bread, every now and then. He would say something about speaking to someone at work about that banana bread! I finally got the hint and asked Mama for the recipe. It is a recipe from the January, 2005 edition of Southern Living, called Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread. You can find the recipe here.
 
The recipe gives four different toppings for the bread, which all sound delicious. Mama used, therefore I did, a simple confectioners sugar/half and half glaze. After all, I was trying to replicate the banana bread Pritchard Parker had fallen in love with--hers.

The recipe makes enough batter for two loaves. I made one loaf, and with the rest of the batter, I made muffins, in my hip, new, square muffin pan. Those were for Pritchard to take to work and share, IF he wanted to.

A note about bananas: I did not use overly ripe bananas for the bread. And I realized why I never liked banana bread in the first place. It always tasted like rotten bananas. The ole, "Don't throw those bananas away, you can make banana bread" routine. Yuck.

This banana bread had a good, creamy banana taste, and without a funky color. Pritchard Parker said it was every bit as good as my mother's.

That is a compliment!

I am sharing this recipe with Cookbook Sundays at Mom's Sunday Cafe



Cream Cheese & Toasted Pecan Banana Bread

I wrote about this Banana Bread once before, but that was over 2 years ago. Since I just made another batch, I decided it was time to update my previous post.  This really is the best banana bread ever. I got the recipe from my Mother and she got it from Southern Living Magazine.

Toasting the pecans brings out so much of their nutty flavor. The cream cheese creates a luscious taste and substantial texture which is almost like a pound cake.  The recipe makes 2 loaves so there is plenty to enjoy and to share.

And a word about bananas. It is commonly believed that banana bread must be made with overly ripe bananas. When faced with a blackened banana that is all soft and gooey inside, that's a common thing to do with it. And it is a fact that those overly ripe bananas have developed more sugar and provide a stronger banana flavor to the bread.  But I don't like that strong taste they acquire and I think they make the bread a grayish and unappealing color.  I prefer the mild flavor of a freshly ripened banana.  I mention this just to say, you don't have to wait for your bananas to get super ripened to make a delicious and beautiful banana bread. 

Cream Cheese & Toasted Pecan Banana Bread

(Southern Living Magazine)

3/4 cup butter, softened

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas - 1 1/4 pounds unpeeled

1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 2  8x4 inch loaf pans.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy.  Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla.  Spoon batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing with a serrated knife.

If desired, make a simple glaze with confectioners sugar and milk to drizzle over the loaves.

Shared with Sweets for a Saturday #10 at the blog, Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Banana Pudding

A traditional banana pudding, as I know it, is made with a vanilla custard layered with bananas and vanilla wafers, then topped with meringue. I decided to change things around and made chocolate pudding. Then I used animal crackers rather than vanilla wafers because, well because I really like animal crackers. And they're so cute! Lastly, I topped it with real whipped and unsweetened cream, lightly scented with vanilla.

Chocolate Pudding
3 Tbsp. cocoa
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix together the cocoa, sugar, and flour. Stir in milk until smooth. Stir constantly, over low heat, until the mixture comes to a boil. Add the butter and vanilla, stir to blend, then remove from heat. Cool the pudding completely before layering with bananas and animal crackers.

Stirring the pudding was one of my jobs as a girl, while my Mother made the rest of the meal. (The salad was another of my jobs.) To this day, I love the peaceful stirring and staring at the swirling pudding mixture. It is so relaxing to me and it always reminds me of those cherished days in the kitchen with my mother.

Impossible Coconut Pie with Bittersweet Chocolate

Here is another recipe inspired by JennyMac. I made it for my eating machine--he loves coconut. JennyMac's blog post reminded me of all those "impossible" Bisquick pies from the 1980's, both sweet and savory, the premise being that it makes its own crust.

JennyMac adapted her Impossible Coconut Pie from the original, which is certainly her prerogative, and something I do more times than not, when "following" a recipe. But I was curious to see the original. An online search proved this recipe to be extremely popular. Many, many people recommended using a blender to combine the ingredients. But I say Nay! a bowl and spoon work just fine. I did take my pie one step further and smear some melted bittersweet chocolate on the top.

I ate just a bite of the pie so I could blog about it, and the rest is for Pritchard Parker. It is very custardy and reminds me of the old-timey egg custard pies my Grandmother used to make.

Impossible Coconut Pie
1 cup coconut
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup Bisquick
1/4 cup softened butter
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Combine all ingredients well. Pour into a buttered pie plate. Bake at 350 degrees, until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.