A Journey With a Recipe

This post is to prove that I do own cookbooks and am sometimes inspired by a recipe in these books to create something that takes the recipe and changes it into something similar but different.  Based on the ingredients that I have on hand.  I have said it elsewhere and will say it again, good cooking comes from combining flavours and experimenting with what you have.

The recipe in question comes from the cookbook, Denise Austin, Eat Carbs: Lose Weight.  Talk about a current counter revolutionary statement regarding the state of cooking in today's culinary atmosphere.  There are good carbs and there are bad empty carbs.  I have always been for eating good carbs.  Maybe I will post someday the summary article on the whole gluten free discussion found in a recent Atlantic Monthly.  But I digress.

Here is the original recipe in question.  Which I have used as my base or point of departure for many of the Banana Bread recipes that I make.  If you are not feeling adventurous, this is a pretty good recipe to just stick with and be safe.


Banana Nut Bread

2 Cups whole-grain pastry flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup sugar

1  large egg

3 tablespoons canola oil

1 cup mashed overripe bananas (about 2 medium bananas)  Note-- if you have 3 bananas or even 4 you can use them.  Just add another egg for each banana if adding no extra flour.  Eggs makes for light and fluffy with extra bananas and extra flour with egg makes for some more density to the bread.  1 egg with 1/2 cup flour if you want to use the 4 bananas.

Just experiment.  Enjoy the adventure!

1/2 cup light vanilla yogurt.  Light or not.  Use the yogurt!

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Preheat to 350 degrees.  Mix and bake for 45 to minutes.  I am not great stickler for mix wet and dry in separate bowls.  Just mix together.

This is the standard recipe that I use and the variations are only limited to the imagination.  Next time I make one with the cocoa powder and cranberries I will post a picture.

Happy Eating

Grace and Peace