Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Dream Smoothie

Happy New Year 2013! 

So - how many of you are back on a regimented eating plan? I know we are in this house. I generally plan to overindulge at the holidays and know full well that I will pack on a few extra pounds and I don't get on myself about it. It's not great but I also don't regret it. This is why my blog has been silent all the month of December... I was so busy baking and eating that I didn't even get time to post my delicious recipes of cookies and cakes! I love food and all of life will constantly be a plan of moderation and swinging scales, so a couple months out of the year is not going to be detrimental to me personally.  Having said that, January 1st we launched with full dedication back into our low glycemic food plan.

This smoothie recipe has been our daily morning breakfast for almost a year. Yes, we like it that much that we still look forward to it. Coming from the book " The Metabolism Boosting Diet" by Dr. Joey Shulman, the plan is based on foods that do not spike blood glucose, take time for the body to absorb, which in turn provides longer satiety, reducing the feelings of hunger which can lead to mindless snacking to satisfy immediate cravings. She offers four different smoothies, but we have managed to stay stuck on this one.

Recipe

1/2 frozen banana

1 scoop chocolate whey protein isolate powder

1 tbsp (15 ml) natural peanut butter

1 tsp (5 ml) cocoa powder (optional)

1 cup (250 ml) unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Handful of crushed ice

Instructions

Blend all ingredients together, pour into a glass and enjoy

Per Serving

296 calories, 12.5g total fat, 27g carbohydrates, 22g protein, 4.5g fivre, 13g sugar

Crystal's Notes

• We use EAS Whey. After tasting several different powders, this was our personal preference for taste.
• We accidentally ordered the Vanilla powder last time but with the added cocoa powder, it's hardly noticeable.
• I also recommend Healthy Planet whey protein powders. This is a line from Fabio (you know, long flowing blonde hair). A lot of care and commitment goes into using high quality products that are beneficial to the body.
• Remember that with these powders, sometimes you get what you pay for. You can gain a great source of vitamins and supplements from these as a bonus and with high quality ingredients can come a higher price tag, but remember that your health is worth it.

•  We buy bunches of bananas in advance and peel, split them in half, baggie them, and stick them in freezer. Since this is a daily plan for us it makes the AM process go faster when we can grab and go.
• We have used "all natural PB" from Whole Foods where you can churn it up yourself. I don't find it as tasteful as the other all natural peanut butters that are pre-made in a jar that you have to mix up with the oil. This will be a personal preference, just watch the sugar count.
• Calories will not be exact. Not all powders will be the same, banana size will vary, and PB may have slight difference. However, it should be pretty close.
• We add a tablespoon per serving of ground flaxseed.

~ Wishing everyone a healthy and prosperous  2013 ~

Enjoy!

Bananas Foster Fritters

 

 

 

You will never hear me complain about a spike of alcohol in my sweets. I adore hints of rum, small batch whiskey, or brandy laced into my dessert recipe or freshly whipped cream. The winner for me in today's recipe was the rum dipping sauce. The Banana Foster Fritters are amazing on their own and so full of flavor but I cannot imagine this recipe without the silky sauce to finish them off with.

Taking from my learning experience with the Buttermilk Farmstand Doughnuts, I knew I had to be a bit more patient in testing the oil temp and cooking time with my fritters. A flashback to my previous doughnut frying experience had me on recall that the temp the book suggested was too high and my doughnuts fried on the outside and were still doughy on the inside. Being 'new' I had fired off too many of the donuts out of the gate and didn't have much dough left to work with in 'getting it right'.

On this occasion after getting the oil up to suggested temp of 375, I tested one lonely fritter and although it tasted good, it was a bit overcooked on the outside and not quite finished on the inside. Similar to last time. Ultimately I kept the temp between 300 and 325 and baby sat my little fritters so they cooked about 8 minutes overall and finished with a nice color; not too dark on the outside and cooked (without being overly dry-a tad moist) on the inside.

Now- the rum dipping sauce (yum)...easy to make, and the 'fritter dunk' = Pure Deliciousness
Overall this was an easy to follow recipe with basic ingredients and the assembly process, simple. I give the Bananas Foster Fritters an A+ in the flavor category.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECIPE

Dipping Sauce

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon banana liqueur (or pure vanilla extract)

2 tablespoons dark rum

Pinch cinnamon (optional)

 

Fritter Dough

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

3 tablespoons firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground all spice

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 medium ripe bananas

1 tablespoon dark rum

1 teaspoon banana liqueur or pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Vegetable oil for frying

1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

Rum Dipping Sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the liqueur, rum, and cinnamon, if using. Set aside until serving time. (The sauce can be made ahead. Allow it to cool, then cover it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Rewarm it over low heat in a saucepan or microwave it on short 15 second blasts before serving.)

Fritter Dough

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, all-spice, and 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Use your hands to run the chunks of sugar into the flour mixture and whisk again (it is okay to have a few chunky sugar pieces remaining).

In another large bowl, mash the bananas with your hands or a heavy spoon and stir in the rum, liqueur, and butter.

Use a rubber spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. The mix should look wet, but but should still hold its shape when scooped into a small ball. If the dough is too thin, keep folding in the flour 1 tablespoon at a time until it stiffens up. Refrigerate the dough while the frying oil heats and you prepare the sugar topping.

Pour enough oil into a deep skillet to fill 3/4 inch to 1 inch deep. Slowly heat the oil over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees F on a deep-frying thermometer.

While the oil heats, in a small bowl, whisk together the confectioner's sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside.

Fry the Fritters

Line a plate with a double layer of paper towels and set it near your work area.

Using a small spatula and a small spoon, two spoons, or an ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping spoonfuls of dough into the oil. Do not crowd the skillet. Cook until the fritters have browned on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, turn them over and continue to cook for another 2 minutes, or until browned. Do not overcook or burn the fritters. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the fritters to the prepared plate and continue frying dough until finished. 

Place the fritters on a serving plate and sift the cinnamon sugar over them. Serve immediately with rum dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Source: Baked Explorations