Waste Not Want Not

One of the hardest things about recovering from a broken foot is not being able to walk and run with the ease that I formerly took for granted.  While all of the couch-sitting I've done has been great for reducing my stress level, it hasn't done much for my body.  What's worse, I've watched the Runner's World magazines pile up as my running shoes collect dust.  I'm hoping that tomorrow the doctor will release me to at least begin walking because the Boilermaker will be here before I know it and I still plan to run run/walk it.

But today was a bit of a stressful day--I discovered that both my mountain bike and my road bike had been stolen from our garage (I mean, can there be any worse karma than stealing from a priest???)  So when I get stressed, I bake.  Right on time this month's Runner's World had a delicious looking recipe for banana bread.   And wouldn't you know it, we had a few really ripe bananas on top of the fridge.  Now bananas aren't local or anything but I love them and I hate for them to go to waste.

I remember the first time I made banana bread about 16 years ago--it was a disaster!  I used the recipe from the Silver Palate cookbook and gave up making banana bread for years--why?  Because I tried making it with the most beautiful, bright yellow, hard bananas that I had just picked up from the supermarket.   I soon learned that in the case of bananas ripe didn't mean  "not green" but it meant, "speckled or nearly brown". 

This banana bread recipe from Flour Bakery in Boston is fantastic--particularly if you like lusciously moist banana bread with toasted chopped walnuts.  As if it couldn't get better, it is actually low fat thanks to a hit of applesauce--and believe me, it doesn't taste low fat--it tastes like the decadent, mid afternoon tea/coffee treat that it is.  It's also great toasted up with your morning coffee. 

Flour's Famous Banana Bread (as adapted from Runner's World magazine)

• 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup extra light olive oil
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
• 2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.  Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy.  Drizzle in oil and stir in applesauce.  Add bananas, sour cream, and vanilla.  Fold in flour mixture and nuts.  Pour batter into a buttered 9" x 5" loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This version is about 260 calories for one slice (based on a 12 slice loaf).  If you don't mind the extra calories (50 more per serving) omit the applesauce and increase the olive oil to 1/2 cup.

 

Archive Alert:  This date last year I was checking out C.L. Evers.

Comments

[Ed Bruske]

My wife hates bananas but loves making banana bread. It doesn't last long around here. She's now taken to adding chocolate chips or coconut to the banana bread. Or, try chocolate nibs for a chocolate flavor without so much sweetness.

Tip: If your bananas are overripe and you aren't in a mood to make banana bread, just let them go till they are mushy and the skins are tuning black, then freeze them in a plastic bag until you're ready for another batch of banana bread.

[David]

STOLE YOUR BIKES???? Hangin's too good for 'em!!! What size ya' need? I'll see what I can do....