Banana Fudgesicles & Garden Bounty

I don't like bananas once they've got brown on them. I can take a wee bit, but as soon as they start to get spotty I declare them overripe and have to find other things to do with them. I'm not much of a smoothie drinkers, so though I freeze them sometimes I forget about them. I make banana bread and banana muffins but it seems like more of a winter thing to me. In order to remedy my banana problem I did the only logical thing... I invented BANANA FUDGESICLES!! This frozen treat is remarkably healthy for a fudgesicle. It is mostly sweetened by the ripe bananas, and a little bit of agave. They only take a few minutes to put together, then however long it takes for them to freeze. My one warning about this recipe, however, is that the measures will vary for you depending on how big your bananas are, and how big your ice pop molds are. For me, this makes 4 ice pops, sometimes a little more full and sometimes a little less (again, banana size). So use this as a guideline and then adjust as necessary.

I know, lame picture right? I heard the boy going into the freezer for the last one last night and I said "WAAAIT I NEED A PICTURE FOR MY BLOG!!" so he came into my office and let me take a picture before he ate... much.

Banana Fudgesicles
2 very ripe bananas
1/3-1/2 cup rice milk
2 heaping tbsp cocoa powder
1-2 tbsp agave nectar (depending on how brown your bananas are! more ripe = less agave)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Puree all the ingredients together. I use my immersion blender and the cup it came with. It's the perfect size and has a pour spout. Pour the mixture into ice pop molds. Freeze for at least 4 hours or until solid. Run the mold under warm water to release to fudgesicle.

Varation: Add 2-3 tbsp of peanut butter to the mix to make PEANUT BUTTER BANANA FUDGESICLES!

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Onto my second topic: Check out what I picked in my garden this morning! A couple handfuls of sugar snap peas and some interesting purple striped beans. If anyone can identify them, I'd be most grateful!

Pina Colada Banana Bread

I love bananas when they're solid yellow with a bit of green at the top. I tolerate them when they are all yellow with a few brown spots. Much beyond there all hope is lost for eating outright and their fate is muffins or quickbread. This weekend I was staring at the brown bananas on the counter, and next to it was a container of coconut and a bottle of coconut extract gifted from a friend. I thought "Hmm... if I just had some pineapple I could make pina colada bread..." so when I grocery shopped a got a can, and this is the result! It definitely has a coconutty flavor, and the little pineapple bits are a nice surprise! This is sort of way adapted from the Veganomicon recipe that merged with my Nana's banana bread recipe that merged with my brain.



Pina Colada Banana Bread

2 large super ripe bananas, well mashed
1 8oz can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 cups flour *
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, pineapple, oil, sugar, and extracts.

3. Stir in the dry ingredients until just mixed.

4. Fold in the coconut.

5. Pour batter into a greased loaf pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.


*I used half white whole wheat and half spelt and it's a wee bit dry. I might go with half something white next time to lighten it a bit.