Looking for a good banana muffin that tastes great and is healthy, too? Give this recipe a whirl. My kids loved them…so did I! The struesel topping elevates them from plain ol’ banana muffin to something special.

I didn’t have plain yogurt for the recipe so I used 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. The muffins make a great breakfast treat or after-school snack. Enjoy!

Banana Oatbran Muffins
-adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe

Moist, tender, and banana-y, these muffins represent comfort food at its best.

Batter
1/2 cup yogurt (I used 1/4 cup buttermilk & 1/4 cup sour cream)
1 large egg
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups mashed banana; 2 to 3 large bananas
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 cup oat bran
1 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Topping
¼ cup brown sugar
1/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon soft butter

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a standard muffin tin, or line with papers and grease the papers. 
 
Combine the yogurt, egg, oil, mashed banana, sugar, and oat bran in a bowl. Whisk together and set aside for 10 minutes. 
 
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and nutmeg. 
 
Work the topping ingredients together until the mixture is crumbly. 
 
Whisk the banana mixture into the flour mixture. Scoop into the prepared muffin cups, filling them almost full; the muffins won’t rise much. 
 
Sprinkle muffins with the topping. 
 
Bake the muffins for 20 to 24 minutes, until the muffins are set and browned. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and enjoy warm.
 
 

Tags: banana muffins, Breakfast, brown sugar, nutmeg, oatbran, rolled oats

This Mexi-inspired recipe will please most tastes (sans vegetarians). The lightly seasoned pork has good flavor without being dominated by the rub, which is a combo of paprika, brown sugar, chile powder and allspice. After I put the rub on the pork, I put it back in the fridge for a few hours while I took the kids swimming. When we got back from the pool, I proceeded with the recipe and made the tomato sauce and grilled the pork. The sauce, which is basically a salsa, is a delicious compliment to the perfectly cooked, super-tender pork tenderloins.

The jalepeno pepper that I used for the fire-roasted sauce was on the tame side so I also added a little chopped chipotle chile to the simmering sauce. This added the kick that I was looking for and provided a bit more smoky flavor, too. Leftover sauce is great as a dip with chips!

Menu idea: Dry Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce, Two-Bean & Corn Salad, Green Salad with Southwestern Vinaigrette, and Blueberry-Lemon Cornmeal Cake.

Dry-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin with Fire-Roasted Tomato Sauce
-recipe from Weber’s Real Grilling™ by Jamie Purviance

Makes 4 servings.

Sauce
8 ripe, plum tomatoes, stems removed
1 jalapeño chile pepper, stem and seeds removed
1/2 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup roughly chopped red onion
1/4 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper

Rub
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pure chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each, trimmed of excess fat and silver skin
Extra-virgin olive oil

Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).

Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the tomatoes and jalapeño over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until blackened and blistered in spots, turning as needed. The tomatoes will take 4 to 6 minutes and the jalapeño will take 2 to 3 minutes. Put the tomatoes and jalapeño in a food processor along with the remaining sauce ingredients, and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, mix the rub ingredients.

Trim any excess fat and sliver skin from the tenderloins. Lightly brush the tenderloins on all sides with oil and season evenly with the rub, pressing the spices into the meat.  Allow the tenderloins to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before grilling. Reduce the temperature of the grill to medium heat (350° to 450°F).

Grill the tenderloins over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the pork is barely pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes. Remove from the grill and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing. Serve warm with the sauce.

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Tags: allspice, basil, brown sugar, chile powder, cilantro, dry rub, fire-roasted tomato sauce, garlic, Grilling/BBQ, jalapeno, lime, onion, paprika, pork tenderloin, tomatoes

I love muffins, and I’m always trying to find new and delicious ways to whip up a batch of these easy-to-make treats. The house smelled so good while these Sweet Peach Muffins were baking! The recipe says to eat them 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. I tried that and burned my fingers on molten chunks of peach. I suggest waiting a bit longer for the muffins to cool, especially if kids will be enjoying them. One of my kids even inhaled two of the muffins in one sitting.  The combination of perfectly ripe peaches, warm spices and the streusel topping is delicious!

I skipped the walnuts in the streusel topping because I’m not a fan of walnuts. Pecans would be a great substitute but I chose to forgo the nuts because I thought the kids would like the muffins best without them. Either way, the streusel topping is tasty. This recipe is versatile and can be used with a variety of fruits depending on season. I haven’t tried any of the other versions, but I’m looking forward to trying the muffins with pears and apples in the Fall. Yumm!

Sweet Peach Muffins with Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping
-recipe from The Foster’s Market Cookbook by Sara Foster with Sarah Belk King

These are best when peaches are at their summer peak, although they’re good made with frozen peaches, too. The streusel topping can be made in advance. These muffins are best eaten warm. Variations: Almost any fresh or frozen fruit (except for very soft fruits like bananas, papaya, or mango) can be substituted for the peaches. Try blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, or strawberries. In autumn, try chopped fresh apples or chipped pears.

Makes large 12 muffins.

Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping:
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Muffin Batter:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 tablespoon dark rum or pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups peeled, pitted, chopped peaches

For the topping: Combine the walnuts, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Add the butter and mix until well blended. Set aside or refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to use.

For the muffins: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 12 large muffin cups with paper liners and spray the top part of the pan lightly with nonstick spray.

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sour cream and rum or vanilla until well blended. Fold in the peaches.

Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moist and blended. Do not overmix.

Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin pan with a large ice cream scoop (1/3-cup scoop). The batter will come to the top of the paper liner or pan. Sprinkle with the Brown Sugar-Walnut Streusel Topping and lightly press the topping into the muffin batter.

Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when lightly pressed and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes clean. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the pan, and serve immediately.

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Tags: Baking, Breakfast, brown sugar, cinnamon, Foster's Market, Muffins, peach, Sara Foster, streusel

Most people have some tradition that marks the holiday season for them. Mine is Pecan Tassies, a bite-sized version of pecan pie that is made with an easy cream cheese pastry crust and a not-too-sweet brown sugar-pecan filling. I grew up with these cookies. My mom was given the recipe almost 40 years ago and has been making these delicious treats for all our family gatherings from Thanksgiving throughout the Christmas season. And now that I’ve got my own family, I’m continuing the tradition.

One of the reasons I love Pecan Tassies is because they’re small (made in a mini muffin tin) — a single tassie can be eaten in a bite or two. Molding the dough into the muffin tins is easy but definitely the most time-consuming part of the whole recipe. To make up for it, I use a nut chopperto simplify the process of chopping the pecans. Make a few batches and give them as gifts or add them to your holiday treat platter. Pecan lovers will thank you!

Pecan Tassies
Make these delicious, bite-sized cookies a part of your holiday tradition.

Pastry:
1 (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened
1 cup flour

Filling:
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

For pastry: Blend cream cheese and butter, add flour. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Divide dough into 24 balls and press in mini muffin pans. Sprinkle chopped pecans in each pastry shell (about 1 teaspoon of nuts per shell).

For filling: Combine melted butter and brown sugar in a small bowl. Add egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Fill pastry shells 2/3 full. Bake at 325 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pans. Makes about 24 tassies.

Note: Store tassies in an airtight container, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, at room temperature for 1 week.

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Tags: bit-sized, brown sugar, Christmas, Christmas cookies, cookies, cream cheese pastry crust, holiday cookies, holidays, pecan tassies, Thanksgiving