Ginger Pear Muffin

I know I just had a recipe for muffins but I don't care. These muffins are just great and healthy and what's even more spectacular, they can be made with so many different kinds of fruit. Don't like pear and ginger? Fine, make them apple with cinnamon, blueberry, banana walnut, etc. The versatility combined with the healthfulness of these muffins and the wonderfully moist texture makes this recipe a home run.

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup agave nectar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup almond milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 bartlett pears, peeled and diced into small chunks

Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick spray, or line with papers. However, if you are lining with papers, due to the extremely low fat content these bad boys will absolutely cling to the wrappers like a preschooler on his or her first day of school so be sure to spray them with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, agave and applesauce and beat until completely incorporated (you can use a mixer or hand held mixer). Add the egg and mix well. Finally, add the almond milk and vinegar and mix until combined. Now, make a well in your dry ingredients and fold in the wet ingredients and the pear chunks (it's easier to mix the wet first until almost combined and then adding the pears). Leave the batter alone - NO SCOOPING YET.

I know some of you must be thinking I forgot to tell you what temperature to pre-heat the oven. False, I didn't forget; you need to now preheat the oven to 375. The reason I left this direction to here is because the muffin batter needs to stay completely untouched for a half hour, and that does mean no touching (scooping your finger in the batter does in fact constitute as touching). By letting the batter sit, these muffins will develop an immaculately golden crown resembling the work of your local bakery.

Once you've allowed your batter to go untouched for at least a half hour, scoop the batter evenly into your prepared muffin tin and bake for about 25 minutes (check around 23 with a toothpick to see if they're done - i.e. it comes out completely clean).

Place the pan on your cooling rack and cool them in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, remove them from the pan and finish cooling on the cooling rack.

Vanilla-Chai Tea Muffin

I have always been a big fan of muffins because you don't feel guilty eating them, even though they are essentially cupcakes without the mountain of frosting. On top of that, I've been on the search for quick breakfasts that give me some carbs and sugar before my intense exercises.

These spectacular treats are healthy (about 120 calories) and great on-the-go breakfasts with an apple or a banana. They're also easy enough to make that a well-trained monkey would have no problem putting them together.

Makes 12 muffins

224 grams all-purpose flour (about 1 3/4 cups if you are scale-less)
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt
2 chai tea bags, cut open (**if you can't have caffeine like me, make sure it's decaf chai tea)
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dairy-free butter (earth balance, etc.), melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 and line a muffin pan with 12 muffin papers and spray each with a bit of cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine your flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cut open the tea bags and pour the contents into the flour mixture and whisk together.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the remainder of the ingredients (almond milk to the egg). Create a well in that now beautifully perfumed flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Fold gently and once the flour is incorporated, STOP. A few lumps and flour pockets are ok. Over mixing will inevitably result in a muffin tougher than a 6"10 bouncer with forearms bigger than a Volvo.

Evenly distribute the batter in your muffin cups and bake for about 15 minutes. My suggestion is to check around 13 minutes because your oven may be a little different, and let's face it, no one enjoys a dry, over-baked muffin. Once they are cooked (inserted toothpick comes out clean), put the pan on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes and then remove the muffins from the tin and finish cooling.

Bananas Foster Bread

Ok so if you know me, you know I LOVE banana bread. However, more than that, I love banana anything. Over the past year I've been experiencing with different classic recipes with amped up banana flavor like bananas foster pancakes, and sweet potato and banana mash (with a little maple syrup and walnuts - yum). I recently came across a recipe for a lighter banana bread with a bananas foster twist that I just had to try and it came out amazingly well. For those of you (like me) that go to places like Yankee Candle to get candles to make your house smell like the fall, avoid the mall and make bread. Seriously, my house has never smelled so good!

Preheat the oven to 350 and coat a 9"x5" loaf pan with cooking spray. Create the banana mixture:

• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (3 bananas)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 5 tablespoons of melted earthsmart butter replacement 
• 3 tablespoons cognac 

and place it all in a non-stick skillet. Cook the banana mixture over medium heat just until the mixture starts to bubble and then immediately remove from heat and cool.

Add the banana mixture to a large bowl and add in:

• 1/3 cup silk plain yogurt, 
• 2 eggs
•  1/2 cup of packed brown sugar 

beat on medium speed until it's completely mixed.

In a separate bowl, measure out:

•  6.75 ounces of all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice. 

Add the flour mixture to the to the banana mixture and mix until it is just incorporated (dear god, don't over mix this batter).

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for about an hour (I took mine out at around 55 minutes - just check with a toothpick). Once it's out of the oven, put the pan on a cooling rack for 10 minutes and then remove from pan so it can cool directly on the cooling rack.

Now it's glaze time! Take

• 1 tablespoon of melted earthsmart butter, 
• 1 tablespoon cognac, and 
• 1/3 cup of powdered sugar

 and whisk until smooth. Pour this glaze over the warm bread. You can still do this after the bread has cooled but it won't be completely the same. When you pour that glaze over the warm bread, it seeps into the loaf adding an extra dimension of moisture and greatness.

Beer Bread

I love my Cuisinart Breadmaker. I just want to start with that sentiment because this recipe for incredible bread doesn't utilize that wonderful machine. Anyone who has ever used a bread machine knows that you just throw the ingredients in to this pan, push a few buttons, and then come back several hours later to a flawless loaf of bread. However, this recipe is basically just as easy and it's done in a drastically short amount of time.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey (or sugar if you prefer)
1 12oz bottle of beer (MAKE SURE IT ISN'T FLAT!)

Preheat your oven to 400 and grease a loaf pan. I used a really small pan (8"x3.5") but you can use a normal pan with the same proportions (since I had to throw away a little batter).

Whisk together everything but the beer. Then open the beer, pour it in, and fold until it is mixed but please don't over mix. Pour contents into pan, even out with a spatula, then bake for 35-40 minutes (if you're using the smaller loaf pan, start checking at 25 minutes). Once a tooth pick inserted all the way through the middle of the loaf comes out clean, you're ready to take it out of the oven.

Let it cool for 15 minutes and then remove from the loaf pan and continue cooling on a rack, or if you're like me, start eating as fast as possible because warm bread is simply irresistible.