Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

I created these muffins for a healthy (and preschooler friendly) snack the other day; I wanted them to be an alternative to banana bread.  My family loves banana bread; I love peanut butter toast with banana sliced on top.  These muffins are a happy hybrid of the two. They incorporate three whole bananas, a bunch of creamy peanut butter, and are made with half whole wheat flour. Yum!

I threw in a handful of cacao nibs for some crunch.  The nibs are totally optional, and they didn’t add a ton of flavor.  You could even use crunchy peanut butter instead, if you want crunch but don’t have cacao nibs on hand.  Chocolate chips would be pretty great too. I bet if I’d added chocolate chips Dulcie would have been fighting me for the leftover muffins!

These definitely walk the line between health food and a treat, which I’m a huge fan of in my muffin making. Like these muffins, for example. And as far as I can tell, all kids are big fans of both peanut butter and banana.  

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins with Cacao Nibs

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cacao nibs

Preheat oven to 400 F.
Combine the bananas, sugar, honey, peanut butter, eggs, vegetable oil and vanilla extract in a food processor and process until smooth.  You could also use a mixer or a wooden spoon plus a strong arm; I’ve just gotten in the habit of combining all the wet ingredients for muffins using the food processor.  It makes quick work of the bananas!
Combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and cacao nibs in a large bowl.  Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir to combine.
Spoon into a prepared muffin tin (I used papers), then bake at 400 for 16-18 minutes.

Strawberry Lavender Cocktail

Can't you just taste it already? These two amazing summery flavors combine to make a drink that deserves to be served on your patio at least once this season. (Or twice. Or more.)

We decided we wanted to really get the full flavor of fresh seasonal strawberries in this cocktail, so we pureed and then strained them, to get out all those pesky seeds. (A few seeds don't bother me, they are so itty bitty, but you do want to use as fine a strainer as you have.) This drink was also our first time using a lavender simple syrup, though certainly not our last. (I am drinking a lavender lemon cocktail as I type this!) This drink just gets me fired up for farmers' markets and the sweet smell of summer.

Strawberry Lavender Cocktail

• 1/3 cup strained strawberry puree (see note below)
• 1 oz lavender simple syrup
• 2 oz vodka

Place strawberry puree in a glass. Add simple syrup and vodka and stir vigorously. Add lots of ice, and enjoy!

Note: We pureed 15 large strawberries which resulted in enough puree for at least 4 drinks. Puree in a food processor or blender to get it as smooth as possible. Use a very fine sieve to remove as many seeds as possible, pressing the puree through with a spatula.

Lavender Simple Syrup

I was going to include the recipe for lavender simple syrup in our next cocktail post, the delicious strawberry lavender cocktail, but then I felt it is too tasty of a concoction - it needs to be the star of the show for at least a few minutes.

Simple syrups are so, well, simple. They allow flavor infusions with just a few minutes at the stovetop. No need to wait for booze infusions which can take weeks. Once you have made your simple syrup, refrigerate it, and it should last three to four weeks allowing ample time to experiment with new and exciting drinks! I already have a few up my sleeve.

Lavender Simple Syrup

• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 3 TB dried lavender 

Place everything in a medium pot. Bring to boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, continuing to stir until all sugar is dissolved. When it is, remove the pot from the heat, and let steep for 30 minutes. Strain out the lavender buds, and refrigerate. Makes 2 cups.

Lemon Croutons + Links We Love

One day this week for dinner I made a brothy orzo soup with chicken, herbs, and lemon.  It was delicious, but it wanted something crunchy to go on top. I was in the process of making croutons with a stale baguette (chop it up in squares, sautee in olive oil on medium-low until crispy and golden) when I remembered this lemon infused olive oil I had in my cupboard.  So I made lemon infused croutons.  WHOA.  So good. Amazing on soup as well as salad - the lemon is subtle, fresh, and delicious.  You can buy lemon infused olive oil (I got mine as a free sample from here - cute packaging!) or you can make your own.  Here's a recipe.

Some links we're loving this week:

Dulcie's new favorite last-minute supper.
This fresh dish, by Turntable Kitchen, which would be awesome with homemade ricotta! 
Is organic produce better? A science experiment done by a middle schooler.  Cool.