roasted banana bread

 

i have been making so much banana bread lately. maybe it is all of the snow we have gotten this month that is keeping me indoors or maybe it is because it is my absolute favourite thing to bake! while i was CONVINCED my banana bread recipe was absolutely perfect (something that took quite a while to perfect), i am having fun mixing things up. for this recipe i roasted the bananas first to maximize the sweetness, used butter only, topped it with grey sea salt & i added over double the yogurt. now i don't know which recipe is better! this one turned out so moist.

i will be honest though, roasting the bananas first did not make as much of a difference then i thought it would. this technique would be great if you want to make banana bread but don't have the ripest of bananas on hand. it kind of speeds up the ripening process. this is also the first banana bread where i put a fresh sliced banana on top. how cool does it look?!? i don't know why it took me this long to do it, i have seen it pop up on my instagram so many times. i think i will do this from now on if i have an extra banana on hand.

ingredients

for the banana bread

  • 3 roasted bananas, mashed (recipe below)
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup plain organic greek yogurt, full fat
  • 1 cup raw sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • raw sugar, to sprinkle on top
  • grey sea salt, to sprinkle on top
  • 1 banana, sliced lengthwise to top banana bread (optional but not really)

for the roasted bananas

  • 3-4 large ripe bananas, peeled & sliced lengthwise
  • 1 tablespoon raw sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon grey salt
  • 1 pinch cinnamon

directions

for the banana bread

  • preheat the oven to 325°F and butter a loaf pan.
  • in a mixing bowl, mash the roasted bananas with melted butter and yogurt.
  • stir in the raw sugar, egg, and pure vanilla extract until well combined.
  • sift in cinnamon, baking soda, grey salt & flour. mix until just combined.
  • pour into loaf pan, sprinkle with additional raw sugar & top with a sliced banana.
  • bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, approximately 45-50 minutes.
  • let cool completely before slicing!

for the roasted bananas

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • in a roasting pan or cast iron skillet, lay in bananas sliced side up.
  • sprinkle with raw sugar, grey salt & cinnamon.
  • roast for 30 minutes, or until the flesh becomes browned & squishy.
  • let cool.

artichoke + spinach dip

 

who doesn't love a classic artichoke & spinach dip!?! i am partnering with vitamix today to share the ultimate holiday starter. i thought something warmy & cheesy would make for the perfect dish to serve at any gathering! this one earns bonus points because you can prepare it in advance & bake it when you are ready to serve. anything that involves minimal prep the day of christmas dinner earns a gold star in my books! the presentation of this dip looks so inviting & rustic when served in a cast iron pot. the little twist i did from the classic version was use an aged cheddar cheese over parmesan. i love the flavour it adds & the gooey melt factor. while i served mine with freshly toasted baguette slices, you can serve it with just about anything you like! tortilla chips, pita, nann bread & so on.

NOW..i have made two versions of this in my vitamix, a hot dip (which you see here) & a cold dip (which turns out a vibrant green colour). while the hot dip is much more indulgent, the cold dip is perfect for serving along side raw vegetables. it involves the exact same ingredients below but everything gets pureed in the vitamix & served as is. no heating involved! because of the green colour the spinach turns it, we call this one the grinch's dip:) as for the hot one, everything but the spinach, artichoke hearts & cheese gets pureed in the blender. then i fold those ingredients into the mix to add texture & depth to the final dish.

now let's get blending!!!

ingredients

  • 1 cup cream cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 shallots, roughly chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch cracked black pepper
  • 1 cup spinach, freshly steamed, strained & roughly chopped
  • 1 cup artichoke hearts, strained & roughly chopped
  • 1/2 cup grated old cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
  • 1 baguette, thinly sliced & toasted

directions

  • preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • place the cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, shallots, garlic, salt & pepper into the vitamix. pulse until ingredients are well blended.
  • pour into a mixing bowl. fold in the strained spinach, artichokes & cheddar cheese.
  • transfer to an oven safe skillet or baking dish & top with additional cheddar cheese.
  • bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted & browned (broil for a minute or two to crisp the cheese).
  • serve immediately with toasted baguette or warm pita.

black pepper + white cheddar mac & cheese

 

can you believe it is december this week?! WHAT. this weekend we put up our first ever christmas tree (a real one!) & decorated it with the cutest forest animal ornaments. it goes with the rest of the house since i have a slight obsession with foxes & deers. seriously though, fox figures everywhere. also, who watched the girlmore girls revival?! i pretty much spent all of friday binge watching it & not sure how i feel about the ending. BUT i don't want to spoil it for all you slow pokes so let's just skip on over to this mac & cheese!

this mac & cheese dish is SUPER cheesy because i used an extra old white cheddar cheese (& lots of it). since it is the holidays, i made it a touch richer with the addition of heavy cream but feel free to use whole milk for the whole recipe. instead of doing the traditional topping of bread crumbs tossed in butter, i used harvest snaps! they have so many flavours to choose from. i went with the black pepper blend but feel free be bold & use your favourite (wasabi?!?!). just make sure to have an extra bag on hand for snacking purposes cause i ate a whole bag in the process;)

happy ALMOST december! get those advent calenders ready.

ingredients

  • 1 box of short pasta
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon mustard powder
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 egg
  • 3 cups grated extra old white cheddar, plus more for topping
  • salt, to taste
  • freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
  • 1 bag of black pepper harvest snaps, crushed

directions

  • preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • cook pasta as directed on box until al dente. strain & set aside.
  • in a separate pot over medium heat add the butter, flour & mustard powder. stir constantly & cook until a smooth roux forms, about 5 minutes.
  • add the whole milk, heavy cream & bay leaf. simmer for ten minutes.
  • remove bay leaf & temper in the egg, followed by the grated old white cheddar cheese.
  • add the strained, cooked pasta to the pot & stir until evenly coated. if the pot is not oven safe, transfer to a baking dish.
  • top with additional cheese & crushed black pepper harvest snaps.
  • bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly & golden brown.

this post was created in partnership with harvest snaps! thank you for supporting the brands that keep me doing what i love. xo