Zucchini Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

Well, it is the biggest rummage sale day of the year around these parts and I have a fabulous tradition with my girlfriends to get together the second Saturday morning in August to find great deals on things we may or may not need.

You know how that goes....

A few years ago, I brought my Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and my friends have been asking for them ever since.

So, this year, in my abundance of zucchini, I thought I'd revise that recipe...put in more of the good and less of the bad...kill two birds with one stone...bring them the banana muffins they have been asking for and try something new around here.

Without further ado...

Start with two over ripe bananas, mashed up real good.  

Can anyone tell me, do bananas ripen faster this time of year or is that just me?

One and a half cups of shredded zucchini.

So many recipes call for one zucchini, shredded, that is too ambiguous, even for this queen of ambiguity.  

My zucchini vary in size so greatly...I just shredded half of one and measured the shreds accordingly.

Whisk up the zucchini and bananas with 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract.

As far as the dry ingredients, one and a half cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/4 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

Many recipes tell you to mix the dry ingredient separately…

I'm not big on that.  

The main reason is so that the minor ingredients (baking soda, powder and salt) are distributed evenly.

I just heap them all together and mix well.  

No complaints around here.

It helps to begin with the end in mind, if you know the reasoning behind any given instructions, 

you can revise the method according to the goal.

Only thing this is really missing from the original recipe is oatmeal...(and an egg).  I really like the texture that oatmeal imparts...perhaps I'll make another batch with another 1/2 cup of zucchini and a cup or so of oatmeal..really keep you guessing!

Finally, 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips were added and the batter was folded together. 

Muffin tins were sprayed with cooking spray, I prefer that for muffins, for some reason. 

Bake these bad boys at 350 F for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are just starting to brown.

These were amazing, nothing short of delicious! 

Only problem is that this recipe only made 10, so you may want to double. 

RECIPE:

Ingredients:

2 overripe Bananas - mashed

1 1/2 cups of shredded zucchini

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips

Directions:
Whisk together bananas, zucchini, sugar and vanilla. 
Add dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. 
Mix everything together and add chocolate chips. 

Pour batter into spray muffin tins. 
Baking at 350F for 20-25 minutes. 

**Share with your neighbors and anyone else you want to be your friend**

Banana Nutella Crepes (gluten-free!)

Hi y'all!  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!

I'm excited about some of the developments around the All Things Libby yard this weekend.

First of all, we have our garden plot ready to go, are so super excited about growing our own vegetables and sharing the experience with the kids.  Learning the basics about the simple joys of life, reaping the rewards of your labor.

There was an overgrown flower bed in the back corner of the yard and while I hated to lose what was nice, the whole thing was just OUT. OF. CONTROL!!!  Ask any of our neighbors.  So, I did salvage a few lilies and will place them elsewhere.

I'm a girl who is not afraid of a little hard work and am always thrilled when the whole family can be part of the fun!

We also picked up our first batch of annuals to plant for the summer.  I never really plan out my planters very well.  Just grab some old favorites and always like to try out something new.  Will head to  The Berry Basket again this week to round out the needs for the planters and garden.

Just love the local, personal feel of The Berry Basket, and they are only a mile from my house, so that helps too!

Other than all of the outdoor excitement, I had some indoor/kitchen success too.  After many iterations, these gluten-free Banana Nutella Crepes finally came together.

Not gonna lie…gluten free baking is harder than I thought!

With all of my food experience, making my way around a kitchen is generally a breeze.  I can whip up just about anything, anytime, for anyone, with little apprehension.  Sometimes, I start with the end in mind…give me a soup or dish and I can pull it off.  Other times, I pull out what I want to use and see how it comes together.

Well, taking the gluten out of crepes really tested my abilities, but I'm not complaining.  It was fun to experiment and learn, of course, the most rewarding part was the successful, delicious end result.

But, before I get to the recipe, I'm going to take you on a little trip down memory lane.

Twenty two years ago…when I was a wee teenager and my eldest niece was just an infant, my family and I ventured to Paris to meet this first member of the next generation.

Since I was all of 13 years old, I was not overly impressed with the French culture or much of the food (other than the bread), but those crepes did make quite the impression on me.  If I come across a picture of a homely teen eating crepes Paris, I will be sure to share.

While my parents enjoyed the Grand Mariner crepes, my brother and I devoured the Nutella crepes and luckily, those crepe stands in Paris are like Walgreens in Chicago…one of every corner.  Looking back, there was no doubt who the Americans were.

Ok, now that I have my warm fuzzy feeling, we can move on.

I won't bore you with all of the iterations that didn't work, I will just say that the proteins in nut flours do not function similarly to wheat flour.  Ultimately, I nixed the flour alternatives completely.

This amazing creation began by simply whipping up 3 eggs, 1/4 cup milk, 3 tsp sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp cinnamon (optional).

This should be a very thin batter, as crepes could be described as a very thin, eggy pancake.

I used a medium-sized pan, over low heat, so that the batter can be evened out in the pan before it starts to cook.

Coconut oil was perfect for this dish, just a teaspoon or so into the pan to melt, then wiped out, leaving just a thin layer.

Pour in a quarter cup of the batter and tilt the pan in all directions to even it out before cooking.

As it cooks, the edges will pull away from the side of the pan, a good indicator that the crepe is almost ready to be flipped.

Crepes are tender creatures, so flip with care!

The sugar in the batter is responsible for adding some browning and texture in addition to the sweetness.

Now, for the filling….

Just a perfectly ripe banana sliced up and fresh jar of Nutella.  

Start by slathering on the Nutella. 

Then added the bananas.  

I generally work in halves or quarters…beginning with the end in mind, so that the crepe can be folded...

first in half

then in half again, for devouring.  

The boys were not disappointed after having to wait a little longer than expected for this tasty breakfast.  

I mean, really, how can you go wrong with egg, bananas and chocolate for breakfast! 

RECIPE:

Ingredients: (makes 4 crepes)
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
3 tsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Coconut Oil

Directions:

Whisk all of the ingredient together until smooth.  

Melt 1 teaspoon over low heat in medium pan.  Wipe out excess, leaving just a thin layer behind.  

Add 1/3 cup of batter to pan, tilt pan in all direction to even out batter. 

Let cook until the edges start to pull away from pan and crepe is ready to be flipped. 

Flip and cook for a few more minutes on the 2nd side.  

Layer in Nutella and bananas, or your favorite sweet or savory filling. 

Fold into quarters and devour!