Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Banana Coconut bread

Banana coconut bread made with non fat Greek yogurt and honey.




Hashtag healthybakes.
Hashtag ideal- bake- to- take- to- a- family- potluck!

Coconut Banana Bread
recipe adapted from the boot
2 very ripe bananas, mashed
2 very ripe bananas, mashed*
1 cup whole wheat flour**
2/3 cup coconut flour***
1/2 tsp baking soda
pinch salt
1/4 cup honey
2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt****
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

*my bananas weren't too ripe. 
**used AP flour instead
***used extra fine coconut flour for mixing in and medium cut for top
****used Chobani's non fat plain Greek yogurt




1. Preheat oven to 350F and oil or line a loaf pan.
2. In mixing bowl, combine flours, baking soda and salt together.
3. In another bowl, beat eggs with yogurt and honey.
4. To eggs, add mashed bananas and vanilla extract.
5. Slowly pour wet mixture into dry and mix until just combined.
*I stirred in some chopped walnut at this point.
6. Pour into prepared loaf pan and sprinkle about a tablespoon more coconut flour on top.
7. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. 

pre bake

post bake

Definitely a very healthy bake! I took this with me to my family's Chinese New Year potluck and my health conscious aunts liked it. For me, I think I would have liked a more indulgent dessert. I was anticipating a creamy coconut note, but the coconut taste in this was very subtle and almost non existent. That aside, this recipe took no time to put together. No special techniques needed. Simple mixing. 


To boost the coconut flavor next time, I would try using a coconut flavor yogurt. And I would probably use a regular yogurt instead of Greek. I keep tasting something sour-y in my banana bread or I may just be too sensitive. Not a fan of Greek yogurt at all :/


Taste: 3 stars out of 5 
A lightly sweetened banana bread. Missing the coconut I want.
Texture: 4 stars out of 5
Moist all around. No crusty edges. Sturdy to be cut into small pieces. 

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Next post: black sesame cookies
In the oven: white chocolate pistachio blondie

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Coconut Meringue Lemon Curd Tart


Good news! Good news! The expiration date on my lemon curd is May 6th which is about 3 months away. Woohoo. More lemony stuff.
Here's numero dos!



a very successful..



Coconut Meringue Lemon Curd Tart
Crust recipe here

After the crust is pre- baked and cooled, I simply spooned over the lemon curd and baked until the filling set a bit (about 15 minutes at 250F). Whipped up 2 egg whites with coconut flour, sugar and salt to taste. Popped it back in oven at 400F until the whites get golden brown.

pre

my pie weight

post



The crust, as always, was buttery and delicious! It baked up very well (best ever) this time. I think chilling it in the pan for a longer time really minimized the shrinkage. The lemon filling was very sweet and balanced well with the savory crust. The meringue would have been tastier if there was more coconut flavor. But it added a nice airy-ness to the tart. And of course, the beauty-ful presentation(:


pre


post- more yellow

failed attempt at pipping

solution (;

Mini // my sample bite

Taste: 4 stars out of 5
Anything on that tart crust guarantees a 4 star!

Texture: 4 stars out of 5
Meringue needs improvement.

Coming up next- Banana coconut bread with no butter, no oil& no sugar! #healthybakes