Things That Make Me Go Hmm…Broccoli & Cottage Cheese Cornbread

Apr 4, 2013 By Love & Flour in Breads No Comments Tags: cornmeal, veggies

This is the type of recipe I had in mind when, in my last post, I mentioned I simply enjoy the experience of a new recipe. Cornbread baked with broccoli and cottage cheese ranks high on novelty but falls a bit short on taste. While I enjoyed the savory aspects of this recipe, it did not change my mind that cornbread is best served warm with a pat of butter and a drizzle of honey.

I have no issue with broccoli. As long as it is topped with cheese of course. In hindsight, I should have toasted a bit of cheddar cheese over the top of this dish. Or perhaps I should have just left the vegetables out of it all together.

That’s what I’ve got in way of an opinion on the broccoli aspect. As for the cottage cheese, well, I have no idea what to say. I did not detect its flavor, so I am left to believe it served to moisten the bread. Surely that is nothing a little butter melted over the top could not fix?

I have little else to say this evening. I think I am still stunned by the idea of broccoli…in cornbread…with cottage cheese. It’s either that or the 37 degree weather today that has me stumped. Yes, that is 37 degrees Fahrenheit. Just five degrees above freezing. In the South. When the typical temperature hovers around 70 this time of year. I mean, why not just move back to Ohio? For now, I’ll just read this instead. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cornbread

Author: The Southern Foodie by Chris Chamberlain

Ingredients

1 box (8½ ounce) corn muffin mix
1 cup chopped broccoli
¾ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup onion, diced
¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.
Transfer to a lightly greased cast iron skillet.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Notes

The recipe as written here is halved from the original, which called for baking the cornbread in a 9 x 13 pan. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, baking the bread in an 8 x 8 pan or even a muffin tin should work.

Honey Banana Poppy Seed Bread

Jan 29, 2013 By Love & Flour in Breads 1 Comment Tags: banana, seeds

It took me by surprise to realize this is the first banana bread recipe I have baked with the intent to share in this space. I make banana bread or muffins fairly often since I prefer my raw bananas on the green side. The moment they get a few brown freckles, I deem them too sweet to eat. Which is ironic, really, since the first thing I do is use them in a sweet baked good.

Since we all have our go-too recipes for banana bread, I suppose I thought sharing a banana bread recipe was just too common. The authors of this recipe, Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito, wrote as much when they described banana bread in their cookbook Baked Elements. For such a well known recipe, it has countless interpretations.

Some of us add milk to the batter, like this recipe, while others use yogurt or sour cream. Toasted walnuts are my personal favorite when it comes to add ins, yet I have no problem eating banana bread baked with rich chunks of chocolate. What is your favorite ingredient to add to banana bread?

This recipe was just different enough, sweetened in part by honey and made unique with poppy seeds, that I wanted to share. It tastes just like banana bread should – tender and flavorful – and the poppy seeds lend just the right amount of “huh?” to keep this otherwise common recipe interesting. As all banana breads are, this one is delicious alone and made even better when topped with cream cheese.

When my bananas ripen past the point of consumption, I usually pop them in my refrigerator and there they sit. I recently froze a few overly ripe bananas in hopes of keeping them longer, and for this recipe, they worked just fine. Granted, they look like giant slugs as they thaw, but if you get past that, all will be well. To freeze, peel the ripe bananas, wrap each one in a layer of foil, then seal in a Ziploc bag with the air pressed out. To thaw, simply transfer them to the refrigerator.

In part, I froze my most recent batch of ripe bananas because I was burnt out on banana bread and muffins. What else is a ripe banana good for? TheKitchn offers up 10 ideas, including banana hot chocolate which sounds great for winter, in their clever “Don’t Toss Them” post. What is your favorite way to use up ripe bananas? The dozen bananas waiting in my freezer need to know!

Honey Banana Poppy Seed Bread

Author: Baked Elements by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup ripe, mashed banana (about 3 large bananas)
⅓ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup honey
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
In a medium bowl, stir together the wet ingredients: mashed banana, vegetable oil, milk, honey and eggs.
Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and fill with the wet ingredients. Stir together until just combined, then fold in the poppy seeds.
Pour the batter into a greased and floured 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf should come out clean.
Allow the loaf to cool until no longer hot to touch, then turn out onto a baking rack to continue to cool to room temperature.

Notes

If the top of the bread begins too look too brown during baking, tent with foil and carry on. If poppy seeds are not your thing, the original recipe suggests replacing the two tablespoons of seeds with ½ cup of chocolate chips or nuts.

Chocolate Chip Sweet Potato Bread

Dec 4, 2012 By Love & Flour in Breads No Comments Tags: chocolate chip, sweet potato

When the calendar moved to December this past weekend, my first thought was to leave sweet potatoes firmly planted in the past. In my mind, these root vegetables have a place at the Thanksgiving table, and that is about it.

But the problem was, I had a stack of sweet potato recipes that I fully intended to enjoy in November but simply did not get around to. Shelve them for next year, or get to baking? As you can see, I opted for the latter.

Nearly every time I bake a quick bread, I find myself disappointed. Either I can not get it out of the pan, or it completely crumbles when cut or it sinks in the middle. Inevitably, I wonder why on earth I did not think to bake muffins instead.

This bread sunk a bit along the middle, and it was so moist I was initially concerned I failed to bake it until fully done. Turns out all was well, and I have been enjoying a slice for breakfast ever since.

Though I opted to sweeten my bread up with mini chocolate chips, incorporating nuts will make for a more savory option. Consider enjoying a savory slice with a bowl of soup or salad.

As I was using up my remaining sweet potatoes, I came to realize that along with peanuts, these root vegetables are the one item my farmers’ market lists as available year round. Looks like I will be able to get to some more of those sweet potato recipes after all. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Bread

Author: 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes by Kris Holechek

Ingredients

1½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup sweet potato puree
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup applesauce
⅓ cup milk
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, stir together the sweet potato puree, brown sugar, applesauce, milk and vegetable oil until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 5 loaf pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes until the bread is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 45 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack (or let’s be honest, a plate will suffice) to cool completely. If needed, run a knife along the edges of the pan to fully loosen the loaf.

Notes

Like pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree is available in canned form. I made my own by roasting four small sweet potatoes at 400 degrees until tender, about 45 minutes. When they were cool enough to handle, I simply popped them out of their skins and mashed them with a fork. For a savory twist, add chopped pecans or other nuts in place of the mini chocolate chips.