Fall is a very interesting time of year, where the warm yang of summer transforms into the cool yin of winter, and fruitful harvest moves into preparation for quietude. Seasonal foods move out of the sun and back into the earth, producing hearty root vegetables like yams, potatoes, squash, beets, cabbage, and brussel-sprouts. Many delicious and nutritious recipes can be made from these foods. Before the modern conveniences of having such foods like strawberries available year-round, fall was a time for harvesting the last of summer’s produce and preserving it into pickles, jams and sauces to be enjoyed through the barren winter.
In an effort to honor the transitional nature of fall (and provide a yummy breakfast in the process), I prepared home-made banana-fig muffins. Melding the tropical bananas of summer with fresh fall figs to make a nourishing and hearty sweet-bread. The coconut oil can be substituted with any vegetable oil, but then you’d be missing out on these important benefits. Did you know that it helps to maintain healthy cholesterol levels, promote weight loss, stabilize metabolism levels and support immune function? It is truly an amazing (and under-utilized) oil. These muffins are extra delicious served slightly toasted with goat-butter and a cup of earl gray tea.
BANANA-FIG MUFFINS
3-4 ripe bananas, peeled
1/2 Cup Virgin Coconut Oil
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla
1 Cup Brown Sugar (loosely measured, not firmly packed)
12 Fresh Figs
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
Dash of Salt
2 Cups Flour
Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Using a hand mixer, blend together the bananas and oil, add the sugar and vanilla until smooth. Incorporate the eggs one by one. Slice 6 figs into halves and place in the batter, sprinkle the mixture with salt, baking powder and soda. Blend until figs are fully incorporated into the mixture and powders are dissolved. Using a large spoon, slowly incorporate the flour. Lightly grease 12 muffin molds and fill 2/3 full with batter. With remaining 6 figs, slice them into quarters, nestling 2 quarter-pieces on the top of each muffin for garnish. Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into muffin comes out clean. Enjoy!
One Trackback
[...] Emotions do play a part too. Growing up in the midwest, there wasn’t a day that my mother (or grandmother) didn’t have some fresh baked treat coming out of the oven. The joys of helping build the batter, the smell that fills the house while it bakes and the time spent enjoying it together. These are deep memories, ingrained, and pleasant. What happy memory came out of brown rice cakes and peanut butter? While taking care of our physical health, we need to be kind to our emotional health. This article is not meant for you to stop baking devils-food cake with grandma, but to be more conscious of the big picture. Home-made goods tend to have a lot less sugar than store-bought ones, and you have the freedom to tweak the recipe if you want. An avid baker myself, I’ve found the past-time can become much healthier (and still very tasty!) by exchanging refined ingredients for more energizing ones – like in my banana-fig bread. [...]