Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins #MuffinMonday

Sweet ripe bananas and maple syrup replace the sugar in these wonderful maple banana cornbread muffins. They make a fabulous breakfast or snack on the go!

The day before yesterday - Saturday - was my birthday so I asked my mom if she wanted to sleep over. She doesn’t like driving after dark so spending the night meant she could enjoy my birthday dinner with us. I seared some scallops and served them with garlicky greens and pasta along with a tomato mozzarella salad. It was all so good!

Yesterday morning I baked these muffins for breakfast and brought them up to Mom on a tray with coffee. Though not a big eater, she ate two! Then my daughter said, “Don’t give all the muffins to Grammy when she goes home. I like them!” With my final taste-tester husband chiming in that he likes them too, I’m calling this recipe a winner. 

And just for the record, I like them also. I’m not a big sweet eater but the maple syrup and banana make these just the right amount of sweet for me. 

Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins

This recipe was adapted from one on Pam’s Daily Dish for a cornbread loaf. I used the last of my small golden bananas for the muffins, the ones I discussed in my peanut butter banana waffle post. 

Ingredients 

3/4 cup or 94g flour

1 cup or 165g cornmeal (yellow or white)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 medium ripe bananas (about 6 1/2 oz or 185g, peeled)

1/2 cup or 120ml maple syrup

1/3 cup or 80ml milk 

2 tablespoons canola or other light oil, plus more for the pan

1 large egg

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C. Prepare your 12-cup muffin pan by lining it with paper muffin cups or greasing with a little oil or butter. I used a little canola oil and a pastry brush. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

In another mixing bowl, mash the bananas and then add the maple syrup, milk, oil and egg.  Whisk to combine. 

Pour the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients bowl. Fold until just combined. 

Divide the batter between the muffin cups in your prepared pan. Bake for about 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

Cool on a wire rack for five minutes then remove the muffins from the pan. 

Serve warm, plain or with butter. 

My mom always needs extra butter but you do you.

Enjoy! 

It's the last Monday of the month so that means it's Muffin Monday! For some reason, corn seems to be featured this month. It wasn't planned! Check out all the great muffin recipes we have for you today, both sweet and savory. 

• Bacon Cheddar Muffins from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Coconut Cornbread Muffins from Passion Kneaded
• Cornmeal Cheese Bomb Muffins from Magical Ingredients
• Honey Cornbread Muffins from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Lemon Pound Cake Muffins from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Maple Banana Cornbread Muffins from Food Lust People Love
• Onion Crunch Corn Muffins from Palatable Pastime
• Pineapple Coconut Muffins from Zesty South Indian Kitchen
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mini Muffins from Making Miracles

 

 #MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all of our lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board. Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday can be found on our home page.

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Peanut Butter Banana Waffles

Peanut butter banana waffles are not only delicious, they are higher in protein and vitamins than normal waffles, making them great to start your busy day.

When our girls were young their daddy took charge of breakfast on school mornings, which was a lifesaver for my sanity. To make his job easier, sometimes I made and froze waffles and pancakes. Just like store-bought, those are easily popped in the toaster and are ready to eat in minutes. 

Homemade buttermilk waffles are also one of our favorite breakfasts for dinner. In fact, over the last few years I’ve shared several waffle recipes you might like:

• Mexican Cornbread Waffles
• Falafel Waffles
• Cauliflower Cheese Waffles
• Loaded Baked Potato Waffles
• Cheesy Ham Waffles

Also make sure to scroll down to see all the wonderful waffles my Sunday FunDay friends are sharing today.

Peanut Butter Banana Waffles

For this recipe, I used the little bananas that are called pisang mas or gold bananas in Malaysia, Oritos in Ecuador and Ouros in Brazil. They have thin skins and are quite small and super sweet. The reason for their name becomes obvious when you peel them. Check out the golden color! It took four of these little guys to make up a half cup or 120g. Of course, substitute your favorite variety of banana if you can't find these. In my waffle iron, this recipe makes 10 waffles.

Ingredients

1 cup or 125g all-purpose flour

1/4 cup or 30g whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 large egg 

1 cup or 240ml milk

1/2 cup or 120ml mashed banana

1/4 cup peanut butter

canola or other light oil for the waffle iron, as needed

To serve: butter and syrup (or honey)

Method

Mix the flours, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl. 

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Whisk in the peanut butter, egg and milk. 

Preheat your waffle iron. 

Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and fold till well combined.

If your waffle iron isn’t nonstick, brush the surface lightly with the oil. 

Use a ladle to fill the waffle iron with the appropriate amount of batter. Waffle irons can differ greatly in capacity so please consult your manual. 

Cook until the waffle is golden brown, approximately 5-6 minutes, depending on your waffle iron. Repeat until all of the waffles are cooked. 

When I plan to freeze the waffles, I like to stack mine up like a house of cards when they are cooked so that they stay crisp on the outside as they cool. I find that when I stack them one on top of the other, the steam created softens them.

Serve the waffles warm, with butter and syrup, if desired. 

You could even add some extra sliced bananas.

Enjoy! 

It’s Sunday FunDay again and my friends are sharing a plethora of waffle recipes! Many thanks to our host, Sneha of Sneha’s Recipe. 

• Chicken and Waffles from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Hash Brown Waffles from Palatable Pastime
• Liège Style Waffles from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Peanut Butter Banana Waffles from Food Lust People Love
• Pumpkin Waffles from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Savory Cheesy Herb Waffles from Making Miracles
• Sourdough Waffles from Cooking With Carlee
• Waffles from Sneha's Recipe

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

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Dueling Gyozas - Pork vs. Tofu #SundaySupper

With a good hit of fresh ginger, garlic and chili pepper, these gyozas will delight your whole family, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Bonus: They are fun and easy to make!

First off, let me say that dueling gyozas is a misnomer. There's really no competition between the two. Both are delicious. That said, I couldn't name this recipe pork and tofu gyozas because that would imply that each gyoza contained both of those ingredients. Which they do not. Half are pork, half are tofu. The other seasonings and ingredients are otherwise almost identical.

We had been living in Southeast Asia again for just a couple of years when I first learned about gyozas from Jamie Oliver on his show Oliver’s Twist, circa 2004. Kinda funny, when you think about it. Living in Kuala Lumpur, Japanese friends and restaurants all around me and I find out about gyozas from a English chef on television!  The gyoza episode was called East Meets West and, in typical Jamie style, he made them look so easy.

I scribbled down the ingredient list as I watched and have made it with my daughters ever since. Since we like things spicy, we add fresh red chili peppers to both the filling and the dipping sauce. Oh, and Jamie also puts sake - Japanese rice wine - in his filling. I never have sake in the house, so I just leave it out. The original calls for ground pork but when the girls left home for university and became vegetarians, we adapted the recipe to use firm tofu as an alternative.

Not only is this one of our favorite family recipes, it’s a great group activity. Gather everyone around the kitchen table, put your fillings and gyoza skins in the middle, and get filling and folding. As the saying goes, many hands make light work and we have a lot of fun chatting and joking while getting it done.

If you’d like to watch Jamie make gyozas, here’s a link to the show on YouTube. East Meets West is actually Season 2, episode 22, but this is the only link I could find.

Ingredients
For the dipping sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 red chili, minced
1 tablespoon chopped green onion

For the pork filling – for 40-45 gyozas
10 1/2 oz or 300g ground pork
1 cup or 100g finely sliced Chinese cabbage
5 green onions, chopped finely
2-in length of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced - optional
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil

For the tofu filling – for 40-45 gyozas
1/4 oz or 7g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated, drained and chopped
10 1/2 oz or 300g firm tofu, cubed and drained
1 cup or 100g finely sliced Chinese cabbage
5 green onions, chopped finely
2-in length of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced – optional
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil

4 packages gyoza skins  - about 25 per packet - you'll have some left over.
2 tablespoons oil for pan

Method
Start by making your dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients, so that the minced chili has time to infuse. Set aside.

In large bowl combine your green onions, sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic, chili pepper and pork.

For the tofu filling, in another large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork until it’s in big crumbles then add in your mushrooms, green onions, sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic and chili pepper.

Sprinkle the soy sauce and sesame oil into each filling bowl.

Mix well with a fork and pan fry a small amount of each to check seasoning. Add a little more soy sauce if the filling still needs salt.

Get yourself a small bowl of cool water and dip one finger in it. Run your wet finger around the outside of the gyoza skin.  Place a spoonful of the filling mixture on top of the skin.

 Close edges carefully, making sure there is no air inside.

Wet the semi-circular edge and then make pleats around it.

Set it pleat side up in a non-stick skillet coated with the oil. Press down gently to flatten out the bottom a little bit so the gyozas can stand up.

N.B. With this many gyozas, you are going to have to cook them in batches or use more than one pan. Also, you will want to keep the tofu ones separated from the pork ones if you are serving strict vegetarians. When they are cooked, they are pretty much identical from the outside.

Continue with remaining filling until all of your gyozas are made. These guys are listed under appetizers below but we often make a whole meal of them.

The tofu filling

Tip: You can freeze the gyozas now in a well-sealed container and cook them from frozen when you are ready to eat. They just take a bit longer to cook.

Heat your pan and fry the gyozas until the bottoms are brown and crispy.

Add 1/2 cup or 120ml water to the pan and cover the pan tightly.

Steam over low heat for 8 - 10 minutes, until the gyozas are cooked through and the water has evaporated.

Serve with the dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

This week my Sunday Supper family are sharing their kids' favorite recipes. We hope you find some new family favorites among them. Many thanks to our host Ellen of Family Around the Table and our event manager, Renee of Renee's Kitchen Adventures for all of their hard work.

Appetizers

• Dueling Gyozas - Pork vs. Tofu by Food Lust People Love
• Kid-Approved Fruit Salsa with Cinnamon Chips by Dessert Geek
• S’mores Cheeseball by Fantastical Sharing of Recipes

Snacks

• Caprese Quesadillas by Simple and Savory
• Grape Juice Jigglers by Sunday Supper Movement
• Maple Brown Sugar Granola Clusters by Cupcakes & Kale Chips
• Waffle Parfait by Our Good Life

Main Dish

• Broccoli Cheese Soup by Wholistic Woman
• Corn Dog Muffins by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Deep Dish Pizza Casserole by My World Simplified
• Grilled Pizza Flatbread Bar by Momma’s Meals
• How to Set Up a Hot Dog Bar by An Appealing Plan
• Lobster Gnocchi by Caroline’s Cooking
• Madison’s Shrimp Lasagna Rolls by Life Tastes Good
• Orecchiette Pasta with Creamy Alfredo Sauce by Pine Needles In My Salad
• Pasta Quattro Formaggi by La Bella Vita Cucina
• Slow Cooker Cauliflower Mac and Cheese by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Spaghetti and Meatball Casserole by Cooking with Carlee
• Tuna Salad Grinders by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings

Desserts

• Aunt Deborah’s Snickerdoodles by Family Around The Table
• Chocolate Frozen Custard by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Easy Homemade Strawberry Ice Cream by Where Latin Meets Lagniappe
• Easy Nutella Mousse by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Fairy Bread Funfetti Milkshakes by The Crumby Cake
• Gumdrop Cookies by What Smells So Good?
• Homemade Cherry Popsicles by Pies and Plots
• Japanese Peach Boy Ice Cream by The Ninja Baker
• Mango Creamsicles by The Redhead Baker
• No-Cook Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream by Hardly A Goddess
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• S'mores Cheesecake by The Freshman Cook
• Snickerdoodle Cookie Cinnamon Pecan Ice Cream Sandwiches by The Chef Next Door
• Turtle Poke Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Whoopie Pies by Monica’s Table

Join the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

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Waffled Falafel Sandwiches

Waffled falafel sandwiches are made by cooking your homemade falafel mix in a lightly oiled waffle iron which gets the falafels crispy outside and fluffy inside without frying. Stuff them in flatbread, drizzled with tahini sauce.

 

We were living in Sydney almost 30 years ago when my husband came home from work one day with the news that he had been offered a transfer to Abu Dhabi. What did I think? 

We had been in Australia for a number of months on a temporary project, and I had resigned from my dream job to follow along. The friendly yet unaccommodating folks at Australian immigration had stamped my passport Employment Prohibited and, because of strict quarantine laws, we had left our furry son in the care of friends. 

My first question was, can I work there? The second was, can we import the dog? When the answers were yes and yes, we looked the United Arab Emirates up on the map and made our decision.

Abu Dhabi in the 1980s was a special place, a city that felt like a small town. The only fast food joints were Kentucky Fried Chicken – where the only choice was original recipe – and the small, family run shawarma and falafel places. After a busy day at the office, we’d stop by and order shawarma sandwiches to go. 

The falafel guy sat on the sidewalk just outside the small café, his enormous pot of boiling hot oil heated by a gas burner, much like the ones we use in the US to heat water for boiling crawfish and crabs. As we waited for our wrapped sandwiches, he’d hand us each a freshly fried falafel in a bit of paper, compliments of the house. They reminded me of southern hush puppies. Crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside. In a word, just perfect.

When we left the Middle East for Southeast Asia a couple of years later, I pined for the falafel guy. Eventually I got over him, but I’ve never forgotten how a real, freshly cooked falafel should taste.

Sure, you can buy falafel mixes at the grocery store, but homemade falafels are super easy and so much more tasty. You control the salt and spices and all the ingredients are wholesome and good for you. The only downside of falafels, healthy-wise, it that they are fried. I know, I know, some people say you can bake them, but I’ll be honest, if I’ve managed to get them crunchy on the outside, the inside is often dried out.

Waffle iron to the rescue!

Homemade falafels are as quick to put together as the mixes but just require a little advance planning since the chickpeas need to be soaked first overnight. Some cookbook writers will tell you that you can use canned chickpeas – I’m looking at you, Nigel Slater. And don’t even get me started on Jamie Oliver who serves his canned bean falafels in wholewheat tortillas. – but don’t listen to them. 

Waffled Falafel Sandwiches 

Using raw soaked chickpeas is not only more authentic but the traditional recipe is the best because the resulting falafels taste right and have the right texture. Trust me.

Ingredients
For the falafels:
1 1/2 cups or 285g dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in cool water
1 small onion, (about 100g roughly chopped)
1/4 cup, packed, or 13g chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup, packed, or 13g chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 egg

1 tablespoon vegetable oil for your waffle iron – oils with a high flash point are best. I use peanut oil.

For the tahini sauce:
1/2 cup tahini sesame seed paste
1/3 cup lukewarm water, or more for consistency
1 clove raw garlic
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or more to taste)
Good pinch salt (or more to taste)

To assemble the sandwiches:
Arabic or Lebanese flatbread or pita
Tahini sauce
Sliced tomatoes
Sliced onions
Sliced cucumbers

Method
Cover your dried chickpeas with ample cool water and leave them to soak overnight or even as much as 24 hours. Drain your chickpeas.

Put the soaked, raw chickpeas in a food processor and pulse a few times until the chickpeas look like big crumbles. It should still be very loose and dry. Add in the onions and herbs and seasoning and pulse until quite fine. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides a couple of times.

Add in the egg and pulse until you have a fairly smooth paste where little bitty bits of chickpea are still visible. Scrape down the sides of the processor as you do.

Transfer the paste into a clean bowl and cover well with cling film. Refrigerate for half an hour.

Preheat your Belgian waffle iron. That’s the kind with the deep squares that makes thick waffles.

Use a spoon to scoop our about on one tenth of your paste. It should fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Form it into a patty of even thickness.

Lightly oil the waffle iron with using a pasty brush and place the patty in it.  Make more patties and add them to the waffle iron as well.

Some Belgian waffle irons have four squares. Some, like mine, have only two. Close the lid and let gravity determine how it falls. Do not push down on the lid.

Cook until the light on your waffle iron says "ready" then leave them in for about another minute or so to ensure that the outsides are lovely and crispy.

Keep the waffled falafels warm in a slow oven until all are cooked and you are ready to serve.

To make the tahini sauce

Crush the garlic clove with a garlic press or with the side of a knife. Add it to a small bowl with the lemon juice and good pinch of salt. Whisk in the tahini paste then add the water, whisking well until you achieve the consistency you want.

Slice up your tomato, cucumber and onion.

To assemble the sandwiches, put a few slices of tomato and cucumber on the flatbread. Top with the falafel, drizzle on the tahini sauce and sprinkle with the sliced onions.

Enjoy!

I love creative waffles, don't you?

Here are a few I've loved and make sure to scroll down to see a great list of others from my Sunday Supper group.

Cheesy Ham Waffles made with smoky ham and lots of cheese in a buttermilk waffle batter. 

Cauliflower Cheese Waffles with steamed cauliflower, loads of cheese and a little English mustard.

Loaded Baked Potato Waffles with potatoes, cheddar, green onion, sour cream and, of course, bacon!


Guess what? June 29th is National Waffle Iron Day! Who knew, right? My Sunday Supper group is celebrating by bringing you a plethora of wondeful waffle recipes, both sweet and savory. Many thanks to Sue of Palatable Pastime, our host for this tasty event, as well as Renee of Renee’s Kitchen Adventures, our campaign manager.

Sweet and Sinful Waffles

• Banana Split Waffle Cake by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Blueberry Buttermilk Waffles by Alida's Kitchen
• Boston Cream Pie Waffles by Crazed Mom
• Chocolate Cherry Beet Waffles by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Chocolate Chip Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Chocolate Pizelles – The Italian Waffle by GirlAbroad
• Churro Waffles by The Redhead Baker
• Coconut Waffles by Omnivore’s Cookbook
• Dark Chocolate Waffles with Cherry Syrup by The Chef Next Door
• Easy Peasy Blueberry Sauce for Waffles by Pine Needles In My Salad
• Fluffernutter Waffles by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Irish Cream Waffles with Whiskey Strawberries by Tramplingrose
• Japanese Green Tea Matcha Cream Topped Vegan Waffles by NinjaBaker
• Maple Bacon Waffle Ice Cream Cake by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
• Pineapple Upside Down Cake Waffles by Cookin’ Mimi
• Red, White and Blueberry Sourdough Waffles by Cooking With Carlee
• S’Mores Waffles by The Freshman Cook
• Spiced Banana Nut Waffles by Magnolia Days
• Strawberry Shortcake Waffles with Cinnamon Whipped Cream by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Strawberry Waffle Cake by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Waffle Kebobs with Maple Yogurt Dipping Sauce by A Mind Full Mom
• Yeasted Waffles with Peach Syrup by Pies and Plots

Savory Brinner Winners:

• Asiago Waffle Egg Sandwiches by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Bacon Cheeseburger Waffles (Low Carb) by My Life Cookbook
• Bacon Waffles by Cosmopolitan Cornbread
• Biscuit Waffle Breakfast Stacks by The Weekend Gourmet
• Bleu Pig Potato Waffles by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Breakfast Poutine Waffles by She Loves Biscotti
• Cheesy Bacon Waffles with Spicy Ketchup by Momma’s Meals
• Cheesy Polenta Waffles by Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• Cheesy Spinach Waffles with Ham by Wholistic Woman
• Chicken & Waffles by Family Around the Table
• Corn Waffles Nachos-Style by Caroline’s Cooking
• Croque Monsieur Waffles by Un Assaggio of Food, Wine & Marriage
• Eggs Benedict Cauliflower Waffles by Life Tastes Good
• Korean Fried Chicken and Ramen Waffles by kimchi MOM
• Loaded Gluten Free Cornbread Waffles by Angels Home Sweet Homestead
• Luau Egg Benedict Waffle by Brunch-n-Bites
• Mexican Cornbread Waffles by Sunday Supper Movement
• Monte Cristo Waffle Sandwich by Palatable Pastime
• Pulled Pork Waffle Tacos by The Crumby Cupcake
• Pumpkin Cornbread Waffles with BBQ Chicken Thighs by Our Good Life
• Scallion Waffles by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Sweet and Spicy Pecan Shredded Beef Waffles by Family Foodie 
• Waffled Falafel Sandwiches by Food Lust People Love

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