BANANA BREAD

Makes a small loaf

INGREDIENTS:
3 large well-ripened bananas
1 egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cup flour (whole wheat is best and will still taste delicious)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Peel the bananas. Put them in a mixing bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork.
3. Add the egg, oil, milk, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well with a fork.
4. Slowly stir the flour into the banana mixture. Stir for 20 seconds until the flour is moistenened.
5. Lightly grease the bread pan with a little oil - OR- cooking spra -OR- line it with wax paper.
6. Pour the batter into the bread pan.
7. Bake for 45 minutes until a toothpick inserted near the middle comes out clean.
8. Let the bread cool for 5 minutes before removing it from the pan.

Optional: Mix in some chopped walnuts for an added crunch and extra protein!
Note: the key to good banana bread is to use well-ripened bananas that are covered with brown speckles.
Cost: Per recipe: $1.06
Source: Adapted from Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network.

SCRUMPTIOUS STRAWBERRY SHERBET

Ingredients
1 (16 oz) bag frozen strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine strawberries and sugar in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Mix buttermilk and 1/2 cup lemon juice together and slowly add to strawberries. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowl and adding more buttermilk as necessary. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be stored in freezer.

SCRUMPTIOUS STRAWBERRY SHERBET

INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) bag frozen strawberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 to 3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine strawberries and sugar in food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Mix buttermilk and 1/2 cup lemon juice together and slowly add to strawberries. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping sides of bowl and adding more buttermilk as necessary. Serve immediately. Leftovers may be stored in freezer.

FROZEN LEMON CUSTARD

Ingredients:

1 can (12oz.) evaporated skim milk

1 cup low-fat (Skim or 1%) or 2% milk

3/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

*Add a little bit of fat free half & half, for a creamier custard.

Combine evaporated milk, milk and sugar. Stir until sugar has dissolved. Add lemon zest and lemon juice. The lemon juice will curdle the milk and cause the mixture to thicken. Place in a shallow dish and freeze, stirring occasionally during freezing.

*Pictured frozen as popsicles.

Recipe courtesy of Penny Ramey, Salt Lake City, UT

FROZEN FRUIT CUPS

Serving: 1 muffin tin cup
Makes: 18 servings

Ingredients:
3 bananas
24 ounces fat-free strawberry yogurt
10 ounces frozen strawberries, thawed, with the juice
8 ounces canned crushed pineapple, with the juice

Instructions:
1. Line 18 muffin-tin cups with paper baking cups
2. Dice or mash bananas and place in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in remaining items.
4. Spoon into muffin-tin cups and freeze at least 3 hours or until firm. Remove frozen cups and store in a plastic bag in freezer.
5. Before serving, remove paper cups and let stand 10 minutes.

Yummy!

FRUIT PIZZA

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

1 prepared 12" pizza crust

8 oz fat-free cream cheese (at room temperature)

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 banana, peeled and sliced

4 cups assorted fresh fruit, sliced: pineapple, blueberries, strawberries, apricots, honeydew, cherries, etc.

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Non-stick cooking spray

Spray 12" pizza with non-stick spray

Place crust on pizza pan and bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes.

Allow crust to cool completely.

Blend cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla.

Spread mixture over cooled crust.

Arrange banana slices in layer over cream cheese mixture.

Arrange remaining fruit slices in circles on bananas, varying colors and shapes.

Sprinkle with raisins and pistachios.

Cut into 8 wedges.

Source: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/

RHUBARB-STRAWBERRY PARFAITS

Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 pint strawberries, hulled and thickly sliced
1/2 lb. fresh rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 cups nonfat plain yogurt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. sugar, preferably superfine (optional)

Combine strawberries, rhubarb, water, orange juice, sugar and vanilla bean in a heavy, medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until fruit is very soft, about 10 minutes. Put mixture in a bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours.

Mix yogurt and vanilla until well combined. Taste and, if desired, stir in superfine sugar (if desired). Chill until serving time.

To serve, layer yogurt mixture and strawberry-rhubarb mixture alternately into wineglasses or parfait glasses, ending with fruit. Parfaits can be prepared a few hours ahead and refrigerated.

Nutritional Information per Serving:
Calories: 131
Total fat: less than 1 g. (0g saturated fat)
Carbohydrate: 30g
Protein: 5g
Dietary Fiber: 3g
Sodium: 54 mg

Credit: American Institute for Cancer Research

AWESOME HEART-HEALTHY OATMEAL COOKIES

We took the shortening out of a favorite old recipe and replaced it with white beans. Even the skeptics approve!
Ingredients:
3/4 cup mashed white beans
3 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups oats
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat mashed white beans, oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, egg substitute or egg, and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl and mix together. Add to bean and sugar mixture; mix well. Drop onto greased cookie sheets and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire rack and cool completely.

Yield: about 36 cookies.

Nuts, coconut, raisins, and/or chocolate chips or other mix-ins may be added with dry ingredients for variety.

CRANBERRY PUMPKIN MUFFINS

INGREDIENTS

2 cups flour 3/4 cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup vegetable oil 2 large egg, large
3/4 cup canned pumpkin 2 cups fresh or frozen chopped cranberries

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Sift together dry ingredients (flour through allspice) and set aside.
3. Beat oil, eggs, and pumpkin together until well blended.
4. Add the wet ingredients (pumpkin mixture) to the dry ingredients all at once. Stir until moistened.
5. Fold in chopped cranberries.
6. Spoon into paper lined muffin cups.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 30 minutes.

8. Voilà! You now have a festive and tasty snack!

*Here is where having toothpicks on hand comes in handy. Simply stick a toothpick in the middle of a muffin and pull it out. If it comes out covered in dough, they need to cook longer. If it comes out clean, they're probably done.