I”ll take my OJ in my muffin please! I had exactly three bananas, one tired looking orange and some frozen cherries begging to gain new life. I had no choice, but to whip them up into a refreshingly moist breakfast muffin. The orange flavor woke up my taste buds while being quite cost effective. I decided I need to channel some of my ethnic roots and cook like my grandmothers, only using ingredients that were available in their kitchens or gardens. So many of my early days of managing food allergy recipes, were based on the cooking of my elders, who did not have access to eggs, dairy and nuts.
Food allergy baking can be quite fun!
I was listening to the radio the other day and the stats shared were sad, over 40% of US meals are consumed away from home. The interviewee discussed how efficient it is to prepare meals at home when you do it often enough so that you build up your stock of ingredients and simply increase speed in the kitchen. This prompted me to think about how fast and easy this one bowl recipe was to make. Which I whipped it up while tossing in a load of laundry and making my morning coffee.
This recipe can be made in one bowl by mixing all of the dry ingredients first and creating a nice well in the middle of the dry mix and adding in the wet items. Yup, that simple.
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup oil (coconut oil produces a very moist muffins)
- 3/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons applesauce
- 1 orange (2 tbs rind PLUS squeeze two tablespoons orange juice)
- 3 over ripped bananas mashed up with fork
- 1 cup thawed and drained frozen cherries
- Baking cups
- Line cupcake pans with baking cups
- In large mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt
- Using the back of a spoon, create a well in the center of the dry mixture
- Add oil, honey, applesauce, orange rind and orange juice into the well and mix thoroughly
- Add mashed banana
- Fill baking cups a scant 2/3 full of batter, place three or four of thawed cherries in the center and cover with 1 tablespoon more of batter.
- Bake 17-19 minutes until muffin bounces back when touched
- Note: Try swapping out the cherries for blueberries for variety
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..