Buttermilk Banana & Blueberry Bread

Like almost everyone in the world, I have yucky bananas sitting on my counter. Every day I would walk by, glancing over at the bananas, each day taking note that more and more spots were be-speckling the once pretty yellow fruit. 

Finally, I couldn't take it any longer. I needed to do something! But what? I didn't want to make the same old boring banana nut bread, but I had nothing in my arsenal of cookbooks to help me..... So, off I went to see what Pinterest had to offer....was there anything out there that would catch my fancy?

Uh --- yea!

I found a Buttermilk Banana and Blueberry Bread recipe by DamnDelicious and after reading the various reviews and comments, and besides the fact that I absolutely love blueberries, I decided that this was the one. 

The only thing I didn't have was buttermilk, which I quickly purchased before picking up my youngest from school and voila! 

To. Die. For.

Buttermilk Banana & Blueberry Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup blueberries
• 
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat loaf pans with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk together and then reserve 3 tablespoonful for later.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Beat in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until well combined. Beat in bananas until well combined. Gradually add flour mixture to the sugar mixture at low speed, until incorporated.
4. Toss blueberries with the reserved flour mixture and then add to the banana mixture gently folding until combined.
5. Pour batter into the loaf pan. Place into oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from oven and let cool before inverting the cake onto a wire rack.

A Twist on Tabbouleh

I'm a foodie.

I absolutely love eating and trying cuisines from different parts of the world. In fact, this was one of the driving forces that brought my husband and I together - our taste buds were in sync.

Now, because I am a serious foodie.....who loves to cook and has an incurable obbession for cookbooks, I've decided to share my journey in the culinary world with you. I've already been sharing my cooking escapades on Facebook and Instagram for awhile now and it occurred to me --- why not share it on my blog.

So, here we go....open your mind and your palette....

The first recipe that I want to share with you calls for a bit of a twist on the traditional tabbouleh. Since I'm a huge fan of tabbouleh, I was immediately drawn to this recipe when I saw it.

What did I make? Quinoa Tabbouleh.

This refreshing take of a Middle Eastern classic had my mouth watering before I could get the ingredients out.

I paired it with Lemon Chicken (super moist - will share that recipe one day) and it was fantastic. The only thing I might do differently next time is to add a bit more cucumbers and cut the tomatoes up a little smaller.

Recipe: Quinoa Tabbouleh (from Bon Appetit 6/2012)

Tabbouleh (Arabic: تبولة‎ tabūlah; also tabouleh or tab(b)ouli) is a Levantine Arab salad traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, cucumbers, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion, and garlic and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt, although there are various other variations such as using couscous instead of bulgur. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Quinoa (/ˈkiːnwɑː/ , Spanish: quinua, from Quechua: kinwa), a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the true grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beetroots, spinach and tumbleweeds. (Taken from Wikipedia)

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt plus more
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 large English hothouse cucumber or 2 Persian cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2/3 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced

Preparation

Bring quinoa, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

Meanwhile, whisk lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. 

Spread out quinoa on a large rimmed baking sheet; let cool. Transfer to a large bowl; mix in 1/4 cup dressing. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover remaining dressing and quinoa separately; chill. 

Add cucumber, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions to bowl with quinoa; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle remaining dressing over.

If you make this, let me know how it went....share your picture!