My stance on getting sneaky in the kitchen is very simple. I don’t like to lie about food, especially to children. I also know how hard it can be to get little ones to eat green. Fun holidays like, Halloween or St. Patricks Day and year end holiday are a great time to get green. Or flex your parental power and establish a “green food “ day of the week and introduce new green foods on that day.
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose or gluten-free flour
1 cup cane or coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups raw baby spinach
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups butter
3 over ripe bananas
2 teaspoons good quality vanilla
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350’F degrees and prepare 2 regular sized muffin tins with non-stick, organic cooking spray. Or cupcake liners. Or, prepare 2 loaf pans
2.In a blender, combine spinach and bananas. Blend until spinach changed to a liquid state.
3. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt and allspice. Mix well. Set aside.
4. In the bowl of your stand mixer or a large mixing bowl, add the sugar and butter, mix on high speed until creamy and sugar crystals begin to dissolve- about three to five minutes. Add eggs, one at a time mixing well in between each addition.
5. Slowly beat in the spinach – banana mixture. Add vanilla.
6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix well to combine.
7. Scoop batter into prepared muffin tins or two prepared loaf pans.
8. Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes or until muffins spring back to the touch and are slightly browned on edges. 60-90 minutes if baking loafs.
Test for doneness by running a toothpick in the center. If if pulls out clean, loafs are done. Makes approximately 2 dozen medium muffins, 1 1/2 large and 3-4 dozen mini muffins or 2 loafs.
Chef Gigi Gaggero 