Comunidad Health Foods

I promised all of you a prompt post about those delicious roasted tomatoes that I paired with my Spicy Hake from a few nights ago. But I'm not here with no pesky roasted tomato recipe; no, I'm here with something much, much better. Apparently, my brain has adopted a new habit of inventing recipes while I am otherwise trying to fall asleep, and I can't say that I am much complaining. This time, I was drifting off when, all of a sudden!, I thought of a bunch of rapidly ripening bananas on my counter along with the plump-and-surprisingly-not-moldy raspberries in my fridge. Then, I got to thinking about breakfast for the next morning, and before I knew it my brain was adding ingredients like nutella and bread, and as a result I can present to you one of the most satisfying breakfast/lunch/light dinner/dessert recipes I have ever tried.

Banana, Raspberry & Nutella Anytime Sandwich
Serves: I'm still working on this one; currently, 1, but I'm really thinking that halving it would be better. But really, who wants an extra half a banana lying around? Exactly.
The Ingredients
1 banana, preferably close to baking-softness for prime mashing ability
1/4 C (ish - I wound up using about 8) raspberries, washed and patted dry
2 slices (whole wheat) bread
1 Tbsp. nutella, divided

The Method
1. Toast the bread (I like mine lightly done, but feel free to make it as dark or as light as you like)
2. While the bread is working in the toaster, coarsely mash the banana just to break it up. Add the raspberries, flattening them with the back of a fork and then mixing them up with the banana. Try to get the two fruits evenly incorporated, but really, don't fret about the exact ratio.
3. When the toast is done, spread about 1/2 Tbsp. nutella on each slice, and then spoon the fruit mixture onto one slice.
4. Top with the other piece of toast, slice (or not), and enjoy!

I say that this might be better off with half as much filling because, well, pureed fruit is gooey and gloppy and tends to escape the confines of the bread before it can fully make it to your (re: my) mouth. So, if you're making more than one sandwich I'd suggest using 1 banana for every 2 sandwiches. Otherwise, unless you know of a good use for half a banana, make the full filling and be sure to eat over a plate or napkin. Scooping up some unruly banana-raspberry puree with your finger at the end is never a bad thing.

This sandwich is quick, easy, and - in the grand scheme of things - pretty good for you, too. You get 1 1/2 servings of fruit plus the benefits of whole grain if you choose to use that type of bread. The only thing I have to warn you about is sodium levels - bread loves to sneak unnecessary sodium into its crevices. Each slice of the bread I had (much to my dismay upon reading the label after buying it) contained 200mg sodium, which makes my whole sandwich a whopping 550mg sodium bomb. Considering how I try to keep my entire day below 1500, that's pretty significant.

Still, that has not stopped me from having this sandwich two mornings in a row (what? The first time was a test run and the second was absolutely imperative to be able to give all of you proper measurements!), and I don't regret it one bit. Letting the bananas get soft releases all of that sugary goodness, while the raspberries offer a bold tartness that's very recognizable even with only 1/4 C of them. The nutella is just strong enough to blend into the other flavors, complementing them with a slight nuttiness and chocolaty burst that any morning could benefit from. Toasting the bread gives the sandwich a crunch, so that you're not biting into total mush, and allows the nutella to melt just slightly by the time you get it to your mouth.

Do you understand now why I had to interrupt my recipe line up for this? Do you forgive me? If you don't know, go and try this sandwich, and then I think you'll understand completely. It's worth it.

Oh, and while you're busy forgiving me for delaying the roasted tomato post, you'll have to also forgive me for that picture up there. It was 6:30 in the morning, I was hardly awake, the sun was hardly awake, and I'm amazed I didn't wind up with blurred, flash-on, terribly-angled pictures as is. The truth is that this sandwich is colorful and only minimally mushy-looking, as one might expect.

About two weeks ago, a girl in my summer course told us that she had a dream full of muffins and raspberries and white chocolate, and she knew that she had to create this combination. I thought it was a little strange that she would have a dream in which she envisioned a new recipe, but was inwardly jealous that her brain would be that innovative and downright useful during a R.E.M. cycle. My dreams are usually nonsensical romps through places I've never been, interacting with intrinsically familiar people I've never actually seen before. I usually wake up utterly confused.

Then, about one week ago, I had a dream - a fully-sensical, fully useful dream full of cinnamon and raisins and cookies, and I just knew that I had to create this combination. It was like my brain was capable all this time of dreams that I would wake up inspired by as opposed to completely boggled by, and all it needed was a little reminder that it knew how to do this. The dream was really about how cinnamon raisin bagels smeared with a little cream cheese is one of my "treat" breakfasts. You see, I'm stubborn about what I eat for breakfast. I think it's really important to start your day off well, so I usually go for whole grains, low fat dairy, and fruit in some format (cereal, oatmeal, yogurt parfaits, etc.), or eggs with lots of veggies and maybe a little whole grain toast. Comparatively, cinnamon raisin (non-whole grain) bagels and cream cheese are pretty devoid of nutritional value. So, it's one of my treat breakfasts...and why not turn a treat breakfast into the ultimate treat, dessert?

I started with a base recipe for oatmeal raisin cookies, and for this I went over to Smitten Kitchen, because really, why the heck not? And then I changed the recipe, just a smidge. And turned it into a cookie sandwich with a cream cheese filling. And then I nervously watched as people tried this crazy concoction.

The verdict: "delicious," and "perfect." These are direct quotes, people. To be fair, I also got, "I'm not really a big fan of cream cheese," and "They're very sweet," and there are definitely modifications to be made. However, for a first crazy attempt spawned by a dream, I have to say, I'm pretty satisfied.

Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookies, with (or without, if you please) Cream Cheese Frosting, inspired by ma tete and aided immensely by Smitten Kitchen and Baking Bites
Yield: Theoretically? 2-3 dozen small cookies. Actually? 19 large-ish cookies (maybe 2 1/2" in diameter - perfect for stand alones but a little daunting for sandwiches)
The Ingredients - The Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal Cookie
1/2 C butter, softened
2/3 C light brown sugar, packed
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 sp baking soda
1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp, rounded, ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter; I can't vouch for unsalted)
1 1/2 C rolled oats
3/4 C raisins

The Ingredients - The Cream Cheese Frosting
4oz. cream cheese (I used 1/3 fat)
2 Tbsp. butter, room temperature
1/2 C confectioner's sugar (add more to taste)
1/2 tsp. vanilla

The Method
1. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, egg and vanilla until smooth.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, 1/2 tsp. of the cinnamon, and salt (if using) together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, raisins and walnuts (if using), and add the remaining cinnamon.
3. Scoop the dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets 2in. apart. I used a not-quite-full ice cream scoop and wound up with way bigger cookies than I intended; if you're going for the sandwiches, I would use a regular tablespoon.
4. Either bake them right away or, as I would recommend, chill in the fridge or freezer for an undetermined amount of time.*
5. Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, taking them out when golden at the edges but still a little undercooked-looking on top. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool.

6. Once, cool, move onto the frosting: cream together the butter and cream cheese until well blended. Add the sugar a little bit at a time until you reach the consistency and level of cream cheesy/powdered sugary contrast you desire.** Finally, add the vanilla and stir to combine.
7. Spoon into a pastry bag fitted with a relatively small tip - I've never used one, so I really couldn't say which number would be appropriate - or, as I did, a ziplock bag and cut a small piece off of the corner.
8. Pipe onto the center of half of the cookies, and sandwich another one on top, pressing very gently around the center to push the filling out to the edges without breaking the cookies (something I did only mildly successfully).
9. Chill in an airtight container if not serving immediately.

*Note: I did it for maybe 10 minutes and am unsatisfied with the result (in the freezer, too!) so I'm going to go for a full half hour next time, maybe in the fridge to maintain a little caution. This is supposed to thicken the cookie more, and mine still wound up with holes in them and some of them broke apart easily.
**Note: I wanted the filling to taste much more like cream cheese than an actual icing, since the cookie was already so sweet and the whole goal was to get as close to a cinnamon raisin bagel with cream cheese as possible. Feel free to add more powdered sugar, though.

Here's what I'm going to change next time, and maybe you can try out if you decide to make these:
1. Chill the dough for longer.
2. Scale back the sugar: this will both stop some of the spreading, since sugar melts, but it should also cut back on the sweetness that several people noted.
3. Spoon out the dough into smaller portions.
4. Consider adding nutmeg or allspice, as I had intended but forgot all about when it came time to make them.

These are by far no patriotic-themed dessert, as I'm sure you've seen plenty of this weekend, but they are undoubtedly enjoyable. Yes, they are sweet, but they are also chewy, soft, and very reminiscent of my treat breakfasts - if only I could nail that cinnamon swirl that those bagels and breads get! I highly recommend trying these out, as well as going for any crazy idea that comes to you in a dream. Your subconscious could be telling you about something unforgettable, or at the very least, non-regrettable.

I hope everyone who celebrated had a great Independence Day, and anyone who didn't celebrate had a happy July 4th!