Banzo Biscuits
Posted: November 3rd, 2008, 11:18 am
Banzo Biscuits and Beanana Muffins
To simplify searching, I'm posting these twice, under the two different names. These recipes developed from my (failed) attempts to create LDL acceptable matzo balls. I wrote down how it all came about ‘cause I thought it was amusing. But I realized it was a really long story and probably not too interesting to anyone but me. For now, suffice it to say I’m not Jewish and I wouldn’t know a matzo ball if it jumped up & bit me, so it’s probably not surprising they failed. But what I lost in matzo, I gained in …
(CUE CHOIR OF ANGELS) (CUE HEAVENLY LIGHT BEAMING DOWN) …
OH MY SWEET HEAVENLY DAYS – IT WAS A CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT ! ! ! ! ! I immediately cooked and ate a whole batch with diet margarine. Eating all that, (after having half a head of steamed cauliflower - sorry, Enjae) I wanted to curl up and oink with contentment. That was a few weeks ago and I have since discovered several variations, but the basic recipe hasn't changed. I eat them almost every day. I’m NOT a baker so I cook them in the microwave and they only take 10 minutes from start to finish. If you bake them in a conventional oven, let me know how they turn out, OK?
So, FINALLY -- TA-DAAAAAA ! Here they are …
Banzo Biscuits – Basic Recipe
1 very heaping measuring cup of cooked GARBANZOS (or one 15 oz. can) -- rinsed, drained & dried off with paper towels
1 jumbo EGG (or ¼ c. Egg Substitute)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 ½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Kosher Salt only if the beans are unsalted
Mix the following in a small cup. Use half in the batter; reserve other half for sprinkling tiny pinches across tops prior to cooking:
½ tsp. Onion Powder
½ tsp. Garlic Powder
¼ tsp. Dried Herbs (I used thyme, rosemary & oregano)
4-5 dashes freshly ground Peppercorns
¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
Combine all ingredients (except half of seasoning mixture) in food processor bowl and process to a smooth batter. Portion equally into 8 small paper baking cups, about 2 heaping tablespoons each. Line a large flat baking dish or silicone muffin pan with 2 layers of paper towels and arrange four of the filled cups evenly inside, leaving generous space between and around them. Sprinkle seasoning mixture, as above. Cook on high power, 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes, (rotating dish halfway through if no turntable) until no wet spots remain on top. If needed, continue cooking in 30-second increments until done. Check by gently touching tops in several places with finger. Remove biscuits from the baking dish, setting them aside on their paper towel while cooking second batch on fresh paper towels. (They exude a lot of water through the paper, during and after cooking.) Serve hot with your favorite biscuit toppings on the side. Makes 8 biscuits.
Note: When fresh, these tend to dissolve with anything wet on them, so serve toppings on the side to enjoy with each bite. Served day-old at room temp., you can break them into thick soups and they take the place of cornbread. To keep longer, refrigerate or freeze in a single layer on top of a paper towel placed inside a large zipper bag.
Variations I have tried:
Cheese Biscuits -- Just before portioning into baking cups, stir 2 Tbsp. grated non-fat cheddar into batter by hand. Sprinkle tops as above, adding a pinch of grated parmesan to each just before cooking.
Pizza Biscuits – Omit garlic powder and add 1 Tbsp. Tomato Basil and Garlic Mrs. Dash® to batter. Sprinkle tops with 1 tsp. of the same Mrs. Dash mixed with 1 tsp. grated parmesan. Halfway through cooking, evenly divide 2 Tbsp. grated mozzarella onto each. Finish cooking as above. Serve with warm sugar-free marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Deep Dish Pizza -- Spread all batter into a sprayed 2 qt. casserole dish, leaving a well in the center, pushing it higher on the edges. It will even out as it cooks. Cook until very firm. Top with your favorite cooked and cooled LDL pizza toppings (minus the sauce), lowfat mozzarella & parmesan, and heat until cheese bubbles.
Beanana Bread Muffins – Using the basic biscuit recipe, omit last 5 ingredients. Add small ripe banana, an extra egg, increase evoo to 2 Tbsp. and increase baking powder to 2 tsp. Add 1-2 tsp. NuStevia and 1-2 tsp. sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice) and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or insides scraped from a 2-inch piece of vanilla bean. Because of the extra ingredients, this makes 10-12 good-sized muffins, using a generous ¼c. measure for each. Allow extra space between them and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning pan until no wet spots remain. Works best if you only cook four at a time. Note: I like these so much, I’m going to invest in one of those flexible silicone muffin cup baking pans so these will turn out looking like real bakery muffins.
Apple Raisin Bran Muffins – Using basic beanana muffin recipe, above, omit banana and add ¼ c. Fiber One or 100% All Bran cereal to processor. After processing, stir in ¾ c. chopped apple mixed with 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. raisins. Cook as above.
Pumpkin Spice Beanana Muffins - To basic beanana muffin recipe add 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin, and double the amount of sweet spices. After batter is smooth, stir in 1/4 c. raisins. Makes 12 very generous muffins.
Sweet Cheese Mini-“Danish” – Omit last 5 ingredients from biscuit recipe. Add 1 to 1 ½ tsp. NuStevia, 1 tsp. lemon juice and ½ tsp. cinnamon (optional) to batter. Stir together 2 oz. softened lowfat cream cheese, a few drops of lemon juice, and NuStevia to taste (optional). Drop cheese mixture by slightly mounded measuring teaspoon into center of each and lightly press down to form a shallow well before cooking. Flatten papers slightly to allow them to spread a little more, if desired.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Using the “Danish” recipe, above, omit cream cheese step. After processing, stir in ¼ c. raisins and ½ to ¾ c. old fashioned oats, toasted in oven or dry skillet until slightly browned & a little crunchy. Flatten papers so cookies can spread. Makes 12 large cookies.
Variations I haven’t tried yet, but I think will be good (if you try any of them please share your thoughts):
Christmas Fruitcake Cookies – I’ll have to think about this one. Should be the same as Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with added chopped dried fruits. You can get fruits dried without sugar, right? And dried ginger? I know they make Splenda sweetened dried cranberries. I love fruitcake. I can’t wait to try this.
Please let me know if you try any of these. I hope you love them.
Gwen
To simplify searching, I'm posting these twice, under the two different names. These recipes developed from my (failed) attempts to create LDL acceptable matzo balls. I wrote down how it all came about ‘cause I thought it was amusing. But I realized it was a really long story and probably not too interesting to anyone but me. For now, suffice it to say I’m not Jewish and I wouldn’t know a matzo ball if it jumped up & bit me, so it’s probably not surprising they failed. But what I lost in matzo, I gained in …
(CUE CHOIR OF ANGELS) (CUE HEAVENLY LIGHT BEAMING DOWN) …
OH MY SWEET HEAVENLY DAYS – IT WAS A CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT ! ! ! ! ! I immediately cooked and ate a whole batch with diet margarine. Eating all that, (after having half a head of steamed cauliflower - sorry, Enjae) I wanted to curl up and oink with contentment. That was a few weeks ago and I have since discovered several variations, but the basic recipe hasn't changed. I eat them almost every day. I’m NOT a baker so I cook them in the microwave and they only take 10 minutes from start to finish. If you bake them in a conventional oven, let me know how they turn out, OK?
So, FINALLY -- TA-DAAAAAA ! Here they are …
Banzo Biscuits – Basic Recipe
1 very heaping measuring cup of cooked GARBANZOS (or one 15 oz. can) -- rinsed, drained & dried off with paper towels
1 jumbo EGG (or ¼ c. Egg Substitute)
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 ½ tsp. Baking Powder
½ tsp. Kosher Salt only if the beans are unsalted
Mix the following in a small cup. Use half in the batter; reserve other half for sprinkling tiny pinches across tops prior to cooking:
½ tsp. Onion Powder
½ tsp. Garlic Powder
¼ tsp. Dried Herbs (I used thyme, rosemary & oregano)
4-5 dashes freshly ground Peppercorns
¼ tsp. Kosher Salt
Combine all ingredients (except half of seasoning mixture) in food processor bowl and process to a smooth batter. Portion equally into 8 small paper baking cups, about 2 heaping tablespoons each. Line a large flat baking dish or silicone muffin pan with 2 layers of paper towels and arrange four of the filled cups evenly inside, leaving generous space between and around them. Sprinkle seasoning mixture, as above. Cook on high power, 1 ½ to 2 ½ minutes, (rotating dish halfway through if no turntable) until no wet spots remain on top. If needed, continue cooking in 30-second increments until done. Check by gently touching tops in several places with finger. Remove biscuits from the baking dish, setting them aside on their paper towel while cooking second batch on fresh paper towels. (They exude a lot of water through the paper, during and after cooking.) Serve hot with your favorite biscuit toppings on the side. Makes 8 biscuits.
Note: When fresh, these tend to dissolve with anything wet on them, so serve toppings on the side to enjoy with each bite. Served day-old at room temp., you can break them into thick soups and they take the place of cornbread. To keep longer, refrigerate or freeze in a single layer on top of a paper towel placed inside a large zipper bag.
Variations I have tried:
Cheese Biscuits -- Just before portioning into baking cups, stir 2 Tbsp. grated non-fat cheddar into batter by hand. Sprinkle tops as above, adding a pinch of grated parmesan to each just before cooking.
Pizza Biscuits – Omit garlic powder and add 1 Tbsp. Tomato Basil and Garlic Mrs. Dash® to batter. Sprinkle tops with 1 tsp. of the same Mrs. Dash mixed with 1 tsp. grated parmesan. Halfway through cooking, evenly divide 2 Tbsp. grated mozzarella onto each. Finish cooking as above. Serve with warm sugar-free marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Deep Dish Pizza -- Spread all batter into a sprayed 2 qt. casserole dish, leaving a well in the center, pushing it higher on the edges. It will even out as it cooks. Cook until very firm. Top with your favorite cooked and cooled LDL pizza toppings (minus the sauce), lowfat mozzarella & parmesan, and heat until cheese bubbles.
Beanana Bread Muffins – Using the basic biscuit recipe, omit last 5 ingredients. Add small ripe banana, an extra egg, increase evoo to 2 Tbsp. and increase baking powder to 2 tsp. Add 1-2 tsp. NuStevia and 1-2 tsp. sweet spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice) and 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract or insides scraped from a 2-inch piece of vanilla bean. Because of the extra ingredients, this makes 10-12 good-sized muffins, using a generous ¼c. measure for each. Allow extra space between them and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning pan until no wet spots remain. Works best if you only cook four at a time. Note: I like these so much, I’m going to invest in one of those flexible silicone muffin cup baking pans so these will turn out looking like real bakery muffins.
Apple Raisin Bran Muffins – Using basic beanana muffin recipe, above, omit banana and add ¼ c. Fiber One or 100% All Bran cereal to processor. After processing, stir in ¾ c. chopped apple mixed with 1 tsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. raisins. Cook as above.
Pumpkin Spice Beanana Muffins - To basic beanana muffin recipe add 1/2 c. cooked pumpkin, and double the amount of sweet spices. After batter is smooth, stir in 1/4 c. raisins. Makes 12 very generous muffins.
Sweet Cheese Mini-“Danish” – Omit last 5 ingredients from biscuit recipe. Add 1 to 1 ½ tsp. NuStevia, 1 tsp. lemon juice and ½ tsp. cinnamon (optional) to batter. Stir together 2 oz. softened lowfat cream cheese, a few drops of lemon juice, and NuStevia to taste (optional). Drop cheese mixture by slightly mounded measuring teaspoon into center of each and lightly press down to form a shallow well before cooking. Flatten papers slightly to allow them to spread a little more, if desired.
Oatmeal Raisin Cookies – Using the “Danish” recipe, above, omit cream cheese step. After processing, stir in ¼ c. raisins and ½ to ¾ c. old fashioned oats, toasted in oven or dry skillet until slightly browned & a little crunchy. Flatten papers so cookies can spread. Makes 12 large cookies.
Variations I haven’t tried yet, but I think will be good (if you try any of them please share your thoughts):
Christmas Fruitcake Cookies – I’ll have to think about this one. Should be the same as Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with added chopped dried fruits. You can get fruits dried without sugar, right? And dried ginger? I know they make Splenda sweetened dried cranberries. I love fruitcake. I can’t wait to try this.
Please let me know if you try any of these. I hope you love them.
Gwen