Banana and Maple-Walnut Muffins

Makes 18 muffins

Sweet, ripe bananas replace the eggs, and yummy maple syrup substitutes for processed sugar in these moist and delectable “anytime” muffins!

2 ¾ cups (firmly packed) freshly ground, gluten-free oat flour (see note)

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 ¾ cups peeled and thinly sliced ripe bananas

2/3 cup Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup

½ cup unsweetened dairy-free milk

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin and 6-cup standard muffin tin with paper liners.

Put the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt into a large bowl and stir with a dry whisk to combine.

Put the bananas and maple syrup into a medium-sized bowl and mash into a very chunky purée using a potato masher or large fork, making certain that small chunks of banana are still visible.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the banana/maple mixture, dairy-free milk, and olive oil and stir with a large spoon until thoroughly combined. Fold in the walnuts.

Mound about 3 tablespoons of the mixture into the prepared muffin cups, using a cookie scoop or spoon. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Put the muffin tin on a wire rack and let cool at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature. Covered tightly and stored in the refrigerator, leftover muffins will keep for about 3 days.

Chef’s note: To make 2¾ cups firmly packed oat flour, put 3 to 3 1/4 cups gluten-free, quick cooking (or old-fashioned) rolled oats into a blender (or food processor) and process into coarse flour.

Recipe excerpt from Easy Vegan Home Cooking by Laura Theodore. Publisher, Hatherleigh Press, October 26th 2021. Distributed by Penguin Random House. Reprinted by permission.

Chicken Wing Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of Anderson’s Maple Syrup
16oz bottle of your favorite hot sauce
1/2 cup minced garlic
1 stick salted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar

Instructions

Goes great over boneless skinless chicken breasts as well!

Maple Granola

Ingredients

8 cups rolled oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup almonds (or other nuts)
1 cup walnuts (or other nuts)
1 cup coconut (preferably unsweetened)
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3/4 cup oil (preferably peanut)
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 cups raisins, craisins, etc.

Instructions

Combine maple syrup, oil, and vanilla. Pour wet over dry and mix well. Put on cookie sheet(s) and bake at 250°F for two hours, turning once about 1/2 way through. When cooled, pour in bucket and add dried fruit.

Pat’s Maple Oat Bread

Pat Allegar is a talented elementary school teacher who happens also to be a good cook. One day at church, she told me about a bread that she makes with maple syrup and oatmeal. I asked for the recipe and she emailed it to me. I made the bread first to go with a roast turkey, and it was a hit. It is a heavy moist sweetish bread that keeps well. It is delicious by itself or with roast meats or various cheeses.

Ingredients

1 cup old fashioned oats
1 cup boiling water
1 package active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm water
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup Pure Maple Syrup
2 tsp. canola oil
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
For Topping:
1 egg white lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. old fashioned oats

Instructions

Put some water on to boil. Stir 1/4 tsp. sugar and the yeast into 1/3 cup warm (100 – 110°F) water in a small bowl or cup. While the yeast proofs, process the oats in a blender until coarsely ground. Transfer the oats to a bread bowl and stir in the cup of boiling water. Add the syrup, oil, and salt and a cup of flour to the oat mixture and stir until smooth, then allow it to cool to warm. Stir in the yeast, then add about 2 more cups of flour one cup at a time and stir well. Keep adding flour until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the bowl. Turn the dough onto a well-floured bread board and knead lightly until it is smooth and elastic. Let it rest while you grease an 8-inch pie pan. Form the dough into a ball, put it into the pie pan and cover it with a damp cloth. Let rise until doubled in size. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Beat the egg white with a teaspoon of cold water, brush the top of the bread and sprinkle with the rolled oats. Bake the loaf on a middle shelf for 30-35 minutes. Tip the loaf out of the pie plate and tap on the bottom. The bread should sound hollow when you tap on it. If it does not, put it back in the oven for a few minutes. Let it cool well before you slice it.

NOTE: You may need to loosen the loaf around the edges of the pie pan with a knife.

Maple-Coated Popcorn

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. butter
1 cup Pure Maple Syrup
3 Tbsp. water
3 qts. popped corn

Instructions

Boil until ready to candy (234°F). Add to three quarts popped corn. Stir briskly until the mixture is evenly distributed over all popcorn and cooled.

Maple Oatmeal Bread

Ingredients

1 Package (1/4 ounce or 2-1/4 tsp.) dry active yeast
1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
3 cups bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup Anderson’s Pure Maple Syrup
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1-1/4 cups plus 1 Tbsp. very warm water (105°F – 115°F)

Instructions

Load the yeast, oats, bread flour, salt, maple syrup, canola oil, and water into your bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select the white bread option and start the machine. Yield: 1 loaf.

– Submitted by Douglas Scholl

Maple Sautéed Apples

Ingredients

4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
Pinch ground cinnamon

Instructions

In a large non-stick skillet, cook the apples in 3 Tbsp. of butter over medium-high heat, stirring until soft. Add the maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon; cook until glazed, about 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.

Great over vanilla ice cream!!!

– Submitted by Lisa Short

Mango Salsa

Ingredients

1 cup frozen corn
1 ripe mango cut into 1/4 inch dices
2 Tbsp. diced red onion
1/2 red bell pepper finely diced
1 tsp. Anderson’s Pure Maple syrup
Juice of one lemon or lime

Instructions

Mix all ingredients and let sit for one hour.

Smoky Maple Syrup Jerky

Ingredients

1 beef roast
20 ounces marinade (covers 5 pounds of meat)
Anderson’s Pure Maple syrup
Smoked paprika

Instructions

Have the butcher cut the roast into 1-1¼” steaks, this will be the width of your jerky slices, and partially freeze the slabs. It takes 2-3 hours to stiffen the meat enough to slice easily and consistently. Slice the slabs into ¼” slices, using a slicer if possible.

Use your favorite marinade to soak the slices between 2 and 24 hours; the longer the better for tougher cuts. (Stubb’s marinades are the best). Periodically stir to separate the slices and coat all the surfaces. Place the slices on a wire rack and cookie sheet or dehydrator trays, and brush with a mixture of 8 parts Anderson’s Maple Syrup and 1 part smoked paprika. Adjust the ratio to your taste, remembering some of the heat and smoke flavor dissipates in the drying process. As a reference, 15 pounds of beef needed 1 cup Anderson’s Maple Syrup and 2 tablespoons of smoked paprika.

Dry to your desired texture; usually about 6-7 hours @ 145˚ in a dehydrator, or in a partially-vented oven at the lowest temperature possible. Use a wad of aluminum foil to slightly prop open the oven door.

Airtight containers and/or refrigeration works well for storage (if needed).

To add a little spice, replace the paprika with sriracha, or just add sriracha to the syrup and smoky paprika.