Strawberry Banana Muffins

 

When paired with complementary flavors, strawberries add color and a bit of sweetness to salads, act as a natural sweetener to desserts, and give texture to breads. Don't let the season pass you by. 

Five flavors that complement strawberries in a tasty way.

Balsamic Vinegar: Recipes incorporating both balsamic vinegar and strawberries abound, and they don’t meet up exclusively in salads either. Combine strawberries with a little sugar and pepper as a side dish when an abundance of extra-sweet berries has come in. Basically, the vinegar (especially when nuanced with a little black pepper) steps into the background, making the strawberries even sweeter. Strawberries and balsamic vinegar also mix well in toasted breads, flatbread, scones, and more. And let’s not forget desserts, a role strawberries were born for.
Rosemary: Introduce the smoky flavor of rosemary, and strawberries take on a new, unique spirit, giving cooks lots of ways to use them up. A rosemary sprig makes homemade strawberry iced tea, jams, and ice cream more three-dimensional.
Basil: A basil chiffonade blends well with salads, adding surprising flavor when paired with balsamic strawberries and candied almonds.
Spinach: Sliced strawberries blend well with spinach, red onions, feta, and walnuts. But spinach and strawberries shouldn’t always be laid out on a plate. Blending spinach with strawberries, yogurt, and bananas creates one of the highest nutrient-per-calorie smoothies one can make.
Chocolate: Put a little Nutella or chocolate sauce on a plate with the strawberries and watch it all disappear.

Pair this juicy fruit with bananas 

for a scrumptious muffin combination: Strawberry Banana Bread Muffins

Cook's Notes:

An easy muffin recipe that requires no mixer. They are perfect for coffeetime, lunch, snacks, and picnics. Since strawberries add some moistness to the recipe, store baked muffins in the refrigerator. The recipe was adapted from Julia's Album.

Ingredients:

• 1 large banana, ripe, smashed
• ⅓ cup Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup butter, melted
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Saigon cinnamon or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup strawberries, sliced

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• In a large bowl, mix mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and melted butter, using a wooden fork or spoon. 
• Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. 
• Whisk the cinnamon into the flour, then add the flour last; mix just enough to blend the ingredients; do not over-mix; the lumps will work themselves out.
• Add sliced strawberries to the batter and mix them in to distribute evenly through the batter.
• Use paper liners for a 12-cup pan and pour the batter evenly into each cup, about ¾ full. Bake for about 18 minutes, until a tester inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Cool on rack. Remove muffins from pan and serve.