From the Galley: Hearty and Healthy Banana Nut Muffins

Despite the silly superstition that bananas are bad luck on a boat, we almost always have bananas aboard Phoenix. Not only do they taste great, but bananas are a tremendous source of potassium -- an electrolyte that every sailor needs, especially if you drink R/O water that's been stripped of all trace minerals.

True, bananas ripen quickly in a warm boat and can easily get bruised even if stowed in a hammock. When this happens, we peel each banana, freeze them individually, and then transfer them all to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Whenever I'm ready to make a batch of muffins I pull three or four out of the freezer and thaw them out in my mixing bowl before adding the eggs.

We love this recipe for a few reasons: it's extremely easy to make, contains no added fat, and yields dense, moist and delicious muffins. The recipe was originally designed to be made as a bread loaf, which would take about an hour to bake. To minimize bake time and the heat down below, I spoon the batter into a muffin tin, which reduces the bake time to 25 minutes. They store well in the refrigerator, and Bill cuts them in half, grills them for a few minutes, then serves them with a small pat of butter.

Banana Nut Muffins

Ingredients:
3 medium (or 4 small) ripe bananas (over-ripe is even better!)
2 eggs
3/4 cups sugar (can reduce to 2/3 if using 4 bananas, as desired)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour (we use unbleached)
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Thaw your frozen bananas in your mixing bowl, if necessary. Add eggs and beat until well blended. Add sugar, salt and baking soda, and continue mixing. Mix in the flour, then the walnuts. Spoon the batter into a lightly greased muffin tin (yields 12 muffins).

Bake muffins for 25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving, or cool completely to store until breakfast

Enjoy!