The NO BUTTER banana bread (muffins) with the No-Butter Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

`Decide what you want,

 decide what you are willing to exchange for it,

 establish your priorities and go to work.´ 

      H.L.Hunt

I read this quote on a lovely food blog, Vintage Kitchen, and it resonates with me today.  Do any of us really know what we want?  And once we know what we want, and actually achieve it (or them, or him, or her), does our desire then disappear?  Esther Perel has a most wonderful talk on TED regarding desire, want and sex.  Very interesting. Comment, anyone?? 

One thing I did want, today, was to use my old bananas.  And a cup of tea.  But I always want a cup of tea... it's the Australian in me.  And I always want a glass of wine...it's the alcoholic in me.  But the wine I can hold off on until I start cooking, around 5 or so.  The tea begins early in my day, or at least the tea began today with No-Butter Banana Bread Muffins!  Yum!

My neighbor, Trisha, bestowed upon me the most (and I mean MOST) delicious recipe for banana bread.  And then I searched foodgawker for a cream cheese frosting, for I knew I wanted that too, and I stumbled upon this recipe, which was without butter, when all the others I found were with butter.  

So, without further a-due, here is.... 

Angie's No-Butter Banana Bread Muffins with No-Butter Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

Adapted from Trish, my neighbor, and Laura at My Little Gourmet

Ingredients

For the Banana Bread

1/2 cup apple sauce (changed from Trish's recipe of 1/2 cup melted butter)

3/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup vanilla bean yogurt (Trish's secret weapon!)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

2 medium bananas, mashed (I love that word... mashing bananas is so fun!)

For the Cream Cheese Frosting

6 oz/110 g cream cheese

5 tablespoons sugar (increased it from 4)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

splash of lemon juice (my secret weapon, to tone down the sweetness that I just increased... ha ha ha ha)

vanilla bean seeds (if you have them on hand)

Directions for Banana Bread

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2) Grease pan 9x5 or muffin pan

3) Stir togheter the apple sauce and sugar.  ADd eggs, vanilla and mix well.

4) Combine flour, baking soda and salt

5) Stir into the butter mixture until smooth

6) Fold in the sour cream and bananas.  

7) Bake for 60 minutes, or for muffins, 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. 

Trish's beautifully written recipe instructions politely go on to say "cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely."

Directions for Cream Cheese Frosting

1) Combine all ingredients until they are the consistency you want.  

Enjoy!