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Ingredients
- 1 cup dried dates, finely chopped or snipped
- 2/3 cup boiling water
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chai powder or finely ground chai tea
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons SmartBalance buttery spread, melted
- 2 eggs
- 3 ripe bananas
- You limit total fat to about 30% of calories (65g per day)
- You limit saturated fat to 10% of calories (20g per day)
View Full Recipe at Adventures of the Kitchen…
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.%20But%20I%20appreciate%20that%20not%20all%20my%20readers%20are%20as%20lucky,%20so%20I%20try,%20whenever%20I%20can,%20to%20feature%20recipes%20that%20address%20some%20of%20your%20dietary%20concerns.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOne%20of%20the%20concerns%20that%20comes%20up%20all%20the%20time%20is%20dairy%20--%20and%20how%20to%20eat%20well%20without%20it,%20if%20you%20need%20to.%20Whether%20it's%20because%20of%20lactose%20intolerance%20or%20concern%20about%20dietary%20cholesterol%20and%20intake%20of%20fats,%20dairy%20isn't%20for%20everyone%20(although%20it%20would%20break%20my%20heart%20into%20pieces%20not%20to%20be%20able%20to%20eat%20my%20beloved%20cheese).%20Therefore,%20I'm%20happy%20to%20help%20by%20creating%20delicious%20dairy-free%20recipes%20for%20my%20readers,%20especially%20during%20February,%20which%20is%20American%20Heart%20Month.%20But%20that%20can%20prove%20challenging%20when%20it%20comes%20to%20baked%20goods.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhy?%20One%20word:%20Butter.%20Which%20begs%20one%20question:%20Is%20there%20really%20a%20butter%20substitute%20out%20ther%20that's%20good%20for%20baking?%20I%20say%20yes!%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETo%20help%20you%20figure%20out%20the%20best%20way%20to%20bake%20dairy-free,%20I%20created%20this%20recipe%20for%20healthy%20banana%20chai%20muffins%20and%20made%20it%20multiple%20times,%20not%20with%20butter%20but%20with%20two%20different%20spreads%20instead%20--%20SmartBalance%20Buttery%20Spread%20and%20I%20Can't%20Believe%20It's%20Not%20Butter!%20--%20to%20see%20which%20one%20I%20liked%20best.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhile%20both%20spreads%20were%20a%20fine%20replacement%20for%20butter%20in%20the%20final%20product,%20I%20definitely%20preferred%20making%20the%20muffins%20with%20SmartBalance.%20Most%20importantly%20because,%20straight%20out%20of%20the%20tub,%20it%20tasted%20more%20like%20real%20butter%20(so%20much%20so%20that%20I%20happily%20smeared%20some%20on%20each%20muffin%20I%20ate!).%20SmartBalance%20also%20had%20a%20more%20natural%20butter%20color%20(I%20Can't%20Believe%20It's%20Not%20Butter!%20was%20an%20unnatural%20yellow)%20and%20melted%20more%20rapidly%20and%20evenly%20--%20important%20to%20me%20since%20my%20recipe%20calls%20for%20it%20to%20be%20melted.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3ETo%20complement%20the%20sweet%20banana%20flavor,%20I%20added%20some%20warm%20chai%20spice%20to%20the%20muffins%20--%20perfect%20with%20a%20cup%20of%20tea.%20If%20you%20can't%20find%20an%20instant%20chai%20powder%20like%20the%20one%20I%20use,%20just%20finely%20grind,%20using%20an%20electric%20coffee%20grinder%20or%20a%20mortar%20and%20pestle,%20the%20contents%20of%20one%20chai%20tea%20bag.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIn%20addition%20to%20being%20dairy-free,%20if%20you%20use%20the%20SmartBalance%20buttery%20spread,%20these%20banana%20chai%20muffins%20are%20also%20refined%20sugar-free,%20sweetened%20naturally%20with%20dates%20that%20are%20blended%20into%20a%20smooth%20puree%20in%20the%20first%20step%20in%20the%20recipe.%20I%20love%20a%20freshly%20baked%20muffin%20for%20breakfast%20or%20with%20my%20afternoon%20cup%20of%20tea,%20but%20I%20prefer%20them%20on%20the%20less-sweet%20side,%20as%20these%20are.%20I%20swear,%20some%20recipes%20for%20muffins%20are%20so%20sweet%20that%20they're%20practically%20cupcakes%20without%20frosting.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EI%20also%20like%20muffins%20because%20they're%20basically%20instant%20portion%20control.%20Given%20that%20there's%20only%20two%20of%20us,%20I%20find%20that%20we%20often%20can't%20eat%20an%20entire%20loaf%20of%20quick%20bread%20before%20it%20starts%20to%20dry%20out%20or,%20frankly,%20we%20just%20get%20sick%20of%20it.%20Not%20so%20with%20muffins;%20whenever%20I%20make%20a%20batch,%20I%20pop%20half%20of%20them%20in%20the%20freezer%20so%20we%20can%20enjoy%20them%20another%20time,%20without%20waste.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPlus,%20muffins%20bake%20up%20faster%20than%20a%20traditional%20quick%20bread.%20And%20I'm%20all%20about%20getting%20that%20freshly%20baked%20muffin%20to%20my%20mouth%20in%20the%20shortest%20amount%20of%20time%20possible%20--%20how%20about%20you?%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHealthy%20Banana%20Chai%20Muffins%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIf%20you%20don't%20like%20some%20chunks%20of%20banana%20in%20your%20muffins,%20thoroughly%20mash%20the%20bananas%20before%20adding%20them%20to%20the%20batter.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EIngredients:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EDirections:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPreheat%20the%20oven%20to%20375%20degrees%20F.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EPlace%20the%20dates%20in%20the%20bowl%20of%20a%20stand%20mixer%20and%20cover%20with%20the%20boiling%20water.%20Let%20stand%2010-15%20minutes%20to%20soften.%20While%20the%20dates%20are%20softening,%20whisk%20together%20the%20flour,%20chai,%20salt,%20baking%20soda%20and%20baking%20powder%20in%20a%20small%20bowl%20and%20set%20aside.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EOnce%20the%20dates%20have%20softened,%20beat%20them%20in%20the%20mixer%20until%20they%20turn%20into%20a%20smooth%20puree%20(about%205%20minutes).%20Mix%20in%20the%20melted%20SmartBalance,%20then%20beat%20in%20the%20eggs.%20Add%20the%20flour%20mixture%20and%20mix%20until%20just%20combined.%20Las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