Mandarin & Banana Juice

     
     It's mandarin's season! Who doesn't love this sweet delicious fruit? Actually, Morocco is one of the top 10 producers of mandarin among other fruits from the orange family. We are used to eat it almost everyday in this season. Today, I went to the market with my mother and we bought some. Besides eating the fruit, I like making mandarin juice, fresh and easy. You can use this juice as a base to any cocktail, or you can add just one kind of fruits like banana, apple, or avocado. I chose banana because I like the its flavor. 

 Ingredients

-  4 or 5 mandarins
-  2 bananas
- 1 Tbsp sugar (you may omit it)  
-  Water

Process

1- Put the mandarins in a blender. Add water till you cover the fruits and  then blend.

2- Strain the juice into a bowl then pour it back in the blender. Add bananas and sugar and blend again.

Serve the juice and enjoy!

Banana and Chocolate Chips Muffins

      Muffins, muffins, muffins… I love muffins! I bake them a lot, almost every week. I like always  to try new recipes and new flavors. However, there are always some favorites. Mine are chocolate muffins, and my husband’s are banana muffins. So, I came with the idea of combining the two. Why not? Banana goes perfect with chocolate. The result was great. Have a look:

Ingredients 

- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- ½ tsp of salt
- 1 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup of banana puree
- 1 cup of chocolate chips
- 2/3 cup of whole milk
- ½ cup of sugar
- ½ cup of brown sugar
- ½ cup of vegetable oil
- 2 Eggs

For the Topping

- 2 Tbsp creme fraiche or sour cream
- 4 Tbsp black chocolate

 Process

1-  Preheat your oven to 180°C and lay a muffin tray with paper muffin cases. grease the edges so nothing would stick.

2-  Mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

3-  In a separate bowl, take 1 Tbsp of the mixture and add it to the chocolate chips and mix them so you can prevent them from sinking in the muffins. 

4-  Now, mix the remaining ingredients: eggs, sugar, brown sugar, milk, vanilla extract, banana puree, and oil.

5-  Slowly add the dry ingredients while folding the mixture. Then, add the chocolate chips and fold again until combined. Be careful not to over mix.

6-  Fill  muffin cases and bake for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until tops are lightly browned.

7-  Remove muffins from pan and allow them to cool for some minutes so you can handle them.

8-  Prepare the topping: In bain-marie, melt the chocolate and add the crème fraiche. Mix until you get a smooth texture.  

9-  Top them with chocolate in any form you like. 

Enjoy!