Zero-Point Banana Disappointment

This was billed as a "banana soufflé". It is not. I mean, given that it involves no whipped egg whites and is cooked in the microwave, I wasn't really expecting it to be like a soufflé. But I was hoping that it might still be at least palateable. It wasn't even that. It was wet and rubbery and sad.

This is like the chickpea "cookie dough" all over again. These recipes in no way produce a result that is even vaguely similar to their namesake. And, in most cases, the results are barely even edible!

I want to lose weight, but I don't want to be relegated to eating nothing but mashed chickpeas and cabbage soup for the rest of forever! I feel like most of these recipes were written by people who have never experienced flavour. They're all bland and sad. And the only reason that people like them is because they don't have much to compare it to.

I'm sorry if that seems excessively harsh, but I'm just really frustrated right now. Like, I get that a lot of it is down to what you're used to. If you're used to eating food like that, it probably will taste good to you. But I get tired of people making these "healthy" or "diet" recipes and then insisting that "you can hardly even tell" and "it tastes just as good as regular cookie dough/soufflés/doughnuts/whatever". It absolutely does not! If you like how it tastes, rock on! Good for you. But don't tell me it tastes the same. The only way someone would think this banana rubber is anything like a soufflé is if they've never tasted an actual soufflé. I think that because the eggs puff up in the microwave, they must've decided "OMG, it's just like a soufflé!" No. No it isn't. Stop telling people you're giving them a soufflé. It's not.

Okay, sorry about that. Rant over. I just needed to get that out of my system.

Anyway, aside from needing to vent, the main reason I'm doing this write-up is because I feel that there might be a way to salvage this recipe. It's probably going to take a bit of trial and error; I don't expect to get it right on the first pass, but I think it might be worth tinkering with.

The original recipe just called for mashing up 2 bananas with 2 eggs and zapping that in the microwave for 3 minutes. I tried adding a tiny bit of brown sugar and some vanilla and mixed spice. Unfortunately, I was a bit groggy and I think I may have been a bit heavy-handed with it. So next time I'd definitely scale back the seasoning a bit. I also think that this recipe really needs at least a little starch just to bring everything together and improve the texture. I was thinking of adding a little ground flax to it next time. Flax would increase the Points cost significantly, but it'd be worth it if it produced an actually pleasant texture.

Microwave Banana... Something

Adapted from The Holy Mess

Ingredients

• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. ground flax
• 2 Tbsp. (fat-free) cottage cheese
• 1 tsp. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. mixed spice
• 1/4 c. blueberries (optional)

Directions

1. Combine bananas, eggs, flax, cottage cheese, sugar, vanilla, and mixed spice.
2. Stir in blueberries (if using).
3. Divide batter evenly between two mugs and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes.
4. Check for doneness and microwave a bit more if needed.