Flourless Banana Bread

My husband loves banana bread, so when I came across this flourless banana bread recipe from one of my favorite sites - Spoonful of Sugar Free - I was excited to try it. At the same time, I was a bit skeptical: how can fruit, nuts, chia seeds and eggs make bread? I ended up becoming a believer after making this recipe and make it 2-3 times per month for my banana bread lovin' hubby. It's a low glycemic, whole food option that makes a complete meal - protein, fat, and "something from the ground" (the banana!).

I have made a few changes to the recipe. First off - and this is most important - it needs to be cooked longer than an hour. This bread can be too moist if it doesn't cook long enough. I also leave it out to sit overnight to "dry" out a bit. It sounds counter intuitive, but the second and third day are the best for this bread. Secondly, I stir in cocoa nibs for extra crunch and nutrients.

This recipe uses chia gel to draw the ingredients together. To make the gel, the recipe instructs you to combine 1 tablespoons of chia seeds with 9 tablespoons of water and wait for them to puff up (~20 minutes). You only need to use 3 tablespoons of this gel for the bread, but the recipe to make the gel makes more than 3 tablespoons, so you can either use it in a smoothie or just make less (try 2 tsp. chia seeds with 6 tablespoons water).

Ingredients:

3 ripe bananans

1/2 cup almond butter (can sub other nut butters too)

3 eggs

3 tablespoons ground flaxseeds

3 tablespoons chia gel (see above)

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Optional: 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Optional: 1/4 cup cocoa nibs

Optional: stevia to taste

Instructions:

Chia seeds (pre-water):

Chia gel (after 20 minutes of soaking):

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas and mix all ingredients in a bowl.

Whole flaxseeds (ground are better, but my grinder wasn't working!):

Mmmm...cocoa nibs...

Pour the batter into a lightly greased bread pan or muffin tin. (I grease it with coconut oil.)

Bake for 60-75 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Again, cooking it a bit longer (until the sides darken) prevents it from being too wet. The picture below shows a not-quite-done loaf, which is how I made it the first time. I keep it in another 10 minutes when I make it now.

Looks like bread with flour, eh?

The bread will rise in the oven but will sink when taken out. Let the bread cool for 15 minutes in the pan, which is necessary for the bread to set since it doesn't contain flour. Turn the pan over on a cutting board, slice, and enjoy! This is delicious slathered with a bit of peanut or almond butter, or maybe some pasture butter. You can also top it with smashed raspberries or sliced strawberries for a nutrient punch.

Enjoy!

*M*

Coconut Quick Bread

I'm always on the lookout for healthy baked goods, and when I came across this recipe in my friend Maya's newsletter, the Weekly Fig, I was stoked. Maya is a registered dietitian with a holistic background who has a similar approach as mine. Her newest website, Intentful Chef, is officially launching soon, and she is both a wealth of knowledge and an excellent cook. Thanks for this recipe, Maya!

I couldn't have said this any better, so I will directly quote Maya's Weekly Fig issue:

"Coconut flour is gluten free, high fiber, and high protein! You can buy it at most health food stores. Gluten is what typically gives breads their structure, which holds them together. Since the flour is gluten free, the properties are very different from that of wheat flour. Hence the reason for 6 whole eggs, providing a new form of structure for the bread."

Don't shy away from coconut oil and real, organic pasture butter - we're learning every day through research that saturated fat is not what causes heart disease. Check out this article for more information.

Maya's Coconut Quick Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut flour (I got mine at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup real, unsalted butter (try organic pasture butter at Whole Foods)
6 eggs
4 T honey (you can use 2 or even a few dashes of stevia)
1/2 tsp. dirty sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients:


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using an electric mixer until it becomes a "clumpless" paste.

Coconut flour:


Eggs:



Honey:


Cinnamon:


Grease a loaf pan and drop in the batter.



Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. The top will become golden brown or darker. Serve as is, with fresh made jam, or coffee (or Teeccino!).




Enjoy!

*M*

Pesto Bites

My family members love hosting cocktail hour before we go out to celebratory dinners. It's an opportunity to spend time in each other's homes, enjoy some snacks, and toast to health and happiness with some good quality wine. Before our Father's Day dinner at the newly opened Renegade Canteen in Scottsdale, my sister and parents came over to our house to finish watching the US Open and share some refreshments. I served Pesto Bites, below, and carrots and pita chips with hummus. The Pesto Bites can be made quickly with store bought pesto, but I made pesto from scratch this time. After all, it was Father's Day, and my dad is a pretty special guy.

This snack is pretty rich and very tasty. Eat it slowly, paying attention to the intense flavors and wonderful texture. Most importantly, enjoy it with those you love!

Here's the basic "recipe" for the Pesto Bites:

Freshly baked French, sour dough, or Italian bread

Olive oil-based pesto (see recipe below)

Organic mozzarella and Italian cheeses, shredded

Preheat oven to broil. Slice the bread in half length-wise on a cutting board. Spread a thin layer of pesto on each piece of bread. (If you run out of pesto, sprinkle olive oil in places where pesto is spread very thinly.) Sprinkle with mozzarella and/or Italian cheeses. Broil directly on the oven rack for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is browning and bubbly. Make sure to set a timer, since the bread will burn if left in to long.

And now, for the delicious pesto from Simply Recipes:

Makes 1 cup prepared pesto

*Note: in the photos below, I doubled the recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano or Romano cheese (organic and raw if possible)

1/2 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts if desired)

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Combine basil with pine nuts; pulse a few times in the food processor.

Here's the basil measured out:

Here's the basil processed with the pine nuts:

Add the garlic and pulse a few times more. I always love to use my garlic press to create fresh minced garlic with ease:

Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on.

Stop to scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse until blended. Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. The final product:

Now prepare the bread:

Spread the pesto on the bread:

Sprinkle the cheese on top:

(This group likes it extra cheesy!):

Now broil for 3-4 minutes or until the cheese turns a gorgeous, bubbling brown:

Once it has cooled a minute or two, cut it into pieces and serve on a platter:

Here's our Father's Day happy hour spread:

And my new Fourth of July inspired candles, sitting on top of a table that's just waiting to be used:

Happy Father's Day to the most amazing dad I've ever met! We love you!

(That's my sis on the left and myself with our dad in Laguna in April)

*M*