Sesame Banana Bread

I happen to be one of those people that can only eat certain things when they're in disguise.  My list happens to be pretty short, but bananas are in the top three.  The thought of eating a banana straight up kind of skeeves me out and forget about WATCHING someone eat a banana.  It's just TOO much for me to handle.  Maybe it's a texture thing, maybe it's OCD, but unless bananas are IN something, like a smoothie, I just can't get into it. 

Ironically, banana bread happens to be one of my favorite quickbreads. It's as if someone concentrated the delicious flavor of a banana but without the creepy mouthfeel. 

Conventional quickbreads are pretty straightforward.  Flour, sugar, butter or oil and whatever you want to add in.. pumpkin, zucchini, apple, banana etc..
They are great when you want to bring your neighbor, parents or friends a little snacking cake, but when it's just me, I like to switch things up a bit.

You know.. like adding sesame seeds to banana bread.

The flavor combination sounded a little weird at first.  I've only used sesame seeds in savory dishes, but have used tahini (ground sesame seed paste) in sweets and treats with much success so I decided to give it a go.

I wish I could take credit for the deliciousness of this banana bread, but it was all Heidi Swanson.  Her blog, 101 cookbooks, is a constant source of inspiration for cooking with whole foods ingredients.

A combination of whole wheat and white spelt flour makes this bread heartier than using white flour, which most of us are accostomed to eating.  Olive oil takes the place of canola or vegetable oil, and yogurt is added to keep it moist.  The sesame seeds are a welcome addition, giving the bread texture and a healthy dose of calcium. 

Sesame Banana Bread
Slightly adapted from 101 Cookbooks

1 cup white spelt flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

3/4 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds
1/4 c. black sesame seeds
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups mashed, VERY ripe bananas (~3 bananas)

1/4 cup plain,whole milk yogurt

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and place a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan, or equivalent.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt and sesame seeds and combine well.
In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, and zest. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes. You want to achieve beautiful color on the cake, but at the same time you don't want to bake all the moisture out of it. So the minute you're in that zone, pull it, erring on the side of under-baking versus over.
Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.
Serves 10

Black Sesame Otsu

At first glance this dish looks a bit like noodles tossed with black sand with a plop of caviar on top.

Fortunately, the taste makes up for the appearance.. unless, you know, sand and caviar are your thing..

I came across this dish on 101 cookbooks, and was a bit skeptical at first. Black sesame seed paste tossed with soba noodles sounded a little bland to me, but I had everything on hand so I decided to give it a go. 

So. Freaking. Delicious..

Black sesame seeds are toasted in a pan 'till fragrant (along with some sunflower seeds) ground up, then tossed with some mirin, sesame oil, tamari, rice vinegar, a touch of sugar and a pinch of chili flakes for heat. Tossed with buckwheat soba noodles and some fresh herbs, this Asian inspired one dish meal is perfect for those nights where you need something quick and healthy in your belly before you collapse from low blood sugar.

I usually turn to this dish when the fridge is barren and there is not a vegetable in sight (other than a bunch of limp celery that somehow got lost behind a six pack of beer). 
However, this dish is great with some pan fried tempeh or tofu, some lightly steamed vegetables, a handful of kale or even some shelled edamame.

Black Sesame Otsu (serves 2-4)
Adapted from 101 cookbooks

2 t. sunflower seeds
1/2 c. black sesame seeds
1 1/2 T. tamari
1 1/2 T. organic sugar
2 t. mirin
2 T. brown rice vinegar
1 T. toasted sesame oil
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes
12 oz. buckwheat soba noodles
1/3 c. scallions, sliced
1/2 c. cilantro leaves
2 c. kale, thinly sliced (opt)
1/2 T. flax oil (opt)


Toast the sunflower seeds in a pan over medium heat until golden, shaking the pan regularly. Add sesame seeds to the pan and toast for a minute or so, constantly tossing in the pan. Remove from the heat when you smell a hint of toasted sesame. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until you achieve a coarse sand like texture.  Place sesame seed mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the tamari, sugar, brown rice vinegar, sesame oil and crushed red pepper flakes.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, add the soba and cook according to the package instructions, until tender. Drain, reserving some of the noodle cooking water, and rinse under cold water.
Reserve a heaping tablespoon of sesame paste, then thin the rest with 1/4 c. of the hot noodle water.
In a large bowl, combine the soba noodles, half of the scallions and cilantro and the sesame seed paste and toss gently to combine. If you are adding tofu, tempeh or any other vegetables do so at this point. (In this case I massaged 2 c. thinly sliced kale with some flax oil and added it to the noodles).
Serve topped with a dollop of the sesame seed mixture and the remaining scallions and cilantro.