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

Hearty Bran Muffins

I eat alot of fiber.

Fiber is good.

It's keeps your bowels strong, lowers cholesterol, can help you lose weight, and helps to control blood sugar levels so you don't get all cray-cray.

In the effort to cram even MORE fiber into my diet I decided to whip up these muffins from Heidi Swanson's latest book Supernatural Everyday .

I love the fact that most of her recipes rely on whole grain, fresh, seasonal ingredients.  Most bran muffins that I have come across on the internet and in other cookbooks contain bleached flour and tons of sugar with only a touch of bran to pass them off as "healthy".

Muffins have become my new go-to snack in the afternoon. I'm always looking for something healthy that will tide me over until dinner, and these bad boys fit the bill perfectly.

Local eggs, organic yogurt, maple syrup, whole wheat pastry flour, and oat bran.
Bam.
If you want let your inner hippy shine, you can also throw in some sprouted grain cereal.

Bran Muffins (makes 1 dozen)

2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. plain yogurt
1/2 c. barely melted, unsalted butter
1/4 c. maple syrup
1/2 c. oat bran
1 1/2 c. plain bran cereal (ezekial sprouted grain cereal)
1 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 c. organic sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. sea salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle of oven.
Line a muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and maple syrup. Sprinkle the bran and cereal across the top, stir and allow the mixture to sit at room temp. for 5 minutes. In the meantime, in a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top of the wet and stir until just combined. Immediately fill each muffin tin 3/4 full. Bake 18-22 minutes, until edges of muffins begin to brown and tops have set. Allow the muffins to cool for five minutes in the pan, then turn the muffins out on a wire rack to cool.

Multigrain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I really need to start eating pancakes more often.

Especially when they are chocked full of the good stuff.  Local eggs, organic yogurt, local apples, and a blend of whole wheat and barley flour to give them some personality. 

Top them with pats of unsalted butter and a generous pour of real maple syrup.

Make a strong pot of coffee or tea. Or better yet, make some mulled hot cider. Maybe throw in a shot of whiskey. I won't tell anyone.

Share these with someone you love.  Or eat them all yourself (not in one sitting, although according to my husband it can be done).

Adapted from this recipe from smitten kitchen.  I swapped out the lemon and blueberries for apples and cinnamon.  This is my new go-to pancake recipe, so next time I may try replacing some of the whole wheat flour with another alternative flour, like millet or quinoa flour just to switch it up a bit.

Multigrain Apple Cinnamon Pancakes (makes 10- 4" pancakes) 


2 eggs
1 c. whole milk yogurt
2 T. almond milk (cows milk or any other alternative milk will work)
3 T. butter, plus extra for greasing pan
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. unbleached wheat flour
1/4 c. barley flour
2 T. organic sugar
1 T. + 1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 apple, peeled and diced (about 1 c.)

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
Heat half the butter in a small pan over medium heat. When it has melted, add it to the other half of the butter and stir until melted.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the eggs and yogurt.  Add the butter, vanilla and milk.  Stir to combine. In a separate bowl, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon.  Pour the dry mixture into the wet and stir just to combine.
Heat a cast iron skillet or non stick pan over medium low heat.  Swirl a little butter around the pan and ladle a scant 1/4 c. batter at a time, leaving a bit of room between each pancake.  Flatten the pancakes out a bit with the back of a spoon and scatter some apple pieces on top of each one. Cook for 3-4 minutes each side, or until bubbles form on top and the pancakes become dry along the edges. Flip and then cook for an additional 3 minutes on the other side.  Transfer pancakes to a sheetpan and place in the oven to keep warm and repeat with remaining batter.
Serve with butter and maple syrup or whatever works for you.

red lentil dal, besan ka cheela, ginger and mint raita

Finally. The heat broke. 
I could of very well eaten a bowl of popcorn for dinner like I have the past several nights.  My motivation level still isn't very high, so I needed to come up with a plan for some nourishment without having to go to the store.

I always have a jar of red lentils in the cupboard.  Why? Because they are delicious, quick cooking and are inexpensive if you score them at an indian market.  For those in the Albany area, go to http://www.parivarfoods.com/. You can get legumes, spices, and other goodies dirt cheap.  Plus they have a little cafe in the back that serves up delicious south indian chaat (snacky foods).

I whipped up a quick red lentil dahl. (It took less that a half hour from start to finish)

Do I have a recipe? No.  Like I said, motivation level was low... But, I will tell you why you should eat lentils.
1. Super high in protein. 1 c. gives you 40% of your protein with a only couple hundred calories.
2. High in iron.
3. Lots of fiber.
4. They are tasty.
5. They turn from red to yellow when they are cooked. Magical.

I love homemade naan.  But that can take hours. I had some besan flour (aka chickpea flour) on hand and decided to make some besan ka cheela (a savory pancake that is commonly eaten in Northern India).  Chickpea flour is very high in protein, gluten free and has a sweet nutty taste.
This was my first time making these, so I followed a recipe...

Chickpea Flour and Swiss Chard Crepes with Mint Ginger Raita (Besan Ka Chilla or Cheela)

recipe courtesy of veggie belly http://www.veggiebelly.com/

serves about 2

4 large leaves of swiss chard (1 1/2 cups when shredded)
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin or carom (ajwain) seeds
1 cup chickpea flour (also called garbanzo flour or gram flour or besan)
1 1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1/2 teaspoon garlic paste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/8 teaspoon asafoetida
1/8 teaspoon baking powder, optional
1 green or red chilli finely chopped
salt
Oil for cooking crepes
Remove and discard the stems from swiss chard leaves.  Stack the swiss chard leaves and roll them tightly. Chop the roll into fine shreds. You should have about 1 1/2 cups of shredded swiss chard.
Heat oil in a small non-stick pan, add cumin or carom seeds. When they start to sizzle, add shredded swiss card and 1/2 teaspoon water and toss on medium heat till the swiss chard has wilted to half its original volume. This will take about a minute. You should now have about 3/4 cups of wilted chard.
In a mixing bowl, add the wilted swiss chard, and all other remaining ingredients except oil. Whisk till everything is combined. The batter should be slightly thinner than pancake batter and should be easily pourable. If the batter is too thick, add more water.
Heat a non-stick pan. Pour a ladle of batter on the hot pan. Using the ladle or back of a spoon, spread the batter around to form a thin crepe. Drizzle about 1/2 teaspoon oil over the crepe. Cook on medium heat for about 1 minutes or till the bottom side is golden and sides start to crisp. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook the other side till golden. Serve hot.



I served them with the mint ginger raita she had her site as well..

Ginger Mint Raita
makes 1 cup

1 cup yogurt (I recommend Greek yogurt)
1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
2 tablespoons mint leaves loosely packed
Chaat masala to taste or salt
Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend till smooth. Serve chilled

These crepes are highly adaptable.. You could throw in whatever vegetables you have on hand or keep 'em simple.  Instead of the raita, you could serve them with a nice chutney. Next time I might stuff it with potatoes and greens.. omelette style.

Highly versatile.  I like it.

Protein packed. Filling. Cheap. Delicious.