Hello there,
My page is up and running and I can't be more excited!. I'll get to share recipes with you and to obsessively talk about food without feeling judged. I'll say I've found the perfect vehicle to justify my addiction and convey my thoughts. Yay.
As the title implies the recipes aim to make the task of cooking easier, uncomplicated and at the same time enjoyable for us busy creatures of the modern world. Mouth watering yet straight forward meals that motivate you to get in the kitchen without chaining you to the stove for what feels like an eternity. Lastly, making food that's nourishing, that gives you the energy and nutrients you and your family need to feel good and be healthy. Recipes with wholesome ingredients and combinations to give you a balanced diet and a happy life.
Before I go into the recipe I have to tell you why I picked banana bread as my first recipe and there's more than one reason for it:
1. I am a sucker for anything dessert-y looking. Apologies in advance if you see a disproportionate amount of cake recipes in this website but I've been a sweet tooth before I can remember and will be till I die no matter how much I try to fight it, except, I might add, while I was pregnant. I couldn't even smell sugary food and all I wanted was salty popcorn and capers straight from the jar. Only 9 months that lasted, I was back to my normal sweet self as soon as my baby was born, now I can still not go near the aforementioned savoury snacks and he is almost two.
2. There is always going to be a day when we have a bunch of soft, brown unappetizingly looking bananas the ones you don't dare to eat but you can't see going to waste.
3. It's super quick to make, yields a big loaf perfect for breakfast, mid afternoon snack or post workout treat, and you don't end up with a huge pile of washing up.
4. The cake (bread) is adapted to be balanced.
Most of the sweetness comes from the bananas, the rest is unrefined soft brown sugar that gives a wonderful caramel taste. There's yogurt in it to keep it tender and dark chocolate which contains antioxidants that have great benefits to your health, one of them being to promote blood flow to the brain and arteries; when consumed in moderation of course, as its also high in fats,
4. Lastly, I so felt like having some deliciously comforting banana bread, still warm from the oven full of dark chocolate chunks and pecan nuts with a cold glass of milk after a busy day with a toddler that doesn't seem to get tired, ever. I just had to make it!
Let's get down to the recipe shall we?
BANANA BREAD WITH PECANS AND DARK CHOCOLATE CHUNKS
This is a recipe adapted from - A homemade life - by Molly Wizenberg, a book worth reading not only for the recipes but for the amusing storytelling, her life memoirs in this one.
Makes 1 loaf
90 gr unsalted butter, melted 2 cups all-purpose flour 3/4 cup soft brown unrefined sugar 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 3/4 cup dark chocolate chopped roughly 1/2 cup chopped pecan nuts 2 large eggs 3 large ripe bananas, mashed 1/4 cup well-stirred whole-milk plain yogurt (not low or nonfat) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon rum
Preheat the oven to 180 C and grease or line with baking paper a medium size loaf tin.
1. In a large bowl mix the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
2. Mix in the chocolate chips and nuts, and combine well, making sure there are no sugar lumps.
3. In another bowl mix eggs lightly and add bananas, yogurt, melted butter, rum and vanilla. Pour eggy mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly with a rubber spatula making sure all the flour is incorporated, but don't overmix, we want to achieve a tender consistency here. The batter will be thick and lumpy because of the banana.
4. Scrape batter in the loaf tin and smooth the top.
5. Bake in the middle of the oven till the top is nice and golden and a toothpick comes out cleanish (the chocolate will leave traces but we want the batter to be cooked) which is approximately 50 min to 1 hr, depending on your oven.
6. Cool in the tin for around 10 min before turning it out onto the rack. Leave to cool completely before slicing.
7. Another great combination is to substitute the dark chocolate for white and the pecans for macadamias, I like this for tea time, specially with jasmin green tea. Enjoy!
