Carrot-Banana-Zucchini Loaf

I'm a big fan of banana bread. I almost never make it though because of all the sugar that the recipes usually call for.  This past weekend, I was searching for ways to use the 10lb bag of carrots I bought and came across a Carrot-Banana loaf recipe. It got me thinking... I've made 'Morning Glory' muffins before and figured why couldn't I make a loaf, but without all the sugar? 

This recipe is vegan, and can be gluten-free if you want.  I didn't have any gluten-free flour on hand, so I used whole wheat instead. 

I absolutely LOVED how this turned out.  Beware that it is a pretty dense loaf, with all the banana, carrot and zucchini in it. It's also pretty moist, so don't be afraid to pull it out at the 25 min mark. I just kept inserting a knife in the middle to check done-ness. You may need to cook a little less or a few minutes more, depending on your oven.

Two slices of this keep me full for a couple of hours. I did not add the apricots because I don't like fruit in my bread, but I added it in for those who do.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup organic raw honey
• 3 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed organic ripe bananas (I used two bananas)
• 1 finely shredded zucchini 
• 1 cup grated organic carrots (I used 1.5 cups)
• ¼ cups freshly squeezed lemon juice (I juiced half a lemon)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 cups Organic gluten free all purpose flour (or whole wheat if you aren’t doing gluten-free)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup chopped organic dried apricots (I didn’t add these)
• ½ cup organic chopped raw almonds (I added chopped walnuts instead and added a full cup.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 3, 3” X 6” loaf pans (I only had to use two disposable tin ones, the NoName ones from NoFrills)
2. Using a fork beat the honey, oil, vanilla, and salt. Add the bananas, carrot, zucchini, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix the flour, baking powder, and baking soda into the banana mixture. Then fold in the nuts and apricots.
3. Spoon into the loaf pans and bake for about 20-25 min, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Let it cool for about 5 min before removing from pan.

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Carrot Cake Oatmeal

Who likes carrot cake? I DO! Minus the cream cheese frosting, this recipe is a pretty great replication of carrot cake, but in a breakfast or snack oatmeal.

I doubled the recipe as it’s a very small portion originally, and I wanted some for breakfast for a couple of days.  (It’s great cold or reheated in the microwave also.) 

Enjoy!

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

·    1 heaping cup finely grated carrot (about 1 large)

·    1 cup almond milk

·    2 tbsp full-fat coconut milk cream (or use more almond milk)

·    1 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste

·    1/4 tsp ground ginger

·    1/8th tsp ground nutmeg

·    pinch of salt

·    1/2 cup regular oats

·    1 tsp pure vanilla extract

·    1/2 tsp lemon juice (optional)

·    2 tbsp chopped walnuts, divided

·    2 tbsp raisins, divided (I didn’t add raisins)

·    2 tbsp pure maple syrup

·    1 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut, for garnish (forgot to add this and it was great without)

·    1 tbsp coconut milk cream + 1/2 tsp pure maple syrup, to garnish (optional) Try it, it’s great with the garnish.

 

Directions: 

1. Finely grate 1 heaping (and I mean HEAPING) cup of grated carrots. You want to use the fine grate and not the large one so the carrot shreds are very small. This helps the carrot blend in more.
2. In a medium sized pot over medium heat, whisk together the almond milk, optional coconut milk cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and a pinch of salt.
3. Stir in the grated carrots and oats. Adjust heat if necessary or bring heat to low if it starts to boil. Cook for about 8-9 minutes, stirring frequently. When the mixture has thickened up, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract, 1 tbsp walnuts, 1 tbsp raisins, and 2 tbsp of maple syrup. Remove from heat and portion into bowls.
4. Top the oatmeal with the remaining walnuts, raisins, and shredded coconut. If you are using coconut cream, you can mix a bit of the cream with maple syrup and drizzle on top of the oatmeal, as shown in the photo. Sprinkle with cinnamon for garnish.

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Granola is good for the soul!

I love granola bars. I don't usually buy them because I find them full of crap, to be honest.  I do have a soft spot for Country Harvest though, and Kashi because I like the ingredients, and calories (let's be honest). 

I am known for making everything from scratch. I adore breaking a recipe down and figuring out how to do everything from the beginning.  For example, I could buy pierogis but I ADORE making the dough and filling from scratch and then boiling the final product, smothering it in butter (I decided not to count calories for that recipe) and sitting down and devouring it.  There is something so satisfying about doing it from scratch and knowing that nothing was bought pre-made. 

I have tried many a recipe for granola bars, and none had turned out the way I really wanted. I wanted a crunch, maybe some chocolate, but in the end, I wanted to know where all the ingredients came from, and I am okay if the 'shelf' life of them is only a week or two because there are no preservatives. 

A dear childhood friend Karen, posted on Facebook that she had just made granola bars and that she couldn't stop eating them.  You see, Karen and I share a love of cheese, and let's face it, anyone who loves cheese as much as I do - well you can trust anything they bake or cook :)

So here is Karen's recipe, with a few modifications (it wouldn't be me if I didn't throw my own twist into it :))

Ingredients

2 cups quick oats 
½ cup packed brown sugar (or 1/3 cup, depending on desired sweetness)
¼ cup wheat germ or wheat bran
¼ cup coconut
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour (or whole wheat)
¾ tsp salt
½ cup honey
1 egg, beaten
½ cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla extract 
½ tsp maple extract (optional)
1 cup raisins or dried fruit (optional)
Chocolate chips (optional)
Slivered almonds or nuts of your choice (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with PAM or grease with butter. 

2. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Pat the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, leaving about an inch and a half of empty space at one end.

And here are my tweaks:

- I toasted the oats and nuts 
- I used 1/2c Quinoa and 1/2c whole wheat flour
- Grapeseed oil instead of vegetable oil
- added sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cashews, pecans, almonds, walnuts AND chocolate chips (a few tbsp of each) 

- Added 3 tbsp of pure Ontario maple syrup
- added 1 tsp of almond extract

- omitted the maple extract because I didn't have it

- used 1 tsp of Moroccan pink sea salt

- added 2 tbsp of uncooked white quinoa

- added 2 tbsp of black chia seeds
- added 2 tbsp of flax seeds

I also made a second batch without the chocolate, and instead added chopped organic crystallized ginger and organic goji berries.

I put the entire batch in a tightly sealed container and put 'em in the freezer. I pull out what I want, when I want them. 

Enjoy and thanks so much Karen for this wonderful recipe!

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Coconut Quinoa Pancakes, Gluten-Free Option

Pleasure to meet you Quinoa flour. I bought you for the first time today, after I experienced you at brunch earlier.  I have to say, I'm quite impressed by your strength. Your flavour is light and dense and I very much enjoyed you in the coconut-quinoa pancake I devoured.  You were topped with a smear of cream cheese and warm saucy (not too saucy) blueberries. I even enjoyed your friend, maple syrup. Oh how delicious you all were together!


I liked you so much that I decided to re-create you for breakfast this morning.


I decided to dress you up with a little warm baked apples and cinnamon.... and then grace you with some lovely crushed pecans.  Oh don't worry, I didn't forget the cream cheese.  


I have a soft spot for double smoked bacon, so a slice of that made it to the plate to join in the edible fun. Everyone played so nicely together!


I didn't have a gluten-free alternative flour, so I used all-purpose. I plan on buying buckwheat or another alternative this weekend and giving it another go. 

Here's the recipe, Enjoy!

Coconut Quinoa Pancakes (Gluten-free option)

1 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
1 cup quinoa flour or quinoa flakes (see note above)
1/2 cup shredded coconut (I prefer unsweetened)
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cups milk
2 tablespoons canola oil, plus more for cooking
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Combine flour, quinoa flour, coconut, brown sugar, baking powder and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk to work out all of the clumps.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, vanilla and eggs until well combined.

3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, whisking all the while until well combined. The batter will have texture because of the coconut (and quinoa flakes, if using), but should not have lumps.

4. Heat a well oiled pan or griddle over medium heat. Add batter in 1/4 cup scoops and cook until bubbles just begin to form around the edges. (Unlike most pancake batters, this will not bubble vigorously—you’re looking for just a couple of bubbles.) Flip and cook for another two minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Serve immediately, with a drizzle of honey or warmed maple syrup.

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