Ice lollies: (1) mango; (2) acai

I got some ice lolly molds in my little lifts box when I was sick. 2 years later, s is into ice cream and I thought it might be fun to try them. We started with (1) mango lassi, a recipe from the box. And then (2) popped into my head - I'd bought acai powder a while back thinking we could make acai bowls, which has not yet happened... I thought ice lollies could be like little bitesize premade acai bowls (the molds are quite small)?

 Option 1:

 2 ripe mangoes, peeled, de-stoned and cut into chunks (defrosted if using frozen)

1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks

1 cup skyr

Blend mango and banana together til smooth. Mix in skyr. Freeze in lolly molds.

 

Option 2:

1 banana, peeled and cut into chunks

3/4 cup blueberries (defrosted if using frozen) 

3/4 cup skyr

c. 3 tbsp acai powder

1-2 tbsp almond meal

Blend all together, pour into lolly molds, freeze.

These are ace! s loves them, we can share them with his friend who doesn't eat sugar in the garden. And I don't feel guilty about letting s eat multiple ice lollies in a day, as they are (a) rather small, and (b) full of nothing but fruit and yoghurt! And they are so quick and easy to make, with no cooking - great for summer. Many more variations to come!

Banana pancakes

The small one is obsessed with bananas. I guess most small ones are. He can spot them a mile off - was standing and staring at a small boy eating one on the train the other day...

It being Easter, a combination of egg and banana seemed like exactly the right thing this morning. I never tried making pancakes with only egg and banana before (I'd say the vanilla and bicarb are optional), but I came across the idea when looking for banana pancake recipe inspiration, and it worked!

(makes approx 3 large medium (ie somewhere in between uk and us thickness) pancakes)

1 large banana, mashed with a fork
2 eggs, beaten
pinch of bicarb
1/2 tsp vanilla
oil for the pan

Mash the banana in a medium bowl, add the beaten eggs and mix well together, incorporating the bicarb and vanilla. Heat a little oil in a non stick frying pan and then fry the pancakes, flipping when one side is done. Watch they don't burn, the banana sweetness can speed that up.


Good with maple syrup, greek yoghurt, raspberries, pecans, that kind of thing. Small S ate a whole one, so I guess he was a fan.

Banana tahini chocolate cake

I got on a bit of a roll with tahini baking after making these - couldn't believe I hadn't done more of it before! This was the next thing I tried - was also delicious, although I wished I could taste the tahini...

2 large ripe or overripe bananas (approx 250 g weighed with skins on / ¾ cup mashed)
60 ml veg oil
50 g tahini
1 large egg (at room temp)
50 g caster sugar
35 g soft dark brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
60 g flour
25 g cocoa
¼ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 g dark chocolate chips
1-2 tsp sesame seeds (to sprinkle on top)

Heat the oven to 170C / 150C Fan / 325F. Grease and line a 1 lb / 450 g loaf tin (approx 21 x 10 x 6 cm / 8.5 x 4 x 2.5 in). Peel and mash the bananas in a large bowl, then beat in the tahini, followed by the oil, then the egg, and finally the sugars and vanilla. Mix flour, cocoa, bicarb and salt together with a fork in a separate, medium bowl, and then slowly beat into the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips. Add the batter to the prepared tin, smoothing the top, and sprinkle over the sesame seeds.

Bake for 45-50 min until risen and firm to the touch, and a skewer comes out almost clean (bearing in mind chocolate). It will probably crack on top. Let cool completely in its tin on a wire rack. Once cold, remove from tin and wrap in parchment then foil and leave it for a day before slicing and eating.

Leftover raspberry porridge baby biscuits

I made some baby biscuits the other day and they have been quite good for a snack for S when he is shuffling around - they are in the freezer but defrost easily with 30 sec in the microwave; and they aren't crumbly so don't make too much mess (he's hating on sitting in his high chair recently)...

After his breakfast the other day there was quite a bit of delicious raspberry porridge left over (just normal porridge with a few frozen raspberries added before cooking - thicker prob best). And most of a banana. And there was one egg in the fridge. And I was thinking, that added up to pretty much a similar thing to the baby biscuits I made the other day, with the advantage of not throwing away the leftover porridge... The ingredient quantities are a little bit improvised, but these came out quite good and I suspect it is reasonably robust to using up variable amounts of stuff.

I made these right after breakfast on a day S was home sick from vuggestue, alone with me, and it took all of about 30 min from beginning to end, and I didn't half feel like we'd done far too much winning already before 09:30...

(makes c 15 small-medium biscuits - keep for a few days or store in the freezer)

c 1/2 cup leftover porridge (with raspberries in it)
2/3 of a medium banana, mashed
1 egg
c 1/2 cup flour
c 1/4 cup oats
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (or cinnamon)
(veg oil)
(raisins)

Heat oven to 180C. Mix porridge, banana and egg together with a fork. Add flour, oats, baking powder and vanilla and mix until just combined. Dollop in biscuit sized clumps onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper, and bake 25-30 min until lightly golden on top.


I realized afterwards that maybe should have added some oil or melted butter - if I try this again maybe I will. If the leftover porridge hadn't had raspberries in it I might have added some raisins and cinnamon. Also, the mix was a little bit runnier than I would have liked - and note that runniness will depend a bit on the consistency and amount of the leftover porridge, so may need to adjust amounts of flour and oats.

Hummingbird 40th birthday balloon cake

Oh my oh my S is 40 today! As his birthday present he got to pick me up from an overnight stay in hospital... But he also gets a cake! I was thinking of doing a good old coffee and walnut cake, but that seemed a bit unoriginal, plus we'd run out of garden walnuts and I couldn't find any in Lidl and it just felt like the world was telling me I should try something different... So anyway, I wanted to use pecans instead, and was dreaming about good combinations with pecan - cinnamon seemed like a good fit... something creamy... maybe caramelly... Then I stumbled across a Hummingbird cake, and wondered why I'd never tried it - with pineapple, pecans, cinnamon, banana, sounds like just our kind of thing (S has a long running pineapple juice addiction). It's apparently a Southern (USA) thing, but I felt like a Europeanized recipe might work best for us... In the end I decided to follow the Hummingbird Bakery recipe (the name match seemed too good, plus they gave weights for the fruit so I hoped it'd be foolproof) - although it had a bit less pineapple than other recipes I looked at, maybe more pineapple would be nice... And I freestyled some mascarpone icing, with Jamie Oliver inspired lime zest in it... And some appropriate decoration: it's supposed to look like 4 and 0 balloons: since there's also a balloon card and a baby who loves balloons around, a theme emerged... I made the cake and icing a couple of days ago and stored the cake wrapped in clingfilm and the icing in a tub in the fridge ready to assemble today.

For the cake:
270 g peeled bananas, mashed (approx 3 large bananas)
300 g caster sugar (used golden sugar, blended up a little to make it more caster-y)
3 eggs
300 ml sunflower oil
1 tsp cinnamon
250 g flour
50 g desiccated coconut
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp vanilla powder
100 g tinned pineapple, chopped into small pieces
100 g pecans, chopped

For the icing:
c 3 tbsp golden sugar blended to a powder
c 50 g butter, at room temperature
1 tub (250 g) mascarpone
zest of 1 lime
1 tsp cinnamon

Decorations:
Remaining pineapple rings
Toasted chopped pecans

Heat the oven to 170C. Line the base(s) of round cake tin(s) with baking paper (I only have one, springform tin so used that - ideally this would be 2-3 layers though). Mash the banana in a medium bowl with a fork, then mix in the sugar, eggs, oil, and cinnamon. In a separate, large bowl, mix the flour, coconut, bicarb, salt and vanilla with a fork. Add the wet mixture to the dry, and mix until combined, adding the chopped pineapple and pecans towards the end. Scrape into the prepared baking tin(s), spread evenly, and bake until a skewer comes out clean - for one big cake this took about an hour and 15 min; for 3 layers this ought to take 20-25 min. Let cool slightly in the tin(s) before turning out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

While the cake is baking / cooling, make the icing and decorations. For the icing, cream sugar and butter together, then add the mascarpone, lime zest and cinnamon. Beat together until smooth and creamy. Store in the fridge until needed.

When ready to assemble, slice the massive cake in half horizontally, then layer with half the icing in the middle, along with some chopped pineapple and toasted chopped pecans. Then spread the rest of the icing smoothly on top and decorate with 4-0 pineapple rings and some chopped pecans.


It was good, although I think I'd have liked it more with less oil, less banana and more pineapple - perhaps future experiments required... maybe this one?

Banana and oat baby biscuits

Since I was making chocolatey adults-only treats, I figured baby S needed some treats too. He enjoyed some baby biscuits I'd bought for him recently, so I'd been thinking of making him some kind of sugar free biscuits. I was thinking banana and oat, so decided to start with this recipe.

(note that the quantities are a bit cumbersome because I was converting from Aussie/NZ cups and tbsps)

(makes approx. 20)

1 tbsp + 1 tsp (20 ml) chia seeds (or 1 beaten egg)
2 tbsp + 2 tsp (40 ml) water (or milk)
350 g fruit puree (ended up using 3 small bananas plus half a cup of apple puree this time - should work with wholly either, so long as the apple is not too liquidy)
1/2 tsp vanilla (or cinnamon)
310 ml oats
125 ml flour

Heat oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Mix the chia seeds with the water/milk and let sit for 10-15 min. Meanwhile mash the bananas or prep other puree in a medium bowl. Add the chia mix and vanilla to the bananas and mix. Then add the oats and flour and mix some more - it will be moist and sticky. Scoop tablespoonfuls onto the tray, then bake for 25-30 min, until golden brown on bottom but still soft inside. Let cool. Store in the fridge or freezer.


He seems to like them! I tested them first and they tasted good to me too. And I don't feed bad giving them to him as the ingredients seem pretty wholesome... Think apple+cinnamon or banana+vanilla would be good combos - just didn't have enough bananas and wanted to use banana for this time.

Sage's First Birthday Cake (cinnamon-cream cheese icing)

We had a party for Sage's first birthday! I made a huge banana cake as a sheet cake. I wanted to make it without refined sugar, not really sure why it just felt like the right thing to do. I used this recipe (without nuts or chocolate, and using maple syrup instead of honey) as (1) I'd tried it before and (2) I remembered it being delicious. Something went wrong though - either I didn't use enough raising agent or it was just not the kind of thing that scales well... because it was pretty solid. Tasted OK though, and the small one seemed to like it! I made a cream cheese and cinnamon icing, which is usually where I go wrong - improvising the icing - but this time that part was the successful part...

Basic icing:
3/4 pack of butter, softened
3 tubs cream cheese, at room temp
c 3 tbsp maple sugar (ground up maple candy)
2 tsp ground cinnamon

For cake decoration: 
pumpkin seed butter
fresh raspberries and blueberries

Cream butter, then beat together with the cream cheese, maple sugar and cinnamon. Chill until needed.

To decorate, I mixed about 3/4 cup of the icing with some pumpkin seed butter to make it green (didn't come out as bright as I'd have liked but never mind). Then iced the cake with the non green icing, piped the words and stars with the green stuff, and added raspberries and blueberries.

Another banana cake - but I haven't found the perfect one yet

I ended up with a lot of bananas that needed eating again - this hardly ever happens, but then now all of a sudden twice within a short time... This time my main requirement was that it didn't involve softened butter, since I didn't feel like waiting for it. I found this recipe pretty quick, and decided just to go with it - I guess banana and chocolate sounded pretty good!

3 large ripe bananas
1/2 cup (115 g) butter, melted
3/4 cup (145 g) light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla essence
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (130 g) plus 1/4 cup (35 g) plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (about 20 g) cocoa
3/4 cup (130 g) chopped chocolate

Heat oven to 175C/350F. Grease a loaf tin and line the base.

Melt butter and put into a medium bowl, then mash the bananas into it. Whisk in the sugar, egg, vanilla, bicarb, and salt until thoroughly combined. Add 130 g flour, stirring until just combined. Pour half of batter into a second bowl. Into one bowl, mix the remaining 35 g flour and the cinnamon. Into the other bowl, mix the cocoa and chocolate. Dollop batters into the prepared loaf pan in large alternating spoonfuls. Use a flat knife to make a few figure-8s through the batters, to marble them together. Bake for 55-65 min, until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool for 10 min, then invert onto a cooling rack. Keep in a cake tin or wrapped in foil.


While baking this, I realized I have developed a banana cake wishlist: it should have oil in it (not butter), honey (not sugar), and should have walnuts and/or chocolate chips. With this in mind, I checked around for the perfect recipe... I found three possibilities - next time I have an excess of bananas, I will have to try one of these: cake 1, cake 2, cake 3.

Banana Cake I (also: Baking with Honey V)

We just returned from a very pleasant couple of weeks in Scotland. I had long promised S that we would go to Scotland for an actual holiday, and tour around a bit so he can see more than just Edinburgh and the Lothians. The beginning of Festival time is probably one of my favourite Edinburgh times - things just warming up, not quite in full swing yet, then a taste of the real thing. I accidentally booked a table at the Kitchin for Aug 2... and then it turned out my uncle was planning a big party and my dear friend would be in town for the first look at a play-experiment based on her book (part of the Books Festival), both on the same day (Aug 12), and so a Scotland tour suddenly developed bookends in Edinburgh. The promise to S had been that he would get a 'whisky tour of Scotland', so we decided we'd need a car to get around... but then remembered how much we both dislike driving so I tried to come up with a route that would give a good taste of Scotland and take in some serious distilleries without too much driving. Along the way, I realized how long it's been since I travelled around much in Scotland, and how little I really know, since almost all my travels there have been as a kid/teenager, and usually with someone else doing the planning... In the end, we planned a few days on Islay (for max. whisky tour potential plus gorgeousness of western isles), and stops in Glencoe on the way and at Loch Tay on the way back, for a bit of highlands.

We stayed in B+Bs all the time we were travelling, then with my uncle while in Edinburgh. For the drive/hike days, we visited a big supermarket and pretty much created a larder in our car boot - we had little luggage, it was full of food+drink. Since we were heading for some slightly out of the way places, and we're both veggie, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of emergency supplies. We actually did a very good shop, and got decent food that lasted for most of our lunches and even some picnic dinners. The one thing we bought and didn't eat was bananas - we came back to Edinburgh with a full hand of week-old bananas. At that point, I decided it was about time I contributed some baking to the party preparations - there was already a gang of about 8 people staying over, so I was pretty sure some banana bread would find an audience. A quick Google found this recipe, which I doubled since there were lots of us, and made two loaves - one with walnuts, the other with chocolate (also from our uneaten car-supplies). The chocolate one baked in C's silicone loaf tin was a particular success.

olive oil
250 g self-raising flour
3 ripe bananas
2 tbsp apple juice
125 g butter (at room temperature)
2 large eggs
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp honey

Optional: 50 g chopped pecans, walnuts, or chocolate

Heat the oven to 180C/350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a loaf tin, and line the base. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl, then add the apple juice and stir. In a separate, large bowl, cream the butter, then beat in the eggs one at a time. It might look a little lumpy, but it's OK. Fold in the flour, cinnamon, honey and banana mixture until just combined. Mix in the chopped nuts or chocolate.
Dollop into the prepared loaf tin, then bake in the hot oven for around 40 min, or until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for about 10 min, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate, banana and okara muffins

So many possibilities with okara... Pondered making cornbread again. Decided to go the sweet route this time - would be nice to have a pudding option ready for S when he returned as well as salad...

Unusually had some almost overripe bananas (prob due to not modifying banana purchase quantity while S was away), so decided to follow this muffin recipe (note that site has lots of other interesting okara ideas).

(makes approx 10 muffins)

1 large banana 
1 cup okara
1/4 cup fake milk
1/4 cup veg oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 tsp baking powder 
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup chocolate chips

Heat oven to 350F. Prepare a muffin tin with liners or grease. Mash the banana in a medium bowl, then add the okara, veg oil, sugar and vanilla and beat with a fork. In a separate mixing bowl, mix the baking powder, bicarb, flours, salt and cocoa together with a fork. Add wet to dry and mix until just combined, adding in the chocolate chips in the final few strokes. Transfer mixture to prepared muffin cups (fill each ~ 2/3 full). Bake for 20-25 min, until a skewer comes out clean.


These were good. The okara does a lovely job of adding texture and moistness without doing much in the way of taste.

Açaí

S's friend Sascha has been staying with us this last week. He has been to Brazil a couple of times so was excited to find a couple of Brazilian grocery stores while roaming around the city (we had to work a bit). He came home with several forms of guarana, cashew and guava juices, and frozen açaí berry. S+I had eaten açaí once before, in Hawaii, so knew it was good and were familiar with the general format of it. But had never thought to look for it at our neighbourhood Brazilian store. It's Sascha's last day here today and at last we got around to whizzing up our açaí bowls.

(makes enough for three)

1 large packet of frozen açaí pulp
maple syrup (1-2 tbsp)
almond milk (1-2 tbsp)
~2 bananas
granola
roughly chopped strawberries (optional)
guarana powder (optional)
cacao nibs (optional)
flaked almonds (optional)
raisins (optional)

Put açaí in a blender with some maple syrup, some almond milk and one banana broken into big pieces. Blend until thick and smooth (add just enough milk to make it thick but smooth, and just enough sweetener to bring out the taste).

Scoop the açaí mixture into bowls and then add the other banana (chopped), granola, strawberries, guarana, cacao, almonds and raisins to taste. Mix up and eat.


I didn't know before that açaí is the fruit from a palm tree that is also cultivated for hearts of palm. It has a wonderfully deep, dark purple colour - almost brownish. It tastes berryish and exciting, and looks beautiful with granola and fruit scattered on top. The from-frozen preparation makes it this into a kind of intense, awesomely thick smoothie that you then pimp with fruit, nuts, granola and whatever else you fancy. The guarana and cacao will help get you going in the morning if that is what you are looking for. A delicious start to today / this week.

Coconut and banana polenta, lemongrass tofu, peanut sauce

Our vegetable supplies are getting low - the first CSA since before Christmas is due tomorrow. This was a low-veg-supply dinner that was really rather good (and very quick!).

For the tofu:
1 block super firm tofu
~4 tbsp grapeseed oil
1 tsp sesame oil
~2-3 tbsp chopped lemongrass
salt+pepper

For the polenta:
(pretty similar to this recipe; note I haven't completely settled on the right amount of liquid vs polenta)
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup polenta
1 tsp salt
~2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 banana, peeled and diced

For the peanut sauce:
1-2 tbsp peanut butter
juice of 1 lime
~2 tbsp soy sauce

Cut the tofu into cuboids ~ 6 x 2 x 2 cm and dry. Heat the oils in a frying pan and plonk the pieces of tofu in it. Cook each side for a few minutes, flipping along the long axis using a fork. When nicely browned on all sides add the lemongrass and stir-fry for a few more minutes until the lemongrass is lightly browned and crispy. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, heat the coconut milk and the water in a small saucepan. Mix the polenta and salt in a bowl. When the liquid is boiling whisk in the polenta mixture a little at a time. It will probably become thick and seem cooked almost immediately. Stir in the coriander and banana, cover, cook for a minute and then turn off the heat and let it sit and steam a little.

To make the peanut sauce mix peanut butter, lime juice and soy sauce and taste to check balance. Add some chilli sauce, maple syrup or finely chopped fresh ginger if you like.

Serve the tofu over the top of the polenta, with peanut sauce over the top or on the side.


All very simple and good, making the best of the contents of fridge, freezer and storecupboard.

Muesli muffins

I have had to come in to work before 6 am a few times lately. It doesn't make sense to eat my usual muesli breakfast in the wee, dark hours somehow. I just had a brainwave though: what if I transform the muesli into easily-portable muffin form?! It would make a great, practical breakfast for those days and for any other days when I have to have breakfast (or a snack) on the go. My basic muesli bowl contains oats, linseeds, sunflower seeds, flaked almonds, raisins, almond milk, blueberries, banana, a little cinnamon and a splash of maple syrup - I would hardly have to add anything (perhaps some raising agent; perhaps some oil but sunflower oil would effectively be covered already)...

(makes 10)

1 cup oat flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup brown sugar*
1/4 cup flaked almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbsp toasted linseeds
1 banana, mashed roughly with a fork
2 1/2 tbsp ground linseed mixed with 5 tbsp boiling water
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup almond milk
1/4 cup sunflower oil
1/4 cup frozen blueberries

Heat oven to 380F and prepare a muffin tin. Mix oat flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, flaked almonds, sunflower seeds, raisins and toasted linseeds in a medium mixing bowl with a fork. In a separate bowl, mash the banana, then add linseed-water mixture, maple syrup, almond milk, brown sugar and oil and beat together with a fork. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix until just combined, adding the blueberries in the final strokes. Dollop into prepared muffin cups and bake for ~25 min.

*consider leaving out brown sugar and increasing maple syrup


I made these exactly as above and they were dreamy. Exactly as I wanted. Seriously - perhaps one of the best recipes I have ever made up. They held together and rose excellently and were packed with deliciousness. I took them to the woods with D, K and A and we tested them, and they were good. Might reduce the sunflower seeds to 1/8 cup but apart from that wouldn't change a thing.

Edit: Also, I ate one before aerials one night and it gave me loads of energy. I think it was the muffin anyway, it might just have been adrenaline or who knows what. Will repeat the experiment.

Courgette and banana muffins / cake

This recipe demanded making immediately for several reasons: (1) yesterday was the first day in about two weeks cool enough to even countenance turning on the oven; (2) I had a hugely overripe banana looking quizzically at me; (3) I also had masses of courgettes (about eight: see double-CSA week). Oh and, I do really enjoy courgette cake.

(made 12 smallish muffins)

1 large very ripe banana
1/4 cup apple puree
1/4 cup veg oil
3/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 cup grated courgette (about 1/3 of a quite big one)
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup raisins

Heat oven to 350F. Prepare muffin or bread tin. In a large bowl, mash the banana with a fork. Add the apple puree, oil, sugar, and vanilla and mix more with the fork. Mix in the grated courgette. Add 1 cup flour, cinnamon, allspice, bicarb and salt, and mix until just combined. Toss walnuts, raisins and remaining 1/2 cup flour together, then add to the wet batter and mix until just combined. Put into the prepared bread or muffin tin and bake for ~25 min (muffins) or 50-55 min (loaf cake). Ready when golden and a skewer comes out clean (cook 10-15 min longer at 325F if it needs more time). Let cool in the tin for 10 min, then transfer to a rack to finish cooling.


These were delicious - so many good things in there! And they rose really nicely and coloured up beautifully. I had a couple of cups of apple puree frozen (that I defrosted by sitting the tub in warm water until I could scrape off 1/4 cup's worth), so this was a pretty fortuitous combination of stuff I just happened to have around the kitchen.

Banana skin cake

I came across this recipe a while ago and was intrigued. We recently had rather a lot of bananas (S+I both bought some at the same time), and I remembered about it, and decided to keep some out of the worm box and rather soak them for cake.

~4 banana skins, ends removed
water
ground linseed + boiling water (1 quantity = 1 tbsp linseed plus 2.5 tbsp boiling water)
sugar
veg oil
salt
self raising flour
yeast
cinnamon
lemon juice

Soak the banana skins in water for several days, changing the water every day, until they are soft and the water is clear (I soaked mine for 3-4 days).

Transfer the banana skins to a blender (with enough water to let it blend properly). Blend until smooth. It will be dark brown and murky. Strain, reserving both the thick puree and the thinner run-through liquid. Measure the puree (the ~4 banana skins I started with gave me 3/4 cup of puree).

Heat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, per 1 cup of puree, add 1 quantity linseed mixture, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup oil and 1 tsp salt. Beat until well incorporated. Add 1 cup of flour and 1 tbsp yeast (per 1 cup banana skin puree), and mix until just combined. Transfer the batter to prepared cake (or muffin) tin (I made muffin size, as it makes it easier to freeze and defrost portions). Bake for 30-40 min (baking time will depend on size of cake(s)), until a skewer comes out clean and it looks done.

To make a glaze from the reserved liquid, measure the volume in cups. For every cup, add 1 cup sugar. Put sugar and liquid into a saucepan. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and a few drops of lemon juice. Simmer for 10-20 min, stirring occasionally, until it is reduced by about half and thickened. It will be quite thick, but smooth, and dark brown.


I didn't really think this would be any good - made it more out of curiosity and as an exercise in using stuff up - but it is good. It's like a sticky toffee pudding, with the sauce and everything. The cakes are dense and taste rich and toffee-y (note: I used plain flour instead of SR - perhaps they would have been fluffier if I'd remembered to add baking powder). Ugly though: dark brown cake and dark brown sauce. Additions of crystallised ginger or raisins or spices might be good. I might also try using the puree similarly to pumpkin puree in other recipes.

Coconut kefir: banana, mango and coconut shake

I was excited that my kefir experiment worked (for coconut milk anyway). The coconut kefir is delicious: thick and yoghurty and still very coconutty. I have been eating it on its own, in spoonfuls; also it was wonderful with stewed rhubarb and a little granola (ie an oven-free crumble). This shake / smoothie is really simple but insanely good, especially on a hot day.

1 ripe banana
3/4 cup frozen mango pieces
3/4 cup stirred coconut kefir

Peel the banana and break chunks into a blender. Add frozen mango and coconut kefir. Blend until smooth. Made a thick shake - almost pudding consistency - and enough for small helpings for two people.

Granola (coconut, pecan, pumpkin seed, banana)

I'd never even considered making granola before, because I prefer muesli and it's so much quicker to make. But S has been buying granola quite regularly of late, and he likes it, so I wanted to try making it for him...

There are lots of granola recipes out there. It seems to be one of those things where you can just chuck a bunch of stuff together and it will work out. I looked at a lot of recipes: here, here, here, here... And then got a little overwhelmed, decided all I needed was some oats and seeds, a little fat, stickiness and sweetness, and some time in the oven, and made something up from there.

3 cups oats (old-fashioned)
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/8 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1/3 cup pecan pieces
good pinch (1/4 tsp) desert (or sea) salt
1-2 tsp mahlab
1-2 tbsp ground linseed
1 1/4 large, ripe bananas
3 tbsp coconut oil (liquid state)
3 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp carob molasses
1 tbsp date molasses

Heat the oven to 350F. Mix the oats, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, coconut, pecans, salt, mahlab and ground linseed in a medium bowl. Put the bananas, coconut oil, maple syrup, carob molasses and date molasses in a blender and blend until smooth. Add this liquidy mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with your hands until well combined. Spread onto two baking sheets (with edges) and put in the oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes, taking out every 10 minutes or so to move the granola around with a wooden spoon and check it is not burning. When it is well browned it is done. Take it out of the oven and allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container to store.


Notes:
This makes a delicious, toasty granola. But I always love the big, stuck-together lumps in granola the best. So ever since first making this I have been trying to figure out how to make a lumpier version - I tried dehydrating, which kind-of worked. My latest experiment involved chucking in a bit of psyllium seed husk and using a lower temperature (300F), which maybe helped a little bit but not that much.
This recipe allows for endless variations. I made a pumpkin granola by subbing pumpkin puree for the banana and using pumpkin spice, which came out delicious. Pretty much everything can be varied. But I do love this combination - toasted pecans, pumpkin seeds, coconut, sesame, banana and maple make a wonderful granola. I cannot express how much I love oats.

Halloween pumpkin: from owl to curry (with banana)

I can never bring myself to choose between carving a pumpkin and eating it. Thus, last night after I biked home a long way round to pass through the trick or treating heaven (hell?) that is Brook St (featuring skeleton ship's captain at the wheel and circling red-eyed bats), in a fit of Halloween slasherdom, I butchered the owl I carved out of a tiny pumpkin last week at Mariah's, and it became curry.

The recipe I noted down from Meghan's pumpkin recipe book, which she brought in to inspire us ahead of our pumpkin-themed happy hour.

3 tbsp veg oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp ground coriander seed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 small pumpkin (1 1/4 lb), seeds, peel and guts removed, cut into cubes
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
2 dried red chillies
1 1/4 cups veg stock
1 3/4 cups cooked chickpeas
1 large, underripe banana
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp tamarind paste

Heat 2 tbsp oil, add the onion, garlic and ginger and fry for ~5 min, until the onion is browned. Add the ground spices and stir-fry for a minute or two more, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, chillies and stock to the pan and simmer for 15 min.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan, add the cubed pumpkin and fry for 5 min, until lightly browned. Add the pumpkin to the tomato mixture with the chickpeas, cover and cook for 20 min.

Peel the banana, slice thickly and stir in to the pan 5 min before the end. Lastly, add salt, sugar and tamarind, taste for seasoning and add the fresh coriander before serving.


I followed the recipe loosely: I figured it was that kind of recipe.  I wasn't sure what type the pumpkin was, but in curry the taste of the pumpkin is not all that important so I figured it would be fine either way.  It came out very pretty and equally tasty: a good balance of sweet/spicy/savoury/hot.  It was slightly fierier than I intended, due to my new jar of 'red pepper flakes' in fact being chilli pepper, but it was just about on the good side still.  We ate it with cumin rice.  And E Nesbit's ghost stories on Radio 4.

Best banana muffins

Our bananas have been going brown faster than we can eat them - I've frozen some, dehydrated some, and now felt like baking with some.  I've been through a few iterations of banana muffins (this one, this one, this one), trying to figure out what works best.  I think these are the best yet, and the simplest.  Based on this recipe.

Makes 12

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup veg oil
3 very ripe bananas, mashed unevenly
1/4 cup almond milk, mixed with 1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped


Heat oven to 350F.  Prepare muffin tin.  Mix flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl with a fork. In a separate bowl, beat together the sugars and the veg oil.  Mix in the bananas, fake milk and vanilla.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry.  Mix until just combined, adding the walnuts in the final strokes.  Spoon into prepared muffin cups and bake for 35-40 minutes.


These are good - I like the simplicity - it's just bananas, walnuts and vanilla, and I think it works.

Banana walnut muffins

I have made banana muffins before (especially during the great banana glut of Spring 2011), but felt like trying a slightly different recipe, especially after getting into a discussion with Katy about banana muffin making and the best baking fats the other day - it seemed obvious that coconut oil was the best option, with its combination of tastiness, vegan-ness and melt-in-the-mouth-ness.  Plus its tropical-ness makes it a natural partner for bananas.

Based these on this ppk recipe.

1 1/4 cups plain flour
3/4 cup wholemeal flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
3 ripe bananas
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup fake milk plus 1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp vanilla essence
~1/4 cup walnuts, broken into pieces

Heat oven to 350F.  Mix dry ingredients (first 7) with a fork in a mixing bowl.  Mash the bananas roughly in a separate bowl.  Mix the fake milk and vinegar in the measuring cup.  Bring the coconut oil to melting temperature (the warm side of room temp - I did this by putting the jar in hot water as you would for crystallised honey).  Add the fake milk mix, coconut oil and vanilla to the bananas and mix.  Add the wet to dry and mix til just combined.  Add walnuts and mix briefly and gently.

Prepare muffin tins with liners or grease, then add the mixture.  Bake for 25-30 min, until lightly browned and a skewer comes out clean.  Allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.


These came out nice and banana-y.  Felt like they could do with a bit more texture though - perhaps add oats another time, and/or raisins or chocolate chunks.  Also I found the coconut smell / flavour a little overbearing.  Maybe I'll just go back to veg oil.