Chocolate Chocolate Banana Bread

DRY

2 cups flour (spelt or white or wheat or combo)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt 

1/2 cup cacao powder

WET

1/3 cup oil OR milk of choice
1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup + 1 TB agave or pure maple syrup or honey
1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice OR 2 tsp white vinegar
2+ cups tightly-packed, mashed banana, measured after mashing

ADD INS
2/3 cups chocolate chips OR carob chips

2/3 cups chopped walnuts

2/3 cups oats
1/4 cup flaxmeal


Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine dry ingredients, and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients and mix into dry. (Mix by hand, and don’t overmix.)
Stir in additional add-ins of choice.
Pour into a greased loaf pan
Bake 40-50 minutes, depending on how gooey you want it.

If the top is cooked but the inside is still gooey, put tin foil over the top and continue to cook.
Let cool for ten minutes before slicing. After the first day, this bread is best stored in the fridge. Or cut it into slices and freeze for later. A variation on this. 

Peanut Butter Cups

Goodness from https://eatplaylovemore.com/2013/12/02/crazy-good-diy-peanut-butter-cups/.

Chocolate
1/2 cup cacao powder
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
pinch of sea salt

Peanut Butter Filling
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
pinch of sea salt
Coconut Oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Line a muffin tin with medium muffin cups.
2. Using a double boiler whisk the ingredients to make the chocolate until melted.
3. Once melted, scoop about a tbsp into the bottom of each muffin cup. Put remaining chocolate aside.
4. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
5. While chocolate is firming up place peanut butter filling ingredients in clean double boiler. Depending on oil content of peanut butter, you may wish to add coconut oil to make it more fluid.
6. Once melted, layer the peanut butter with the set chocolate cups from freezer. Place in freezer for 10 minutes to firm up.
7. Once the peanut butter layer is firm, top with another layer of (remaining) chocolate. You may need to reheat this to make it easier to spread.
8. Place back in freezer until set. 
9. Store in freezer or fridge to maintain shape. 

Cashew Kale Chips

Raw, vegan kale chips even the toddler of the house loves.

Ingredients:
1 huge bunch of organic kale
1 1/2 cups cashews (soaked at least 2 hours)
1 organic red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3-4 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
3 TB nutritional yeast
1 TB Bragg's liquid aminos (optional; if using, omit sea salt)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (or fresh turmeric)
1/2 tsp Hawaiian sea salt

Equipment:
Dehydrator
Food processor

Directions:
Wash and dry kale; remove stems.
In food processor, blend all other ingredients until smooth.
Working in batches, massage kale and seasoning paste in large bowl until evenly coated.
Place kale in single layer on dehydrator trays. Dehydrate 6 or more hours.

Yard Cake

This "Yard Cake" is mixed right in the baking pan. It's our local adaptation of this Jamaica Cake.

Ingredients
1 cup raw cane sugar
1 1/2 cups coconut oil
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts
3 cups white whole wheat flour
3 bananas, peeled and diced (or previously diced, frozen, and thawed)
3 beaten eggs
2 sliced fruits from the yard with juice - mango, papaya, or 1 pineapple (optional: sweeten with agave nectar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions

Mix together sugar, oil, nuts, and flour in a 13 x 9 inch pan. Stir in the eggs, bananas, fruit with juice, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix well but do not mash fruits. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 50 minutes or until cake tests done.

Dust with powdered sugar when cool. Serve straight up, a la mode, or with cream cheese frosting.

Stuffed Swiss Chard

From The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics
Meatless Main Dishes

This is a great recipe to play with.  I used cashews instead of pine nuts, Swiss chard thick stems instead of leeks, and Parmesan instead of provolone.

I also had extra stuffing, so I stuffed a couple peppers and popped them in the oven with the Swiss chard bundles.

Kale Pesto

From the "why didn't I think of that" files...  Kale Pesto! A surprisingly delicious way to eat raw greens. Savory on pasta or even as a cracker spread. Thanks, Blondie!

Ingredients:
about 3 giant kale leaves, washed, stems removed
1/2 C sliced almonds
toasted 3 cloves garlic
1/2 t kosher salt
1 t red pepper flakes (or less if you want less bite)
2/3 C EVOO + more
1/2 C Parmesan cheese

Directions:
In the bowl of your food processor with blade inserted, toss in kale, almonds, garlic, salt, pepper flakes, EVOO, and parmesan. Blend/puree until a thick paste forms. Add EVOO to help the texture along until a puree-like paste forms. The almond pieces should be pulverized, and not noticeable.

Fresh Heart of Palm Salad

1 cucumber, seeds removed, cubed
1 carrot, grated
1 stem fresh heart of palm, sliced
cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
dash of sesame seeds

Mix.  Refrigerate.  Devour.

Getting Juicy with Watermelon

Nothing better than fresh watermelon juice on a hot day.

The first time I had fresh watermelon juice was at an Indian restaurant in Honolulu.  I was immediately hooked on its "coolness."  To make it at home, I puree seedless watermelon chunks with a couple ice cubes in my Ninja food processor.

Real Basil Cheesecake

Frequently I find myself wondering "what to do with all this basil..."  Here's a novel solution, thanks to the Madison Herb Society Cookbook.

The portion that fit within the crust became cheesecake.  The leftover cream cheese mix was baked in a square Pyrex pan, removed from pan and cut into bite-sized squares, and frozen...  then served as Frozen Cheesecake Bites.

Soba Noodles with Tofu, Avocado, and Snow Peas

Find Martha Stewart's recipe online at http://www.wholeliving.com/132416/soba-noodles-tofu-avocado-and-snow-peas.
Sub Sesame Oil for Vegetable Oil.
Please use organic tofu (safer soy).  More on that here.