Gluten-Free Banana Bread

I have been gluten-free since about age 9, not having bread is nothing new to me. And honestly, most times I don’t miss it.  Truth be told, I really only “crave” bread when I make a grilled cheese for the hubs. Some one needs to invent a gluten-free, dairy-free version of that sammy 😉 Not that it would taste remotely like the real thing…. but I’m here to tell you about banana bread.

I guess I lied earlier, banana bread is one thing I tend to miss too. There is an easy fix for that – the recipe below.  There are always ‘nanners in my house but they rarely go unused long enough to make good banana bread. So when I had a bunch ripen much faster than I expected, it was the first sign that I should treat myself to making a loaf. The second sign came a few days later when I found out a friend’s mom just eliminated gluten from her diet. For those who have gone gluten-free later in life, you know how challenging the transition is. Old habits die hard, carb habits die much harder. Since I almost never finish a loaf by myself and sharing gluten-free banana bread with those who can have the real things is sac-religious, I knew my friend’s mom needed this little glimmer of hope in her new gluten-free life.

New recipes always bear fun little surprises. Either I read the original recipe incorrectly or my tweaking to it created more batter. In any case, coming back into the kitchen from folding laundry to find my banana bread was overflowing from the loaf pan was not a fun surprise. With some quick maneuvering, I was able to save my oven from being a mess and get a bonus  mini loaf of ‘nanner bread.

The texture and flavor is awesome, life is good, and it’s Friday.

The original recipe is at this link: http://tiaskitchen.com/gluten-free-banana-bread-dairy-free-and-vegan/

{Gluten-free Banana Bread}

[Ingredients]

• 2 cups Gluten-free Flour blend (I used Kinnikinnick’s Bread flour)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 TBSP cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 medium, very ripe, bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

[Directions]

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Mash bananas. I used my KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment on low.
3. Add brown sugar and mix until just combined being careful not to overmix.
4. Add egg, oil, and vanilla. Mix until just combined, again being cautious not to overmix.
5. In a separate bowl, combine GF flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
6. Add dry ingredients to wet in increments of about 1 cup at a time. Mix in dry to wet until moistened then add next cup of dry mixture. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated into the wet.
7. Pour 3/4 of batter into a greased loaf pan. Pour remainder into a greased smaller loaf pan or any other oven safe receptacle.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes. I covered mine just over halfway through with foil to prevent the top from being too dark.
9. Cool in pan for about 10 minutes then transfer to cooling rack.

Cheers,

Danielle

French Toast Protein Pancakes

I have so many recipes to share with you this week I barely knew where to start.  Since we haven’t yet reached noon and it is Monday, I find it fitting to start with my new breakfast recipe.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, obviously 🙂 and did some tweaking to it.

I made these pancakes for Daniel Saturday morning and I enjoyed the leftovers Sunday night.  Dan loved them right off the griddle and I thought they reheated very well. Dan topped his with maple syrup while I opted for a creamy topping of cashew and peanut butter.

I made plain pancakes but they would great with chocolate chips, banana, strawberries, blueberries, or toasted coconut mixed it!

{French Toast Protein Pancakes}

[Ingredients]

• 2 scoops Vanilla Protein powder
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/2 large banana
• 1 TBSP milk of choice
• 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

[Directions]

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth.
2. Allow batter to set up for about 5 minutes in blender.
3. Warm skillet over medium heat and grease lightly.
4. Pour batter on warm skillet and cook on each side about 2-4 minutes.
5. Top with fresh fruit, greek yogurt, syrup, nut butter, or whatever else and enjoy!

Cheers,

Danielle

Roasted Chickpeas – Chex Mix Style

We all have our weakness(es) in our healthy eating habits. Mine are coffee creamer and salt.

Homemade Chex Mix is one of those foods where portion control easily goes to the wind.  After feeling rather guilty of my over indulgence, I started brain storming how to enjoy the flavor of chex mix without having to eat all the empty carbs.

Enter Chickpeas. Roasted chickpea recipes are all over the internet and are a great snack.

I used the spices in the chex mix recipe on the chickpeas, roasted for about 40 minutes, and savored the yummy treat knowing my snack was protein and fiber filled!

{Chex Chickpeas}

[Ingredients]

• 1 can of chickpeas
• 2 dashes of Worcester sauce
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt

[Directions]

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Rinse chickpeas with cool water.
3. Spray baking sheet with non stick spray and place rinsed chickpeas on sheet and dash beans with Worcester sauce.
4. In a small bowl, combine spices – mixing well to combine. Sprinkle over beans.
5. Place in oven for 40 minutes or until crispy.

Cheers,

Danielle

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

Better late than never.  I meant to write this post yesterday but got caught up with clients at work then had an hour drive home. At any rate, you’ll find a scrumptious recipe for overnight oats.

The recipe uses both old fashion oats (aka rolled oats) and steel cut which got me thinking about the difference between the two.

All oatmeal starts out as the whole oat groat. To give the oats their nutty flavor, the oat groats undergo a heating and cooling process.

Next, the oats groats are then roughly chopped to make what we call Steel Cut or Irish oats. Rolled/Old Fashioned/Instant oats are furthered processed to achieve the thin flaky oats.

Rolled oats are made through steaming, rolling, then again steaming the oat groats. Finally, the oats are toasting and you are left with a flat oat flake.

Steel cut oats are just slightly more nutrient dense then rolled oats. A 1/4 cup of Irish oats pack 4 gram of fiber – twice as much as what the same portion of rolled oats contain. The higher fiber and protein content, as well as greater surface area of the steel cut oats, will keep you feeling fuller for a longer period of time as your body works to break down the oats. The longer digestion period means that steel cut oats are lower on the glycemic index than rolled oats.

Both types of oats contain antioxidant rich B and E vitamins which help your cells function properly. In addition, oatmeal is a good source of iron, calcium and potassium.

All in all, oatmeal is a great whole grain to incorporate in to your diet. A bowl of oatmeal will keep your tummy full & your blood sugar from spiking. Oatmeal may also help lower your risk of heart disease as it is full of soluble fiber which inhibits the absorption of cholesterol and helps to lower LDL. Containing good amounts of calcium and potassium, oatmeal will also aid in blood pressure control. Because it is low on the glycemic index, meaning it does not create a dramatic rise in your blood glucose, oatmeal has been said to stave off diabetes.

Now that you know how great oatmeal is, whip up a dish of the baked oatmeal!

Aunt Natalie’s Famous Baked Oatmeal

{Ingredients}

• 1 cup steel cut oats – soaked overnight in 1 cup milk
• 2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup melted butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (or more) blueberries

{Directions}

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 9×13 baking dish with PAM, set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, add 1 cup of milk to 1 cup of steel cut oats. Seal bowl & let soak overnight.
3. Using a large bowl, combine soaked steel cut oats, old fashioned oats, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Beat eggs then add with melted butter and vanilla extract.
5. Gently fold in fruit then pour mixture into baking dish.
6. Bake for 40 minutes. Oatmeal can be served right away or eaten once cool.

Cheers,

Danielle

Dark Chocolate Man Candy

Sweet & Salty. Chocolatey & Savory.

This treat comes together in a few simple steps and is sure to impress any one who tries it.

{Peanut Bacon Bark}
[Ingredients]
• 2 cups dark chocolate chips
• 5-6 strips of cooked bacon
• 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

[Directions]
1. Cook bacon at 375F until crispy. Using paper towel, pat off any extra grease.
2. Melt dark chocolate in a saucepan over low heat.
3. Place peanuts in a Ziplock bag, try to remove as much air from the bag as possible. Using a rolling pin, gently crush the peanuts into smaller pieces.
4. Mix crushed peanuts into melted chocolate.
5. Set aside one piece of bacon then roughly chop the rest. Mix bacon in with the chocolate and peanuts.
6. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper then spread the chocolate mixture over the cookie sheet to your desired thickness.
7. Finely chop reserved piece of bacon and sprinkle over the top of your bark.

I made this bark for my dad’s gift basket! The other items included are his favorite beer, my pesto bacon loaf, and a rocks glass made in Michigan. My dad is the hardest person to shop for so I’m hoping he is as excited about his as I am!

Wishing you a very happy & delicious Christmas!

Cheers,
Danielle