Wheat Free Banana Bread with Cashew Cream

I've been looking for ideas for things I can bake to go in Seb's Lunch box. I want to make sure he gets a nice filling, sweet treat every now and again but don't always want to send him off with conventional baked goods full of processed sugar and flour. Here's a recipe I came up with last week for a modified Banana bread that I can officially call a resounding success! I used brown rice flour and spelt flour instead of processed white flour. Coconut Oil instead of butter and coconut palm sugar instead of processed white sugar. I baked it last Thursday and it stayed moist and yummy in a sealed container for almost a week with a slice a day going off to school with Seb.  Result! 

I would have added walnuts or pecans but at the time I wasn't sure if there were any nut allergies in Seb's class so I left them out. I've since found out there are no allergies to worry about so I will definitely add them in next time. 

I made some cashew cream to top it off and enjoyed the odd slice myself with a bit of chopped banana and a wee sprinkle off bee pollen. Lovely with a cup of tea in the afternoon!

Banana Bread Ingredients

• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup dates (chopped)
• 4 large eggs
• 2 cups bananas (mashed, very ripe, about 4)
• 3/4 cup Coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 11/2 cups brown rice flour
• 1/2 cup Spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup Coconut oil (melted)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. 
   
2. 1. Preheat oven to 350°. Pour 1 cup boiling water over dates in a small bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
3. 2. Lightly beat eggs with a whisk in a large bowl. Whisk in bananas and next 3 ingredients until blended.
4. 3. Stir together brown rice flour and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Gently stir flour mixture into egg mixture, stirring just until blended. Gently stir in melted coconut oil, walnuts, and dates. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 9 x 5 inch loaf pan.
5. 4. Bake at 350° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan to wire rack, and cool completely (about 1 hour).

Cashew Cream Ingredients

1 cup of raw cashews 

1/2 – 3/4 cup of filtered water (add more water according to consistency desired)

2-4 Tbsp. honey or pure maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  Soak the cashews in filtered water for 3 hrs or more then strain.

2.   Add the cashews and fresh filtered water to the blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

3.   Add remaining ingredients then blend until smooth.

Scrummy simple spelt pancakes...

Holy moly these were good! Just looking at the picture is making me want more!!
Seb requested pancakes and Daddy wasn't home.  He's usually the go-to man for pancakes you see and is known to whip up a dozen with barely a second to think about it. He does make a particularly good pancake but he's a old school crepe man of the lemon and sugar club and I decided to go for the full on big fat and fluffy american style pancake mountain smothered in maple syrup and topped with a good heap of blueberries. It was breakfast heaven my friends and I was PROUD of myself!

I used Spelt flour, (more on the wonders of spelt here) which combined with a good heap of blueberries and a dash of maple syrup means these pancakes are feeding you all kinds of nutritional wonders as well as tasting just about as good as breakfast can taste.

Here's the recipe...make them today!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups of spelt flour
2 tbspn sugar
3/4 tspn salt
1tbspn baking powder
2 tbspn coconut oil (or butter) melted
1 3/4 cups milk or nut milk
1 tspn vanilla extract optional

METHOD

*Whisk together the spelt flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

*Combine milk and melted coconut oil (or butter) and vanilla.

*Form a well in the flour, pour wet ingredients into dry. Stir the batter until just thoroughly moistened.

*let batter sit for 15 mins to thicken. 

*Heat a very lightly oiled skillet or heavy pan until a drop of water splutters across the surface then spoon in batter 1/4 cup full at a time. 

*When just beginning to set, flip and cook for about another minute. 

You will probably need to adjust the temperature of your pan to get it nice golden pancakes (my first two where blackened and didn't make the cut! Ooops.)

Oh and because Neil missed out he made me make them again for lunch....this time with bacon! Oh naughtiness!

Have good day folks!
x

Maple Cranberry Spelt Muffins....yummy and good for you!!

As you might already know I've been experimenting in the world of nutritious, wholesome eating of late and was feeling like I needed to make up for my not-so-healthy-but-ridiculously-easy pumpkin muffins from the other day. Being made with instant cake mix ( i.e lots of sugar, white wheat flour and goodness knows what else) they don't really fit into the "wholesome" or "good for you" category. So to make amends I give you....a healthy muffin! 

The biggest difference is that these are made with Spelt flour. What is Spelt? You may ask...well, Spelt is an ancient grain with a deep, nutty flavour that has experienced an increase in popularity in North America. Spelt is a distant cousin to wheat, and while it can be used in many of the same ways as wheat, it does not seem to cause sensitivities in most people who are intolerant of wheat (however, it does contain gluten). Spelt is full of nutrients and because of it's water solubility, these nutrients are quickly absorbed into the body. It is an excellent source of vitamin B2, a very good source of manganese, and a good source of niacin, thiamin, and copper. The combination of nutrients provided by spelt may make it a particularly helpful food for folks who suffer from migraine headaches, atherosclerosis, or diabetes. It also tastes yummy.

The recipe (adapted from enlightened cooking)
You can find spelt flour at health food stores, but also in most supermarkets (that includes tiny towns, such as mine) in the health food section (you should find an alternative flour section). Once purchased, I recommend storing the spelt flour in the refrigerator (airtight bag or container) to best preserve its flavor and nutritional value.

Store the cooled muffins in an airtight bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days; freeze any extras for up to 1 month.

Preheat oven to 425°F
12-cup muffin tin, greased
Makes 12 muffins

2-1/4 cups spelt flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used coconut oil for a bit of extra goodness :)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-1/4 cups milk
1/2 cup cranberries (I used frozen in my for a bit of extra tang but the original recipe used dried)

1. Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl
2. Whisk the eggs, oil, maple syrup and vanilla in a medium bowl until blended. Whisk in the milk.
3. Mix the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just blended. Gently stir in the cranberries.
4. Divide the batter equally among the prepared muffin cups.
5. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until muffins are golden and a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in the tins 3 minutes, then remove.




 I loved them and personally prefer muffins like these that aren't ridiculously sweet, but you could up the amount of maple syrup if you have sweeter tooth. Maple syrup is a whole lot better for you than plain old refined sugar!

The kiddies certainly enjoyed them especially Seb who dunked his in milk and then shouted "mummy! You have GOT to try this!" Hehehe!

Yum!