The Whole Wheat

My pregnancy is approaching its end – and I have hope that even in the sleep deprived early weeks of motherhood I will want to cook *something*!  Until then however, my doctor has required me to just rest and do as little as possible – even cooking.  So when I just needed a baked goodie today, and 3 bananas were ready to be mashed up, I knew I needed a super quick and simple recipe to satisfy both myself and my doctor!

This recipe is a great jumping off point for banana bread – add chocolate chips or blueberries, mix up the spices, just make it your own.  And enjoy!  The hard part is waiting an hour for it to bake…

Ingredients:

• 3 to 4 ripe bananas
• 1/4 c melted butter
• 1 c sugar (I used 1/2 brown sugar and 1/2 white)
• 1 1/2 c flour (this is a great place to sub in a 1/2 c. of spelt or other different flour)
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 t baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Prep a bread pan baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
2. Place bananas in a medium mixing bowl and smash with a fork or potato masher.  The more smooshy and smooth the better.
3. Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl and combine.
4. Transfer batter to the bread baking dish and into the oven.
5. Cook about 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool several minutes then remove from pan and allow to continue cooling.  Bread is delicious warm but try not to burn yourself!

These waffles get their great color from the little bit of molasses in them.  The molasses also adds a wonderful depth of flavor and really livens up this breakfast treat!

Mixing the types of flour and adding a bit of molasses actually makes these so much healthier and more satisfying.  I foresee more frequent waffle weekends in our house now! 

Ingredients:

• 1 c. spelt flour
• 1 c. all-purpose flour (or use 2 c. all-purpose)
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 1/2 t. baking soda
• 1/4 t. ground nutmeg (opt.)
• 1/2 – 1 t. ground cinnamon (opt.)
• 1 T. molasses
• 1 c. + yogurt or sour cream (up to 1 1/2 c. – modify milk as needed)
• 1/2 c. milk (I like almond milk (a nut milk) but feel free to use soy or cow milk
• 2 eggs, seperated
• 4 T. butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat waffle iron & lightly brush with canola oil or spray with cooking spray.
2. In one bowl combine dry ingredients.
3. In another bowl, combine molasses, yogurt, milk, and egg yolks. Stir in cooled butter.
4. Beat egg whites until they have soft peaks.
5. Combine wet & dry ingredients, mixing lightly.  Gently fold in egg whites.
6. Spoon or ladle the batter onto the hot waffle iron.  You may need to gently spread to cover evenly.  Waffles will cook for 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve immediately!  I like them with maple syrup or raw honey, fresh fruit, and maybe a touch of whipped cream if you want to splurge! 

Ahh muffins – what could be nicer on a weekend morning? These muffins come together so nicely and bake in only 20 minutes or so. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. instant espresso powder
• 1 1/4 c. almond milk (or rice, soy, etc.)
• 1/2 c. canola oil
• 1 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. chopped chocolate (or chocolate chips)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Sift together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the espresso powder.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together milk, oil and vanilla.
4. Pour wet ingredients into the dry and mix until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in chocolate pieces.
5. Either line a muffin tin with paper cups, or lightly oil them. Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full. Bake 18-25 minutes until the center comes out clean when tested with a toothpick.

Note: original recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance – great book!

Few things are more fun on a weekend morning than a breakfast taco! Yesterday we spent the morning wandering around the always-impressive Saturday Ferry Building Farmer’s Market. We found the most fantastic stall with fresh tortillas, an amazing pumpkin seed dip, and tamales – even vegan tamales!  We had to pick up all of these items when we were there – and I was anxiously awaiting getting to eat them!

This morning, since it is Sunday and I do have the time, I decided to make one our favorite breakfast dishes – these tacos. This was the first time I have used tofu for an egg dish but I really liked the results.  The flavor and texture were very similar to scrambled eggs. I also loved that I was able to stuff them full of veggies – what a great way to start the day.

Ingredients:

• 2 small potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• chili powder & cumin
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 pound firm or extra firm tofu
• 1 roma tomato
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 small can of green chilies
• 3 T. nutritional yeast (opt.)
• pumpkin dip or salsa
• tortillas

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Salt then add the cubed potatoes. Cook for 2 minutes then drain. Return to hot pan, sprinkle about 1-2 t. olive oil, a dash of salt, pepper, chili powder, and cumin. Mix well.
2. Transfer potatoes to a small baking dish or pan. Set under broiler for about 5 minutes or until nicely browned.
3. Heat a non-stick pan over med-high. Add about 2 t. of olive oil. Cook onion until softened about 3 minutes. Add red bell pepper and zucchini, cook another 5 minutes.
4. Crumble the tofu directly into the pan. Continue cooking and stirring for about 2 minutes.
5. Either make a quick salsa by finely chopping the garlic and tomato, or simply use a prepared salsa you like. Add to tofu scramble.
6. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast, add potatoes and green chilies. Cook several more minutes until warmed thru.
7. Serve immediately with any sides desired: salsa, tortillas, green onions, pumpkin dip, etc.

Basic recipe from Tofu 1-2-3 by Maribeth Abrams.