5 Star Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

5 Star Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

PREP TIME: 25 minutes     COOK TIME:  50 minutes to 1 hour

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Buckwheat, commonly thought of as a grain, is in fact a fruit seed, closely related to rhubarb. It contains nutritious components that protect against disease by extending the action of vitamin C and by acting as an antioxidant. 

It took me a long time to tweak this recipe – I wanted a truly tasty banana bread with healthy fats, no refined sugar, dairy and gluten free. I usually double up this recipe and freeze one for later as it’s very popular! A good tip is to use up all your overripe bananas; I put my overripe bananas in the freezer and pull them out a few hours before starting to bake so they come up to room temperature. 

Wet ingredients

½ cup coconut sugar  
¾ cup coconut oil
5 large bananas
3 organic egg

Dry ingredients

3/4 cup each of buckwheat flour and brown rice flour (1.5 cups in total)
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup good dairy-free quality chocolate chips (I like ‘Camino’ brand)

 LET'S COOK!

1. Set the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf tin with coconut oil, or use unbleached parchment paper to line the tin, I find this makes it easier to lift out!

2. In the food processor, mix together all the wet ingredients well, then add the dry ingredients in (I never bother to sieve the baking soda and flour together before I add it and it comes out perfectly fine).

3. Pulse to combine – don’t over mix at this point

4. Cook for 50-1 hour in the middle of the oven or until a skewer comes out clean. (Note: it can take up to one hour and 15 minutes to cook, especially if you were using frozen bananas that have not fully defrosted!)

5. Leave it to cool down on a wire rack before taking it out of the loaf time. Be ready for the hordes!

Super Seed Loaf

PREP TIME: 25 MINUTES   COOK TIME: 45-50 MINUTES 

I’ve wanted to create a gluten-free nut/seed loaf for some time and ended up picking one of Toronto’s hottest days to experiment– no accounting for timing! I love the fact that this loaf contains an array of protein filled nuts and seeds, with a European twist on taste, thanks to the addition of fennel seeds and fennel powder. If you are not a fan of fennel, just leave it out and add your own favourite herb – such as basil.  Just be aware that like any ‘bread’, it does require time to ‘rest’ so make sure you factor this into your timing.

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Cashew nuts are a great nut choice - they have a lower fat content than most other nuts with 3/4's of their total fat being from oleic acid which promotes heart health.  

INGREDIENTS

I heaping cup cashew nuts
2 cups pumpkin seeds
¾ cups sunflower seeds
1¼ cups brown rice flour
3 tablespoons psyllium husks (ground)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons chia seeds (whole)
1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1.5 teaspoons Celtic sea salt
3 teaspoons of dried rosemary
1 teaspoon each of dried marjoram and oregano
2 ½ cups water
Sprinkle of oats

 LET'S COOK!

1. Put your cashew nuts and pumpkin seeds in the food processor (not blender or you will get a soggy mess) and grind them up until they have a ‘floury’ appearance – usually takes around 2 minutes.

2. Pour them into a large mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients, except the water and mix together.

3. Next, add the water, stirring it around - the mixture will be pretty thick and heavy which is what you are looking for.

4. Leave to rest for 1 hour on the counter - this allows the psyllium husks to absorb all the water and act as a 'binding agent'.

5. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper (preferably chlorine free) or grease with avocado oil (it has a smoke point over 400F).

6. Spoon the thick, gooey mixture into loaf pan and with clean hands, press the mixture down evenly into the loaf pan and finally sprinkle with oats for a rustic touch.

7. Slide it into the oven for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until your knife comes out clean, then place the pan on a wire rack to cool - if you try lifting it out before it has cooled you might have a Super Seed mess! Meanwhile, whilst the smell of delicious Super Seed Loaf wafts around your kitchen, grab your favorite toppings ready for spreading!

Mediterranean Olive Dip

PREP TIME: 10 minutes.  BLEND TIME: 5 minutes

I created this dip for one of my ‘nukery’ (nutrition+cooking) classes to pair with my Herby Almond crackers. It’s a delicious, savoury creamy dip that has an intense flavour, making it nearly impossible to resist! I love it as a perfect last minute throw-together when friends drop over unexpectedly OR for a stress-free dinner party appetiser; I made a double batch for a recent dinner party and before my girlfriends and I could get to it, the men had polished it off! 

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Olives are rich in phytonutrients that provide antioxidant and anti-inflamatory nutrients which help protect our bodies.

Olives are also a good source of phytoestrogens which play a part in balancing our hormonal system, helping with menopausal symptoms. 

Ingredients

1 cup black olives, pitted
1 garlic clove
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoon dulse flakes
1 teaspoon chia seeds (ground or whole)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon Celtic sea salt

Let’s Blend!

1. Place all the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend for a minute or two until the dip is smooth and creamy. And that’s it!

Immunity Salad Dressing

PREP TIME:  5-8 minutes     

Nutritional Bites

Miso is a fermented food (good bacteria) most commonly made out of soybeans but you can find other yummy miso flavors in the fridge of your health food store such as chickpea (chickpea is my current fav) and brown rice miso.  It comes in the form of a paste which I find very handy for adding to my cooled soups, on top of beans (hold the grated cheese) and as I’m doing here, into salad dressings.

*Only add miso to cool and cold foods. If you add it to a hot dish, such as soup, you will kill the good bacteria! Of course it will still taste good but you will have wasted its marvelous immunity properties!! 

This recipe is a nifty way to add this incredible immunity-boosting food to your daily diet!

Ingredients

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup + 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon of miso paste (I like to use Chickpea miso as it has a delicious sweetness)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
½ teaspoon of Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon fine Celtic sea salt

BRIT BEET tip:  I rarely make my salad dressings in the blender – too much washing-up!  It’s so handy just to use a mason jar with a lid, along with your own power arm! (It’s a good lympathic workout too!)

Let’s Emulsify!

1. Measure out the lemon juice and olive oil into a small mason jar.

2. On your cutting board, mix the minced garlic, mustard and salt into a paste then add this to the lemon juice and olive oil.

3. Lastly, add in the miso paste and mix everything around well with a small fork.

4. Screw on the lid and shake the jar until your dressing is smooth and creamy. (Remember to shake well each time you use it as it may have separated.)

Luscious Lemony Hummus

PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES.    SERVES: 6

Honestly, I make this hummus most weekends and it comes out at dinner parties and when I'm asked to bring 'a dish'. It has a crisp, lemon tinge and is choked with nutrients,  just the way I like it. 

NUTRITIONAL BITES

Garbanzo beans are a fabulous source of insoluble fibre and support the health of colon cells, helping to lower our risk of colon cancer

Tahini paste or as it is more commonly known, sesame seed paste is a high source of calcium for strong teeth and bones (excellent for growing kids) and at 20% complete protein, it rivals nuts in the protein department, helping to boost our energy levels

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
2 tablespoons of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
3 tablespoons of water
Zest of 1 lemon (organic, preferably as we are using the skin) 
Juice of 1 lemon
1-2 garlic cloves (depending on how garlicky you like it!)
1 tablespoon of tahini paste (sesame seed paste) 
1 tablespoon of hemp seeds (boosts Omega-3 content)
½ tablespoon of sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast (great 'cheesy' flavour punch & source of B vitamins)
1 teaspoon of Celtic sea salt

LET’S COOK!

1. Zest and juice the lemon and put in a small dish

2. Mince the garlic cloves and add to the lemon zest and juice

3. Place the olive oil, water, lemon zest and juice and garlic cloves in blender or food processor

4. Next add the chickpeas, tahini paste, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast and sea salt

5. Blend up until you have a creamy, smooth consistency. If it is too thick, add more water - a tablespoon at a time and blend again

6. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with paprika and a little EVOO