Banana Walnut Brownie Bread

I just got a nikon coolpix p100 camera the other day! I'm calling it an early high school graduation present from my parents, since that's what it kind of actually is. So I can take a few more pictures now that I have a camera of my own. The first thing I wanted to do when I got it was, of course...Take pictures! So I walked around my neighborhood and just took pictures as I went along.

 Now onto the recipe.

  I couldn't decide what I wanted to make, but I knew it had to be chocolate.
 Eventually, I decided to make a three-in-one recipe that combined all the flavors I was wanting in one bite.

The three recipes I decided to combine were...

Chocolate Pound Cake.

 Walnut Brownies.

and Banana Bread

  I wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out, but I gave it a try anyway. I assembled all the ingredients and into the oven went mystery and....voila!.... it became a purely decadent dessert!

The other awesome thing about this recipe is that it uses only one bowl, which really aids in the whole clean up process.

Banana Walnut Brownie Bread




Ingredients
3/4 cup Rolled Oats, Ground up into flour in blender, I used Trader Joe's Certified Gluten Free Oats
1/2 cup Brown Rice Flour
1/4 cup Tapioca Flour (Tapioca Starch is the same thing)
1/3 cup Cocoa Powder, I use Hershey's 100% Cocoa Powder
2 Tsp. Baking Powder, Rumford is non-gmo and also aluminium free
1/4 Tsp. Sea Salt
1 Tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/3 cup Agave Nectar, Wholesome Sweeteners Brand is organic
6oz. (about 1/2 cup) of Yogurt, I used Silk Vanilla Soy Yogurt
3 Ripe Bananas, well mashed
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Non-Hydrogenated Margarine, Softened at room temperature, I used Earth Balance Original
1/2 cup Walnuts, Chopped
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan with either margarine or oil, and lightly dust with mild flavored flour of choice (I used Brown Rice Flour). Next in a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients listed up to the Earth Balance and mix very well. Batter will be slightly lumpy due to the bananas, but that's fine. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips. Spread batter into loaf pan and smooth out the top. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let cool for 1 hour before removing it from the pan or slicing.

My Flour Palate! See the difference in color and texture?

Upper Left: Freshly Ground Brown Rice Flour
Upper Right: Freshly Ground Gluten Free Oat Flour
Bottom: Tapioca Starch, with a few accidental specks of Oat Flour, my bad..



The batter turned out pretty thick and it smelled pretty strongly of cocoa powder and bananas, which is an ok smell, but once it was baked it smelled a lot like Brownie Bread, which was even better. Once it cooled, I sliced a piece and put a little Earth Balance spread on it and let's just say you've got to try it! I bet it would even be good with a dollop of Ice Cream. Especially Mint Chip.......just saying.

I am also experimenting with some photo editing software that you can use to enhance your pictures as well.

First I experimented with adding color to pictures to make them more vivid.

Like this one..



Then I figured out how to turn pictures you've taken from Color to Black and White!


That was a pretty neat discovery.

.Then I was reading online about how you can make your subjects isolated on a black back round.

So I set out to try it.

Before:

 After: Pretty cool huh?















Well, thanks guys for looking at my pictures and listening to me babble on about them. I promise I won't do that on every post, but I certainly hoped you enjoyed them. I also hope the recipe was too your liking as well. Always feel free to post your feedback or questions in the comments section below, I love to hear from you.  Happy Saturday!

TheIrishCupcake

Hummus Among Us: Lemon Citrus and Garlic

I love Hummus.
    It's just one of those foods you either love or hate. The only thing I would change about store bought hummus is leave out the tahini. It's WAY too strong for my taste, but some people argue it's not really  true hummus if you don't add the tahini.


Well I would beg to differ......

Lemon Citrus and Garlic Hummus (without tahini)

Ingredients
2 15oz can of prepared garbanzo beans (I used the Organic, BPA Free, S&W brand)
2 Medium Sized Lemons
1 tsp. Sea Salt
1/4 tsp. Freshly ground black pepper
a pinch of cayenne
1/2 tsp. Smoked Paprika (make sure to buy smoked not regular, there is a difference)
3 Cloves of Garlic, whole
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for garnish

Directions
Put 1 1/2 cans of garbanzo beans into your blender, (my favorite blender to use is my little nutri-bullet, but any blender will do), add salt, pepper, cayenne, smoked paprika, whole  garlic cloves, and olive oil to beans. juice both lemons well, I recommend using a strainer for this so that you don't get any unexpected seeds into your hummus. Also get the zest from one of the lemons and add that and the juice to the other ingredients already in the blender. Blend on high for 2-5 minutes or until hummus is the consistency of.....well hummus! Garnish with the remainder of beans left in the can, pepper, smoked paprika, and olive oil. Cool in fridge for 1 hour before serving.

   ..Also might I add how much I love my Nutribullet! Its small but mighty and has two blades that come with it,
The Extractor Blade  is for making smoothies, nut butters, and hummus and The Milling Blade is for grinding whole grains (like brown rice, oats), dried beans, and nuts, into flours. Which saves a TON of money in the long run if you are looking for a way to save money on alternative flours. (the link below will take you to amazon marketplace)
Nutri Bullet Blender

TheIrishCupcake

Friday: Maple Almond Granola with Flaxseeds

So this morning was busy for me.

First I made a recipe from a new cookbook I found at the library.



     I really like this cookbook because first of all it's recipes are divided into region, which kind of adds a unique flair to it right there, and I've been in search for a good vegetarian crock pot cookbook as of late. Even though some of the recipes are not dairy free most of them can be easily modified to be dairy free by either omitting the culprit ingredient or subbing in a dairy free alternative instead.

(If you click on the link I added below, it will take you directly to amazon.com. Where you can look at more pages of the cookbook pictured above. If you decide to buy the book, please buy it through this link because a percentage of your purchase will then be given to my blog. If you would be so kind :-)
Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker: Simple and Sophisticated Meals from Around the World
    
      Tonight I'm making the Wild Mushroom Stew on Noodles recipe in the Greece chapter of the book, it's in the crock pot right now and smells really good.

(here's a picture of it from page 99 of the cookbook.....looks pretty good huh?)



(This is what mine looks like 4 hours into the cooking process...)

I can't wait to see how it turns out!

   Two nights ago I made the Chili recipe from the Mexican chapter of the book. It was good although I think I would halve the cocoa powder in the recipe, if not omit it, and add a little salt next time. Over all though it was a pretty tasty chili.
  
     Later this morning I drove around town dropping off my resume at several different stores, and then I was craving granola. After lunch, I cleared off the counters and prepped the kitchen to make some.



   

Maple Almond Granola with Flaxseeds



Ingredients
3 cups Regular Rolled Oats
1 cup Almonds (I didn't have any on hand today so I just added another cup of oats)
1/2 cup Whole Flaxseeds
1/2 cup uncooked Hulled Millet (or more Flaxseeds)
1 Tsp. Cinnamon, ground
1/2 tsp. Pure Almond Extract
1/3 cup Raw Cane Sugar
1/3 cup Coconut Water (or just Water, but coconut water give it more nutrients)
1/4 cup Safflower oil (Canola works too)
1/4 cup Pure 100% grade B Maple Syrup, (I used Maple Flavored Agave Nectar this time)
1/2 cup Raisins or Dried Cranberries (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine Oats, Almonds, Flaxseeds, Millet (if using), Cinnamon, and Sugar in a large mixing bowl.
In a small bowl add Coconut water, Almond Extract, Oil, and Maple Syrup.
Then make a well in the center of the dry ingredient bowl and pour in the wet ingredients. Toss until evenly coated. Spread out granola onto two ungreased cookie sheets and bake on separate racks for 30-40 minutes, stirring granola and switching racks every 10 minutes until golden brown. Let cool and stir in dried fruit. Store in an airtight container.

Tip: Write two sticky notes. One that says "Bottom to Top" the other "Top to Bottom" so that whenever you take out the granola to stir it you'll remember which you are switching to the top rack of the oven and which you are switching to the bottom rack. I always mess this up if I don't do that.

This is what the granola looked like before I put it in the oven....




 
I just love close up pictures of food.

I found this Maple Flavored Organic Agave Nectar at the store on sale yesterday and I couldn't resisted trying it out. It made the granola smell REALLY good and I can't wait to see how it tastes.
 
Coconut water is pretty much like water... EXCEPT... That it's got Potassium and some other minerals naturally occurring in it too, making it SUPER DUPER HEALTHALICIOUS for you!!!! I only used 1/3 cup for my granola recipe, so I'll use the rest of this can to make a smoothie in the morning .... yum.

  OH, I also have to tell you big news!!! I'm officially an Amazon Associate!!!!!! I'm sooo excited because now I can advertise merchandise from amazon.com to you guys and let you know about super awesome deals and promotions that they are offering, plus whenever you use one of my links a percentage of what you purchase on amazon will then be given to my blog, so I can keep sharing more recipes and deals with you guys.

   Any way, I really hope you like my granola recipe this week and please comment about it in the comments section below too to tell me how you all liked it. Thanks so much for reading my post! Now I'm off to go clean up.

Sincerely,
  TheIrishCupcake

Plant Based 101: Intro

      There seems to be a lot of hype about plant based diets lately and they've all been touting some pretty hard core health benefits. So I've decided to brush up on my researching skills...or discover them anyway....and do a multi-part video series on some of the Plant Based diets out there. In each video I'll feature one of the plant based diets, give some back-round info for that particular one, provide a couple recipes or cookbooks that follow the diet plan, show info graphics, and other fun little tidbits of research I find. I'll be posting the first video in the next week or two to come, so check back soon. Also feel free to add in the comment section below what plant based diet you'd like to see me feature in one of the videos. 

Sincerely, 

   TheIrishCupcake 

Munchie Mondays: Banana Bread French Toast

  Two things I'm loving lately.....


French Toast.

and Banana Bread.

So that's when the idea came to me.

Why not combine them!!!!!!


      
Banana Bread French Toast

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

1 really ripe banana, well mashed
2/3 cup Non-dairy Milk (I used unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze)
1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Tbsp. Chia Seeds (I'm pretty sure this is optional)
2 Tbsp. Maple Syrup (plus extra for topping)
Mild tasting oil for the pan
4-5 slices of your favorite Whole Grain Bread


Step 1. Mash the banana....
Kind of almost looks like scrambled eggs!

 

 

 Step 2. Add Milk.

Step 3. After I added the Chia seeds it looked like poppy seed muffin batter.

 

Step 4. Everything is looking prepped and ready for dipping!!!

 

 Step 5. These ordinary pieces of bread are about to become extraordinary!!!!! Slices on your mark!

 

 Step 6. Get Set!!!!

Step 7. FRY!!!!!

 

 Step 8. ....uh...that didn't work... (the first one I didn't put enough oil in the pan)

 

 

Step 9. Trying again with more oil in the pan....let's see if that helps. (scroll down for end results..)

 

 

 

 

Directions
Combine banana, Non-dairy Milk, Vanilla, Cinnamon, Chia Seeds, and Maple Syrup in a small bowl. Pour enough oil on your skillet to lightly coat the entire bottom of the pan. You don't have to over do it but make sure you put enough, I didn't the first time and my bread stuck to the pan and fell apart. Dip the top of your bread into the banana mixture and then flip over and coat the other side. Place it on preheated skillet. Cook on Medium-Low heat for about 4-5 min. on each side. Tip: wait until you can easily scoot the bread around the pan before flipping, this prevents the bread from sticking and falling apart. Serve with maple syrup and butter (I use either Earth Balance or Smart Balance Light with Flaxseed).




YAY!!!! It worked!! Now I'm off to go eat this wonderful looking plate to see if it tastes as good as it looks.

.....20 minutes later.....

Ok I'm back.

They were yummy.

Feel free to tell me how you liked this recipe or how you tweaked it in the comment section below. I'd love to hear about your  kitchen endeavors!


 Happy Monday Everybody :-)
              TheIrishCupcake

Sweet Dessert Saturdays: Oatylicious Chocolate Chip Cookies (Whole Grain and Vegan)

Although I hate turning on my oven in the summer because it's so hot outside, I sometimes can't resist baking oatmeal cookies. I just love them so much!!!




 Oatylicious Cranberry Chocolate Chip Cookies (Whole Grain and Vegan)
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Ground flaxseed mixed with 1/2 cup boiling water- set aside (If you don't have flax, just use 2 Eggs instead of this mixture.)
2/3 cup Safflower, Canola, Grape Seed, or Sunflower oil (I used Safflower oil)
1 1/2 cups of Raw Cane Sugar, (Sucanat, Turbinado, or Pure Cane sugars work too)
1 cup Spelt Flour
3/4 Brown Rice Flour or Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp. Aluminum Free Non-GMO Baking Powder (I use Rumford Baking Powder)
1/4 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4-1/2 tsp. Salt (desired amount)
2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Dried Cranberries (or Raisins or more Chocolate Chips)
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
1/4 cup Chopped Walnuts (optional)

Directions
1. Mix together the Oil, Sugar, Baking Powder, Vanilla, Soda, Salt, and Flax Gel (or Eggs) until well combined. (I would highly recommend using a hand mixer for this instead of elbow grease.)
2. Slowly add in as much of the Flours as you can and then stir in the remainder.
3. Stir in the Oats and Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
4. Stir in Cranberries and Chocolate Chips, mix well.
5. Form dough into one inch sized balls and arrange three in a row on an ungreased cookie sheet.
6. Taking a clean coffee mug, get the bottom of the mug slightly wet and then flatten the balls of dough using the bottom of the mug. Your hands could also work for this task.
7. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes or until just slightly browned on the edges and they have puffed up a little.
8. Remove the cookies from the cookie sheets using a metal spatula and let them cool on a cooling rack. Or eat one warm! But be careful not to burn yourself if you do!!!!
9. Enjoy!!

 

Here they are!!!! They turned out pretty good. At first when I was making them I was having a little bit of trouble getting them to spread out from they're state as round balls of dough, but once I started flattening them with the bottom of a mug, they started to look like the ones pictured above. How do you like my mug? I painted it myself. The handle just fell off recently, but thankfully I was able to just super glue it back on! Now I'm off to go enjoy another cookie (..or two!).


Sincerely,

     TheIrishCupcake

Munchie Mondays :Quick and Simple protein bars (Vegan, Gluten Free option, High Protein)

    I started making these bars when I found the recipe for them on the back of
a shredded wheat box. After making them several times I decided to experiment with the recipe
a little. They're healthy and can be eaten any time of the day (or night)!


Quick and Simple Energy Bars ( High Protein and a Gluten Free option)
  Ingredients
2/3 cup Raw agave Nectar or Pure Grade B Maple Syrup or Honey
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (my personal favorite brand is Smart Balance Peanut Butter, but any peanut butter will work)
3 1/2 cups Shredded Wheat, Corn Chex, or Crispy Rice Cereal (You PICK!!! Isn't that awesome!!!)
3oz Dark Chocolate...oh me!!! (60% cocoa mass or higher)
Directions
1. Measure out liquid sweetener and peanut butter into a large mixing bowl.
2. Heat the mixture in the microwave for about 1 min or until it starts to get bubbly.
3. Remove from microwave and stir until completely combined.
4. Add the 3 1/2 cups of cereal to the honey and peanut butter and mix until combined
5. Spread into a 8x8 baking dish (I usually spray mine with cooking oil before).
6.  Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl for about 30 seconds or just until melted; stirring every 10 seconds to prevent scorching the precious chocolate!
7. Drizzle chocolate over bars, or spread a thin layer over all of the Bar (preferred method).
8. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm, about 4 hours up to overnight.
9. Cut into Bars and Enjoy!


I'll add a picture of them as soon as I remember to take one before I eat them all! Yes, I did forget to save any for a picture......They are popular in my house.


Happy Living!
  TheIrishCupcake