Summer’s Banana Bread

by Summer D Clemenson | Jun 2, 2015 | Food

I have been working to make this recipe perfect for over 10 years and now I would like to share it with you. I love this recipe because it is gluten free, high in omega 3’s and tastes delicious! I was inspired to start working on this because my niece, Allie needed some more fiber in her diet, as a toddler, and her brother, Casey LOVES banana bread…The recipe recently became gluten free, as I learned that my bosom-friend, Jamie Holloway, is gluten intolerant and I wanted to have a few recipes in my arsenal that she could just enjoy without worry or feeling deprived.

Another plus is that you can easily substitute shredded zucchini or pureed pumpkin and even switch out or omit the walnuts, chocolate chips and cranberries.

I want to encourage you to not purchase ground flax seed, but actually buy whole flax seed and use your food processor to grind it fresh. The reason you want to do this is that the minute the seeds are ground, the oils that are so good for you and the reason you would bother eating flax, begin to evaporate. Also flax is one seed that your stomach can’t break down…meaning if it is not well-ground it will enter and exit whole…another way you miss out on those amazing omega 3’s! If you don’t have a food processor or Cuisinart, you can use anything with a flat blade for grinding. I used to have coffee grinder used only for seasonings (that idea came from my great-grandpa Drummond); I usually use my Bullet for grinding now…

Ingredients:

Fresh Ground Flax Seed 1 ½ cup
All Purpose Gluten Free Flour 1/8 cup
Sorghum Flour 1/8 cup
Aluminum Free Baking Powder 2 tsp
Baking Soda 1/4 tsp
Raw Sugar or Evaporated Cane Sugar 2/3 cup
Organic Cinnamon 1 ½ tsp
Avocado Oil 1/3 cup
Eggs 3
Mashed Bananas (or grated zucchini or puréed pumpkin) 1 cup (about 2 bananas)
Chopped Walnuts ½ cup
Dark Chocolate Chips ¼ cup
Dried Cranberries ¼ cup

Note: Coconut oil to grease the pans and butter for the top (butter is optional)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease loaf pan with coconut oil.
Blend Flax, All Purpose Gluten Free Flour, Sorghum Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Raw Sugar and Cinnamon in a large bowl.
Beat the eggs in a small bowl.
Add beaten eggs, Avocado Oil, Mashed Bananas, Walnuts, Chocolate Chips and Dried Cranberries to the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour into pans and spread evenly.
Bake 25-35 minutes. At 25 min you can put butter pats on top and put back the bread back in the oven for at least 10 minutes so the butter can caramelize.
Remove from oven. Let cool for 10 min.
Remove from bread pan and let cool for at least 30 min before serving.

Note: This bread is always better on day 2!

We live such busy lives and to make mornings easier I tend to make sure we have a loaf of the bread in the fridge (No preservatives means you should keep it in the refrigerator) along with a bowl of hard boiled eggs. Voila! Quick breakfasts for both my wife and I that are healthy and filling…

Some of My Favorite Things

by Summer D Clemenson | May 2, 2015 | Food

Part of my journey of learning how to eat healthier has been learning that better ingredients make better food. When I am baking I have a few items that I never let run out and I wanted to share them with you. Although there are other brands that are just as good…this is what is my cupboard today…and most days because this is what I can find where I live…

Sea Salt

We hear so much about salt and which one is better. Hello! Sodium is sodium and the trace amounts of minerals may not matter to everyone, in the scheme of things. In a perfect world we would all have Himalayan Sea Salt ready for use…but my grinder is getting tired and so is my arm.

So for baking I use sea salt. It too has lots of trace minerals, but mainly I think it has a cleaner taste than table salt so you can sometimes use less and I love that this container is easy to pour when measuring.

Real Vanilla Extract

I make this myself and I must tell you, it is super easy and so worth a few minutes of effort. I have bought kits online and seen them at the health food store. You can also just purchase the beans in the same manner. You can use rum, vodka or bourbon. We don’t drink very often in our house…so even with a few toddies or spiked hot chocolate I only have to buy a pint each year.

Put your beans in the bottle, fill the bottle with your preferred liquor (this bottle is made with rum) and then set it in a dark cool place for at least a month. Shake it once per week. Once you start using it you can just refill the bottle with the liquor.

Organic Cinnamon

I was raised by a mother who didn’t enjoy cooking and probably just bought the cheapest cinnamon she could find whenever she felt the need to make something with it. As I got older and learned that I could make food that made my taste buds dance I started using other types of ingredients and learned that the ingredients you use matter…a lot! I love Simply Organic Cinnamon. If you aren’t going to fresh grind your cinnamon…don’t scrimp on the cinnamon!

Aluminum Free Baking Power

I was wandering through the natural baking section on a day that I needed to buy baking powder and noticed that they had one that said Aluminum Free on the label. Mom had always used Clabber Girl…but that day I bought Rumford…and soon I promised to stay away from the aluminum.

Aluminum is not necessary for our bodies and some people are nervous about what they fear eating it could cause. I use it because my baking is lighter and fluffier…definitely use Aluminum Free Baking Powder…