Things I Am Loving This Week

Time for more "Things I am Loving This Week", mostly foodie related things I am enjoying right now and want to share.

First up, I made the Raspberry Scones from the BabyCakes cookbook by Erin McKenna last week and really liked them but this week, I am loving the Banana Chocolate Chip Bread. Moist, rich and decadent, it doesn't taste like a gluten-free, vegan snack bread. With further exploration of the book, it seems not every recipe is truly gluten-free and many use spelt flour, which although wheat-sensitive people may find it a good alternative, those with allergies to gluten shouldn't use it. In fact, the publisher has now changed the sub-title on the book to reflect that it is actually: "Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes". The banana bread is GF however and uses Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Flour. It makes one big loaf of bread, but what is better than a big loaf of fresh banana bread? Mini-loaves! It made 6 mini loaves which seem to freeze well and they make a nice snack or breakfast treat. 

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Babycakes, Erin McKenna

2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xanthan gum

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup coconut oil, plus more for the pan

2/3 cup agave nectar

2/3 cup rice milk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 medium bananas, peeled and mashed

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease a 7 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pan with oil. 

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon. Add 1/2 cup oil and the agave nectar, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Stir until the batter is smooth. Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in the bananas until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the banana bread on the center rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 20 minutes. The finished loaf will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the center will come out clean. 

Let the banana bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake, cover the top of the pan with a cutting board, and invert the loaf onto the board. Carefully left the pan away and re-invert the bread onto another cutting board. Either cut and serve warm, or wait until completely cool before storing. Cover the uncut banana bread with plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. 

Notes/Results: Loving it! A great banana bread that would please GF eaters and gluten eaters alike.

I have about a bazillion different teas and a favorite lately is the Thai Tea Blend by Teavana. Described as "A delightful Thai restaurant blend of black and red teas, Hawaiian coconut pieces, almonds, and authentic Madagascar vanilla beans." 

With the weather on the warmer side, I am loving it iced, either with a bit of rice or almond milk or just plain. It's a great blend with a light coconut and vanilla flavor, tropical without being too tropical.

We have no Teavana here in Hawaii but I order it online or my Mom sends it to me. Refreshing and good!

I'd being lying if I told you I didn't love having my TFF dish last week, Chicken Paillard with Fresh Fig Salad and Blue Cheese, picked to feature on Tyler Florence's blog this week. It is cool to have my pictures and write up on his site. (See it here). It was such a great dish and for once I was pretty happy with how my pictures turned out. 

Maybe even more exciting is having another blogger try one of the recipes I posted and really like it. Heatherfeather from Lavender Blue, made the Coconut Spinach Cream Sauce, I adapted and "healthified" from Hawaiian chef Sam Choy and served it over salmon. Her version looks amazing and I am happy she enjoyed it. Heatherfeather is an American, who was living in London and recently moved back to the US. She has a variety of wonderful recipes on her site, so take a minute to stop by and visit her. 

That's what I am loving this week!  What are you enjoying?