Chocolate Banana Chocolate Cookies

-if you like chocolate...-

alright - full disclosure here: i have not actually tasted these cookies myself. BUT the entire batch was easily eaten up, given a full thumbs-up by the taster and well, smelled absolutely amazing both before and after the oven. a friend of mine house / dog sat for me during my latest weekend trip down south for a quick visit . i promised her cookies and like always i had a leftover, extra extra - ok, totally shriveled and black - banana sitting on the counter. it was somewhere around midnight and i had an early morning flight but, ugh i promised! so um, throw in some chocolate, some more chocolate, a bit of sugar, an egg and some flour. at this point i didn't have time to let butter get to room temp so uhhh - oil? perfect! throw it in the oven, pack (yes i only "pack" for about 10 minutes: short attention spam), take out, let cool while i take a shower, put em away and head to bed happy with myself for delivering my promise (deliciously) in under 30 minutes. nice!

CHOCOLATE BANANA CHOCOLATE COOKIES

1/2c chopped bittersweet chocolate

1 1/4c AP flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 very ripe banana

1/4c canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

1/2c sugar

1 egg

1/2c chopped white chocolate

3/4c chopped walnuts (optional)

*preheat oven to 400F, line baking pan w/ parchment

*over a double boiler, melt chopped bittersweet chocolate. take off heat & allow to cool slightly

* in bowl sift together flour, baking powder, soda & salt

*in a separate bowl mash the banana to very smooth. whisk in the oil, vanilla, sugar and egg

*add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, mix just to combine

*stir in the melted chocolate

*fold in the white chocolate and nuts if using

*bake for 12 minutes (makes about 12-14 cookies)

Whole Wheat Walnut Loaf

-my new favorite bread-

many a times i have made this "no-knead" bread, usually with rosemary and lemon which is my mom's favorite - and actually in my oven as i type. every once and again i take a stab at a whole wheat version, which is always successful - but not necessarily loved - if you know what i mean. so not to long ago i was literally stumbling around in kitchen - a little too wound up from the excessive tea drinking - and decided i would throw some stuff together and take yet another gander.

beautiful! this bread is off the charts perfect. at the last minute i realized that i needed to throw in some dark brown sugar, just to take the edge off the whole wheat, and that was exactly what it did. don't be fooled this bread is not sweet but almost more sourdough-y. my theory is that the bit of sugar gave the yeast some real feeding opportunities and thusly it got a nice quickly "aged" flavor. does any of this make sense? most likely not.

i made a breaded chicken sandwich out of a few slices and it was heavenly. be sure to finely chop - not powder - the walnuts. you want the texture to be more even than studded.

WHOLE WHEAT WALNUT BREAD

1 1/2c whole wheat flour

1 1/2c AP flour

1/4 tsp yeast

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tbs dark brown sugar

1 1/2c (+) warm water

*in a large bowl sift together the flours, yeast, salt and sugar

*stir in the water, mix to combine. the dough will be very shaggy - if it seems a bit dry add another 1-2tbs water.

*cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let rest for 12-18 hours (will be very bubble and puffy)

*heavily flour a kitchen towel

*dump the dough onto the floured towel, sprinkle (generously) the top of the dough pile and place another towel on top

*let rest 2 hours

*preheat oven to 450F

*dump the dough - just kinda throw the dough blob into the bowl via the bottom towel - into a non-stick sauce pan or dutch oven

*cover and cook 30 minutes

*remove the cover and cook 20-30 minutes until nicely browned

*remove from oven let cool a bit, remove from pot and enjoy with some honey butter...

Banana Date Monkey Ice Cream -Sugar Free_GF_Vegan

- kinda tastes like banana chocolate chip bread, but better-

since getting the ice cream maker i've been hard at work trying to recreate our favorite "usuals" - amongst these favorites is the infamous chunky monkey. that's right folks; everyone in the world loves ben & jerry's because of chunky monkey and half baked. you know i'm right - ok phish food is up there too.

aaaand you know i can't allow 3 cups of cream, half dozen yolks and cups of sugar to hang around in my freezer waiting to be turned into a clogged artery. what does she do then? well, first i do research. and i found a few recipes for banana coconut ice-cream which is what i based the final product off of. but most all called for an entire can of coconut milk, which really is fine, but take a quick look at the fat count on that. while good fats - still, lets keep it under control eh? so i kept some of the coconut milk but lightened it up with unsweetened almond milk.

i am in love with this ice-cream. there is no added sugar, no dairy and gluten free. if you want it creamery (after freezing it does get a little "icey") use all coconut milk, that should keep everything smooth and decadent.

BANANA DATE MONKEY ICE CREAM

5 very ripe bananas, cut into 1" slices

2 medjool dates, diced

2 tbs coconut oil (melted if needed)

1 tbs vanilla

1/2c coconut milk

1/4 tsp coconut extract

1 1/4c unsweetened almond milk

1/2c toasted chopped walnuts

1/2c chopped dark chocolate

*preheat oven to 375 F

*place bananas and dates in a 11 x 7 glass baking pan

*drizzle the oil and vanilla over the bananas

*bake for 45 minutes, until the bananas begin to caramelize - don't let them burn!

*removed from oven, let cool a bit

*blend the bananas and milks together in blender until very smooth

*add in the extracts

*chill the mixture for 3-4 hours

*make as directed by your icecream maker

*about 2 minutes before it is done churning add in the walnuts and chocolate

*enjoy!

Pesto!

- pine nut and basil -

while i've always really liked the idea of pesto - tons of fresh herbs, earthy nuts and always lovely parmigiano reggiano all bound together with good olive oil - its the presence of raw garlic that i can't handle. basically, i'm a vampire. just the mention of garlic and i hiss. i've spent years avoiding anything that included pesto and considering its not used just for pasta anymore, the list is gets pretty long - and kinda bland.

because of this extensive time away from pesto i've learned to

just kinda wipe it from my mental recipe index and that's about it. then about a month ago i was skimming through a foodie magazine and was jolted back into the world of pesto. what was the reason i never made it again? oh right the toxic garlic. well that's the plus of cooking for yourself - you delete as you please. and that is exactly what i have done. not to mention played around with the nut / herb roster. toss with whole wheat penne and you've got yourself a delicious and nutritious meal!

- walnut and parsley -

WALNUT & PARSLEY PESTO

1/4c walnuts

2c parsley

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano (keep it real)

*pulse the nuts in a food processor

*add the parsley with the oil and process to smooth

*add in the parm. and pulse to combine

*chill or freeze any leftovers

PINE NUT & BASIL PESTO

1/4c pine nuts

2c basil

1/4c olive oil

1/2c parm. reggiano

*repeat as above

Kumquat Date & Honey Bread

before you let your brain wonder to fruit cake or something let me just tell you this is a great breakfast bread. yes, it is dense. yes, it is packed with fruits and nuts. and yes it has that "grown-up" taste to it - whatever that may mean. kids probably wont gorge themselves on this treat, nor will husbands raised in age of little hostess oatmeal pie "breakfasts". but i adore it. the flavors are deep thanks to the cinnamon and dates, bright thanks to the citrus burst of the kumquats and earthy due to the oats and flax. it has a subtle, yet lasting presence of honey and the walnuts make this a completely substantial snack for pre/ post exercise .

this would be great for diabetics or hiking heath-foodies. yum!

KUMQUAT DATE & HONEY BREAD

1c kumquat puree (seeds removed, pulsed in a processor)

3/4c honey

2 tbs coconut oil (or whatever you have)

2 eggs

1 tbs vanilla

1 1/4c whole wheat flour

1 c oats (not instant - i used multi-grain)

1/4c flax seed meal

1 tbs baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1c chopped walnuts

1/2c chopped pitted dates

*preheat oven to 350F, lightly grease a loaf pan

*sift together the flour, oats, flax, baking powder, soda & salt

*in a separate bowl beat together the kumquat puree, honey, oil, eggs and vanilla

*stir in the kumquat mixture into the dry mix. stir to completely combine.

*fold in walnuts and dates

*pour into prepared pan and cook 40-50 minutes until toothpick is clean

Chocolate Banana Nut Cookies

like usual we can never finish off the last banana in the bunch so it just sits on the counter, taking up space, growing more and more spotted and unappetizing in appearance. perfect - make cookies. these are fun - next time i will switch out the butter with coconut oil and put in additional chocolate chips just to amp them up a bit. but they are a simple little snack as they are.

CHOCOLATE BANANA NUT COOKIES

1/2c semi-sweet chocolate, chopped, melted and cooled for 10 minutes

1/2 sugar

1/4c butter

1 medium banana, mashed

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1c + 2 tbs flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4c chopped walnuts or pecans

*preheat oven to 375F

*cream together the butter and sugar to light and fluffy

*beat in egg, then vanilla and melted chocolate

*in separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients

*stir in the dry ingredients into the egg mixture

*fold in the nuts

*drop heaping tsp of batter onto cookie sheet

*cook 8-10 minutes

Pumpkin Apple Nut Loaf

so i'm back - kinda sorta.

got hitched, got swine flu (seriously), attended two after the fact receptions and have the apt packed up and ready to move on out. so like any home purchase - it takes longer than you think. i sadly packed away my kitchen so there hasn't been much baking lately. but i couldn't take another weekend void of fun treats so i trekked downstairs to duane read and got myself a few disposable baking pans in various shapes and sizes - then got to baking.

lesson here: disposable baking pan are worthless. yeah worthless. basically you have to increase cooking time by 50%, don't ask me why. seems to me the pans; basically made from thick foil would cook faster. just untrue. everything comes out all doughy and weird. like i said increase cook time by 50%.

fortunately, after "fixing" the cooking time for my pan's shortcomings, this loaf came out great! below is the correct cooking time if you are using real pans. i am trying to clean out the pantry and i have a ton of canned pumpkin from thanksgiving last year as well as mini packs of pecans my mom mailed me a while back that were getting rancid. throw it all in and happy autumn!

PUMPKIN APPLE NUT LOAF

Topping:

1 1/2 tsp flour

2 tbs brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp oil

Loaf:

1 1/2c flour

1/2 tsp (scant) salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp clove

1/4 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp ginger

1c canned pumpkin

1/4c + 2 tbs canola oil

1c sugar

2 eggs

2 egg whites

1 apple, peeled and finely chopped

1/2c chopped pecans or walnuts

* preheat oven to 350F, grease 2lb loaf pan

*mix together all topping ingredients and set aside

*sift together flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and ginger

*in separate bowl whisk together the pumpkin, oil, eggs and sugar

*add wet to dry ingredients and stir just to combine

*fold in apples and nuts

*pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle with topping

*cook for 50 mins - 1 hour until toothpick comes out clean

Honey Whole Wheat Walnut Cake

about every 3-5 months josh and i actually coordinate our schedules long enough to make a trip out to our friend dave's "farm". why the quotations? because to me a farm has animals of some kind or a product or some form that is farmed. i have grandparents that are real farmers and yes they have cows, chickens, sheep (which i loathe. ugh what the hell is up with sheep?), corn, rice, crawfish. i mean you name it those two farmed it and it was nothing fancy just a little house, a barn, bunch of land and lot of animal poo.

so when this amazing 80 acres of land that is filled with random pieces of art from the previous owner: mr. alan d'arcangelo, is called a farm it just don't sit right you know? i would have to say its more a camp. yesss. a camp. my parents have a camp. in other words its the weekend house built out in the middle of the woods in the town my father grew up in. just a get away from the big mean city/office. yeah a camp - not a farm just a place you go to be difficult to get in touch with. am i right?

non-the-less, every time we make it up to the catskills to visit the "farm" i make sure we stop by the local old man's house who offers a gallon of local honey for $18. yes that is correct - a gallon! so needless to say we love honey in this apartment and when i came across a recipe for a honey walnut cake what was there to stop me? of-course i snuck in some whole wheat for good measure and before you know it you've got breakfast for a week.

HONEY WHOLE WHEAT WALNUT CAKE

3/4c roasted and finely chopped walnuts

3/4c whole wheat flour

3/4c AP flour

1c honey

1c unsweetened applesauce

3 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

*preheat oven to 350F, grease and flour a 8 1/2" spring form pan

*sift together the dry ingredients

*in a separate bowl combine the honey and applesauce until smooth

*add the eggs one at a time

*add wet to the dry, mix to just combine

*pour into prepared pan and cook for 45 minutes or until toothpick is clean

*right when you take out of the oven drizzle 2-3tbs of honey on top, brush to evenly distribute

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

as you know (maybe) i hate cream cheese frosting. i just don't get it, i'm sorry everyone. with that said its my workmate shyam's birthday on tuesday. he loves carrot cake and of-course the cream cheese frosting that goes along with it, i double checked. i promised cupcakes and that is what i will deliver. but that doesn't stop me from reserving a few extras for josh (fellow cream cheese loather) and i to slather honey whipped cream on and enjoy. honey whipped cream seems so exotic but if you think about it, its actually strange that whipped cream wouldn't be sweetened with honey more often. ever heard of milk and honey? well just in case you haven't (which would be ridiculous) god "promised" land flowing with milk and honey to descendants of abraham etc etc - ever heard of the promise land? yeah so even god knows dairy and milk belong together. which would make sense because he is evidentially omniscient. this is ancient knowledge people. that and figs.

with all of that said, the first picture up top shows off the cream cheese icing and the one below is of the honey whipped cream icing. enjoy that!

CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES

1c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ginger

1c sugar

1/2c (+ 1 tbs) oil

2 eggs

1 1/2c shredded carrots

1/2c chopped walnuts

*preheat oven to 350F line your pan with papers

*sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices

*in a separate bowl whisk together the oil and sugar

*add eggs one at a time

*pour egg mixture into the flour and mix just to combine

*fold in carrots and walnuts, spoon into prepared pan

*cook for 20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

8oz cream cheese, soft

4oz butter, soft

1c powdered sugar

1tsp vanilla

*beat the bitter and cream cheese together unit smooth and fluffy

*add in the sugar and vanilla beating to light and fluffy

*chill if needed to bring to desired consistency

Maple Walnut Bread

do you butter toast? i butter toast. what's all

this business about not buttering toast? josh and i got into it this morning as i was ushering him out the door and back on the road. i made him eggs and toast. buttered freakin' toast. i was sharply informed that i "always butter toast". yes, i do always butter toast because that is was people do. nope, evidentially i do it because i am "from the south". wha???? firstly: whatever. secondly: toast is toasted thus a bit dry and needs to be rehydrated with a smudge of tasty butter. can you argue that? my desk mate at work agreed with him! but to my defense: she is not a baker and i would venture to say that she is not a huge toast person either. so this case is left open. you tell me - do you butter your toast?

anyways he ate it no matter. which may have more to do with my threat to not leave it on the plate than the superior taste the butter imparted on the toast. threat you ask. yes, there were only 2 slices of bread left this morning and that was tagged for my almond butter lunch sandwich. but, being the generous and perfect human being i am i gave it to him for his pure enjoyment. i got a crappy half lunch.

as you know that leaves me without my "daily bread" for the rest of the week. i need bread more than any normal person and i have some walnut oil that is about to expire (ok, it expired 2 days ago) so that means walnut maple quick bread! i love this bread - its very simple, not too sweet, totally healthy and will compliment anything. lucky me; lunch is going to rock the rest of the week.

MAPLE WALNUT BREAD

1c whole wheat bread

1c AP flour

6 tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1c buttermilk

1/3c maple syrup

1/4c walnut oil

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3c chopped walnuts

*preheat oven to 350F, lightly oil a loaf pan

*sift together the dry ingredients

*in a separate bowl beat the wet ingredients

*add the wet to the dry and mix to combine

*stir in the walnuts

*pour into the prepared pan, cook for 45-50 minutes to get a clean toothpick

*cool on rack

Juiced Up Carrot Cake

so josh is gone. he left monday night and won't be back to corrupt my strictly healthy dietary requirements with his seemingly unquenchable - yet starting to gradually wane - need for delicious sugary treats. i admit it: sugar and butter are delish. but sooner or later i have to get back on track, not just for me but for my poor salivating father who has to sit through these posts, week after week. sorry dad.

anyways so my plan while alone for the next 8 weeks (josh is back mondays and tuesday) is to gather a decent amount of reasonably healthy baked treats. that and kick the habit of eating cereal for dinner when alone (ugh how sad is that?). i can do it!

so here we go: healthy treat number uno. i packed away the week's supply of "daily bread" with josh and i wanted to make something i could convince myself was a healthy substitute to house my almond butter for lunch at the office. pack in the fruit, vegetables, nuts and whole wheat and viola! one day i may try to substitute the sugar with maple syrup or honey. one day.

JUICED UP CARROT CAKE

1/2c whole wheat flour

1/2c AP flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/2c + 2tbs sugar

1/2c peeled and grated granny smith apple

1/2c peeled and grated carrot

1/2c grated zucchini

1/4c + chopped walnuts

1/4c buttermilk

2 eggs

1/4c canola oil

*preheat oven to 350 F, grease a loaf pan

*sift together the flours, sugar, soda, cinnamon & salt

*add the apple, carrots, zucchini & walnuts - stir to combine well

*in a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and buttermilk

*add wet to dry and mix to just combine

*pour into prepared loaf pan and cook for 45-50 minutes until toothpick is clean

*let cool completely before slicing in.

PEAR WALNUT CRUMBLE MUFFIN

josh, if left to himself would eat coco-puffs for breakfast. i kid you not, ok maybe he would settle with some cinnamon toast crunch. both of which have basically no nutritional value. how can someone start their day with that? so every now and again i venture and make him some muffins for saturday morning breakfast. and when i do i try my hardest to cram as much fresh fruit and nuts in these little guys as possible. its one of my only chances to get fruit into his diet.

like banana bread you should opt for very ripe bananas for the maximum sweetness and taste - same with the pears. who wants to bite into a unripe pear? yick! pears should not have the same consistency as apples people! go for the ones that are more like a peach - a ripe one of-course. enough of my preaching... eat ya breakfast!

PEAR WALNUT CRUMBLE MUFFINS

1 pear, finely diced

3 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs sugar

3 tbs vegetable oil

1 banana, mashed

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tbs milk

1c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp ginger

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 c chopped walnuts

* preheat oven to 350 F and line muffin pan

*toss the pear, brown sugar and regular sugar together to coat

* beat together the mashed banana, oil, vanilla, milk and egg

* sift together in a separate bowl the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt

* slowly add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. stir just to combine.

* fold in the pears and walnuts

* spoon into your prepared muffin pan.

* make crumble:

CRUMBLE

2 1/2 tbs brown sugar

3 tbs chopped walnuts

2 tbs flour

1 tbs cold butter, cubed

1/2 tsp cinnamon

*combine sugar, walnuts, flour and cinnamon

*with your hands cut in the butter into the walnut mixture. mix until it has a nice evenly crumbly texture.

* spoon even amount on top of your muffin batter filled pan

* cook muffins for 25 minutes.

Carob Chip and Walnut Oatmeal Cookies

according to josh, and every other man i've ever met: under no circumstances should raisins be included in any desert of any kind. ok

since my wonderfully pregnant neighbor moved out a few months ago josh is my main consumer. so here we are with oatmeal cookies that plea for a nice plump dark fruity dose of raisins - what do i do? i pulled out my ridiculous list of specialty health food items and the perfect answer was carob chips. they are perfect! if you aren't familiar with carob:

the carob tree sits within the legume family and creates pods that hold about 5 little beans. Those beans are what we nosh on (after some processing of-course) and they taste oddly like chocolate, but with a fruity undertone - like the offspring of chocolate and raisin. so people who are allergic to chocolate or vegan or attracted to novelty food items like me dig on this tasty little bean. evidently ancient egyptians loved it too.

add in a healthy dose of walnuts and you can tell yourself these are "a health indulgence" and eat them for breakfast.

CAROB CHIP & WALNUT OATMEAL COOKIES

3/4c + 2 tbs all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (it has to be fresh - has. to. be.)

4 oz unsalted butter, softened

2 tbs sugar (optional)

3/4c packed brown sugar

1 large egg

1 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/2c carob chips

1 3/4c rolled oats (old fashioned)

1/2 c chopped walnuts

*preheat oven to 350 F

*shift together all the dry ingredients, then whisk to combine

*in a separate bowl cream the butter to a light color

*add sugar(s) and cream to light and fluffy

*beat in egg then vanilla

*gradually add in the flour mixture

*fold in the carob chips, walnuts and oats - make sure all is well combined, but do not over work the dough

* taking a heaping tablespoon full, roll into a ball and place on prepared cookie sheet

* lightly smash down the balls to about 1/2" thick

*bake 12-14 minutes to lightly browned