banana bread

http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=26374.0 (I made with sugar and omitted the flax)

Beautiful Banana Bread

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

nonstick spray
3 bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped, optional

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas well with a fork or potato masher. Add applesauce, maple syrup, sugar, and flax seeds; mix to combine.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; mix thoroughly. (Or you don't have to do this step if you don't feel like it, it works just as well to just dump all the dry ingredients into the wet without mixing first.)

3. Add the dry to the wet and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Add nuts if you're using them. Pour into prepared loaf pan, and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the loaf starts to turn golden brown and the toothpick test is successful.

4. Remove loaf pan from oven and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer loaf to wire rack and let cool completely, or as long as you can wait.

Slice and enjoy.

Source of recipe: I came up with this recipe after mucking around with other banana bread recipes, trying to find one that suited my tastes.

Makes: 1 Loaf, Preparation time: 15 minutes

Sheri's Awesome Soup & Stew

Jamaican Spinach Soup

3 tbsp olive oil 1 1/4 tsp allspice
1 cooking onion, chopped 1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 stalks celery, chopped 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced 4 cups chopped zucchini
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger 6 cups Roasted Vegetable Stock
1 tbsp raw unrefined sugar Pinch cayenne pepper
2 tsp sea salt 1 cup chopped fresh spinach (packed tightly)
1 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 red pepper, minced

l. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
2. Add onion, celery, garlic, ginger and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes or until onion is softened.
3. Stir in salt, turmeric, allspice and nutmeg. Cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Add potatoes, zucchini and Roasted Vegetable Stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer
10 minutes or until potatoes are soft.
5. Remove from heat. Add cayenne pepper and spinach.
6. Using a hand blender, blend until smooth. (If you are using a blender, let the soup cool before
blending, then reheat.)
7. Garnish with minced red pepper and serve.

* I omit the red pepper and cayenne. I do not wait for soup to cool before blending, I blend it while it's hot. After blending the soup I add one can of coconut milk and cooked potato chunks to make it a little more hearty (and E loves potatoes).

Chickpea stew
1 Can of Chickpeas
1-14 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 inch of fresh ginger grated
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Garam Masala

Add veggies to taste (optional)
Saute onions, garlic and ginger for about 5 minutes. Add all other ingredients except Garam masala to the pot and cook on simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving, mix in Garam Masala
When I double the recipe I only use 1 tsp of salt.