Summer Fruit

I've been spending a lot of time in the kitchen this summer .. usually baking .. baking and daydreaming. It's lovely and luxurious .. and fleeting. It's already the second week of August, and soon, instead of dreaming about berry popsicles, strawberry compote and watermelon, it'll be pencils, screaming pre-teens and chalk dust. We've discussed the fleeting nature of summer and its natural goodness already, so I'll spare you the lament. Instead, I'll share a quick little recipe. I know, I know. That best way to enjoy summer fruit is to just eat it. Yup, I agree. I was going to make a watermelon and peach gazpacho inspired by the watermelon strawberry gazpacho I read about over at Delicious Days after I got a beautiful yellow watermelon from the local farmer's market ... but ... the watermelon was just soooooo good on its own. I also bought a little basket of peaches. Although I did eat most of them, I sacrificed a couple to make this bread .. twice ..



It's delicious. It's comforting, and easy. It's sugar crusted! It makes use of some beautiful late summer fruit and gives just a subtle hint of those warm fall flavours that are right around the corner. It's also vegan and wholesome. It's from Joy the Baker, who's by the way my baking hero. She made a vegan mango banana bread and it looked so beautiful that I had to try it. However, I didn't have enough mango left, so I added a peach. My fruit-cake ratio was heavier on the fruit, but it was still beautiful. I also used freshly grated ginger instead of the ground ginger that the original recipe called for and it gave the bread a beautiful warm glow. I also played around with flours. I used a combination of whole wheat, kamut and spelt flours. Delicious. The second time I made this bread, I used apple butter instead of canola oil (low-fat snack? yes!!) and it still tasted perfect. I could totally eat this cake for breakfast and feel no guilt. Nope. None at all. That deserves another coffee... (keep scrolling after the recipe!).

Vegan Banana Peach Bread
makes one little loaf adapted from Joy the Baker
*I halved Joy's recipe, so I'm sure the one below doubles beautifully

1 large ripe banana, mashed
1/2 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons of canola oil (or apple butter)
3 tablespoons of soy or almond milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (reduce to 1 if you're using apple butter)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour (or a combo of whole wheat, spelt and kamut)
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cardamom
a pinch of salt
2 peaches, skinned and diced, or a combo of peach and mango (go nuts with the fruit! blueberries would rock! so would sweet yellow plums!)
2 teaspoons of sugar

1. In a large bowl, mix together the mashed banana, ginger, soy/almond milk, oil or apple butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Mix it well!

2. Sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom and salt. Gently this time, mix until just combined. Add in the peaches or whatever fruit you're using and give it one final mix.

3. Pour into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle the sugar one top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the top is golden and a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

4. Serve with coffee .. yes ... coffee


Coffee Update!
Sorry! I've been too lazy to update, but we've made tremendous progress!

Ella's Uncle: drip, americano and cappuccino, enjoyed with
their famous berry scones.. so fruity and light... trying to remake them...

Jimmy's Coffee: drip, cappuccino and americano enjoyed with a fruit and yogurt cup.. lovely space and delicious coffee! I've already make repeat visits!

La Merceria: drip, americano and cappuccino along with a spinach empanada, alfajore cookie and complimentary buttery biscuits (served when you order a coffee); very cute! lovely coffee and you can also shop for things like bath salts, linens and homemade jams..

Full of Beans: drip, iced coffee and cappuccino enjoyed with some scones

T.A.N. (in Baldwin Village): two iced americanos and an iced cappuccino enjoyed with a vegan cashew cookie and an oatmeal cookie; beautiful, dark, rich espresso.. yum!

Cafe Unwind: americanos and iced cappucinno (repeat visits .. once enjoyed with a freshly baked strawberry and banana muffin spiced with allspiced.. yum!); hidden away on a residential strip, well worth the search!

A Chocolate Kick

Sometimes, when you're feeling down, or just a little un-energized, you need a little kick. I'm not sure what got into my system this week, but despite the post-Halloween sugar fix that the children were on, I just couldn't seem to keep from yawning every five minutes. Usually when the students have lots of energy, it makes me have lots of energy. Not this week. I nearly fell asleep in the middle of a class.

It's during weeks like this where I need a serious kick. Coffee would do it, but we've already been over the coffee days. After my Second Cup fun on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday felt like an eternity of caffeine headaches, dropping eyelids and overall sluggishness. Don't get my started on Monday. Usually my weekend coffees are enough to carry me on Monday, but not this week. I crashed on the couch at 8:00pm after nodding off during my prep periods all day.



Not fun. I could have used a serious kick .. a chocolate kick, to be specific. Nothing too ooey-gooey and sticky, nothing too sugary .. just some serious chocolate to get my engine running properly again. For starters, I could have made this cocoa banana millet porridge for breakfast. That would have set me on the right path. The millet is so unique in flavour -- very rich and nutty and wholesome. The banana provides just the right amount of sweetness to round out that deep, dark cocoa flavour. I wouldn't have been yawning on this breakfast, and it would definitely have kept me going until lunch. Millet is incredibly filling!



I could have also used a slice of this vegan chocolate cake at around 3:00pm when I'm getting ready for my last class, but wishing it were bedtime. This cake is incredibly easy to make, has a wonderful, tender crumb and it's vegan! I first had it when my love made it for me for my birthday, in a heart shaped pan and topped with a vegan chocolate glaze. But for everyday snacking, just bake it up in a loaf pan and slice away. We didn't fiddle too much with the recipe, except for using whole wheat pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. It's light, chocolatey and guaranteed to give you a nice kick when you need it.

Oooh chocolate. I needed you this week. I'll never forget about you again!

Cocoa Banana Millet Porridge

1/4 cup of millet
1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup of almond milk
1 teaspoon of honey
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder
a splash of vanilla
1/2 a banana, chopped
1 teaspoon of almond butter
a handful of frozen sour cherries (if you have them!)

1. Toast the millet in a dry saucepan for about 2-3 minutes, or until it starts popping and smelling toasty. Add the water and almond milk and bring to a soft boil. Add the chopped banana and stir.

2. Turn the heat down, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes, or until most of the liquid is soaked up.

3. Stir in the honey, cocoa powder, vanilla, frozen cherries and almond butter and cook uncovered for about 3 minutes until the liquid thickens a little.

4. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Peanut Butter + Fruit Part 2

Peanut Butter and Banana. Need I say more? Classic combination, nostalgic, comfort food. That's peanut butter and banana.. in a sandwich, that is. When they're combined to make .. say .. a quick bread .. or some little mini muffins, this magical combination becomes even more magical. I love banana bread, but I love this peanut butter banana bread even more. It's not like a traditional banana bread, in being really dense, moist and hearty. It's actually quite light and more sponge-cake-like. So maybe it's not banana bread? Who cares? It's awesome!

I've made this bread many times since discovering and altering a recipe online (sorry! I can't remember/find the original!) before my blogging days. The first time I made this recipe, it was for my love to take on his 24 hour train ride to his hometown. He loved it and so did his niece. Since then, I've made it in the form of little cupcakes/muffins to give as gifts and of course, just to snack on it's own because peanut butter and bananas together rock.



Conclusion: Peanut Butter + Banana = Amazing.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
adapted from somewhere online!

1/2 cup of natural peanut butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup of yogurt

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine peanut butter, oil, sugar, egg and mashed bananas. Whisk until smooth.

2. In a separate bowl, sift together the baking powder, baking soda and flour.

3. Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture alternating with milk and yogurt, folding the batter gently, until everything is combined.

4. Pour the batter into a loaf pan, or in muffin tins (makes 24 minis!) and bake at 350 degrees or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean (about 25 minutes for the loaf, and 15 for the muffins). Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

Coffee Update coming soon!

Cleansing Treats

Who says you can't have treats while you're cleansing?? It's mid-week, I cleansed yesterday, crashed at 8:00pm after a long day at work, but I still had time for a little treat: Chocolate Banana Softserve with Strawberries. What?! That's not part of the cleanse?! Oh, but yes, yes it is. No dairy or sugar added .. inspired by Maya and Eliza and their creative blended frozen fruit desserts. The texture and taste were right on. I don't need to say more ... just MAKE IT!!


Chocolate Banana Softserve with Strawberries
inspired by nourishing mornings and pistachios and rainbows

1 frozen banana
1 teaspoon of cocoa powder (unsweetened)
1/4 cup of soy or almond milk (plus more if needed)
a handful of strawberries, sliced

Put everything in a blender or mini chopper and whiz until smooth and creamy. You might have to add more liquid depending on the size of your banana. Serve with fresh sliced strawberries and don't you DARE feel guilty about eating THIS dessert!

**I'm going to try it tonight with frozen banana, frozen blueberries and almond extract.

Help! Health Contradictions

Ok, so I did something that I didn't think I would do anytime soon: I signed up at the gym across the street from me. It's not just any old gym. It's like a weight-lifting, mind-changing, philosophy-pumping gym filled with large, muscly, oily looking men and women in tight spandex work-out shorts who don't smile back when I smile at them. Why? Well, the thai-boxing didn't work out (waaaaaaay too expensive!), and my partner and I wanted something exercise-y to do together that was convenient, interesting and a challenge. After muathai proved too hard on my summer budget, we signed up at the gym across the street.

Now, the signing up came with a 3 hour lecture on how to eat better and exercise better and a 1 hour training session on how to do 4 different lifts properly. We brought coffee, but I still left yawning. All I wanted was something to supplement my cardio workouts, something that would allow me to get stronger and more capable at doing certain physical tasks. The messages I got, were not only confusing, but hard to follow. Yeah, I'll spare you the gorey details, but apparently, cardio is a waste of time because it lowers your resting heart rate and you end up burning less calories when you're sleeping or resting -- but by lowering your resting heart rate aren't you making things less difficult on your heart?? It gets better. Apparently we're supposed to cut dairy out of our diets because it's so unnatural and no other mammal drinks another mammal's milk (so ... no other mammal wears clothes ... or uses technology ... or friggin pumps weights!), AND we're supposed to stop eating grains too because their not part of our "original diets" (yet at the end of it, he said that we should take advantage of the global market and eat a variety of meats and fruits and vegetables ... yeah, I don't think the global market was around when the first humans hunted and gathered!). Oh yeah, and basically all vegetarians have it wrong because you'll end up chubby and will never be able to build muscle because there's no protein in a vegetarian diet (Hello!! Brown rice + beans = complete protein!).


So ... does that mean that this (and I quote) "best oatmeal I've ever eaten," inspired by this gal and this lady shouldn't ever be made again? Oh come on! Peanut butter, bananas, strawberries? Until last summer when I read the mentioned posts, I never even thought to bake oatmeal. Now I do it all the time and experiment with different fruit/flavour combinations (apples, raisins, cinnamon and rhubarb, cherries and almonds). And that big dollop of skim milk yogurt on top .. that's no-no too??

The Best Baked Oatmeal

1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
1/2 cup of soy milk
3/4 cup of skim milk
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of honey
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 banana, chopped
1 handful of strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 cup of quick cooking (5 minute) oats

1. Put the peanut butter in a large bowl. Whisk in the soy milk a little at a time so that the peanut butter gets incorporated (as opposed to just having big lumps in the liquid).

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until well-combined. Pour into a cake pan or square baking dish and bake in a 350 degree oven until all the liquid is absorbed and it gets little golden at the sides.

3. Prepare to taste oatmeal that you have never tasted it before! It's like having cake for breakfast! Even better topped with yogurt (oh no! the dreaded dairy! How am I ever going to build muscle!)

So, does this ALSO means that the honeyed cherry muffins I made yesterday morning are nixed from my repertoire as well?? I thought they were super healthy -- oatmeal, fresh fruit, honey, canola oil, psyllium husks (ok yeah that was random.. I tried to sneak that one in but it didn't work. My Dad brought over this huge jar of psyllium husks because it's supposedly super healthy. If you don't have it, just use wheat bran or wheat germ). The secret here is soaking the oats in the liquids for 5 minutes or so before adding the rest of the ingredients - makes a very tender, moist crumb for the muffins. But the grains are a no-no ... really?!

Honeyed-Cherry Multi-Grain Muffins

1/2 cup of quick cooking oats (5 minute kind)
1/4 cup of psyllium husks (or wheat bran or wheat germ)
1/2 cup of yogurt
1/2 cup of skim milk (or instead of milk and yogurt, use all buttermilk)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/4 cup of honey
3 tablespoons of brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon of almond extract
1 egg
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of cherries, pitted and chopped

1. In a large bowl stir together the milk, yogurt, oil and honey until well blended. Add in the oats and psyllium husks and stir. Let the mixture sit for at least 5 minutes (this would be a good time to pit and chop your cherries).

2. Add in a beaten egg, brown sugar, vanilla and almond extracts and mix well.

3. Sift in the flour and baking soda and mix until just combined (don't over mix!). Stir in the cherries.

4. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins (makes 12 big ones and 24 mini-muffins) and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out clean.

5. Enjoy your whole grains! Yeah, I'm never going to get a six-pack anyway!