Banana Bread with Toasted Walnuts and Dark Chocolate

Believe it or not, this recipe comes from a leaflet I found in the Guardian called 'quick and healthy snacks'. To me that says 'eat me'. It's a booklet done by Tomasina Miers, who just so happens to have a very wonderful Mexican restaurant (make that plural) in London and very appetising Mexican cook book. It turns out she is also a dab hand at 'quick and healthy snacks'. Banana bread is very important to me, so I'm not about to share a recipe with you that I think is under par. For the best part of my life I have loathed the banana, except in 'bread' form. As it so happens I now love banana, so the bread form is even more enticing to me. Add some dark chocolate and toasted walnuts and you have a grown up version that lasts for days and certainly fills the elevenses slot without too much guilt. The only change I have made is to add more banana, I tend to use three when Tomasina's recipe calls for only 2 medium bananas, in weight: 250g. It's great for packed lunches as well as tea time. Just don't give it to someone with an allergy to nuts.

Ingredients:


125g softened, unsalted butter

120ml semi-skimmed milk

1 tsp lemon juice

150g walnuts

250g plain flour

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

A couple of pinches of ground allspice

200g dark brown soft sugar

2 large eggs, beaten

3 very ripe bananas roughly mashed

A few drops of vanilla essence

150g 70% dark chocolate, roughly chopped

2 small loaf tins*

Preheat the oven to 180C and leave the butter out to soften. Mix the milk with the lemon juice and leave aside (this will curdle, and give it thickness). If you have good non-stick tins then all you need to do is line the bottoms with some parchment paper, keep the parchment in place with some dabs of butter.




Put the walnuts on a baking tray and warm through the oven until they are lightly toasted, about 5-8 mins then leave to cool. Sift the dry ingredients - flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon and allspice - into a bowl. In another, larger, bowl, cream the butter and half the sugar until pale, light and fluffy. I am still of the wooden spoon school so just make sure you're arms are up to it.




Gradually add the eggs and a tablespoon of the flour mixture, then beat in the rest of the sugar, tha bananas and the vanilla essence. Best the remaining dry ingredients into the mixture adding the milk bit by bit.




Roughly chop the walnuts and fold into the mixture with the chocolate. Pour into the loaf tins and bake in the oven for 50 minutes or until a metal skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tins for 10 minutes then turn out of the tins on to metal racks.




*I only have one small loaf tin so I split the batter into the loaf tin and into muffin trays. When you are using baking soda or power you can't really let the mixture sit for over an hour while one tin bakes. Take the muffins out (depending on size of muffins) after 20-25 or so mins.

Winter Salad

When I think salad, I think hot summer weather and cool refreshing flavors. Then I remind myself of the exciting produce available in fall and winter (pear, squash, etc) and how salad instantly becomes a comfort food. I was invited to a glitter party today (yes i know, AMAZING) and brought the salad to add to a spread of savory tarts and fresh asparagus. This salad is light enough to be a starter for dins and also has enough substance to be the main lunch event. It is also one of my all-time faves... and that's saying something.


Fall Salad with Pears, Walnuts, and Blue Cheese
serves 6 as starter or 4 as main

Ingredients

• 1 bag of spinach leaves, washed and ready-to-eat
• 1 large pear (of any sort), peeled and chopped into medium size chunks
• 1 handful of walnut pieces
• 1 handful of blue cheese crumbles, I used gorgonzola
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt & pepper

Directions

• Get out a small pan.. melt butter and add sugar
• Add chopped pears and cook for 2 min. You do not want the pears to start to lose shape/lose all of their crunch.
• Drain pears, put in salad bowl. reserve the liquid left of the bottom of the pan.
• Add vinegar, oil, mustard, salt & pepper to the pear liquid and whisk.
  
• Add spinach, walnuts, cheese, and dressing to the pears in the salad bowl.
  
• Mix.

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Banana and Walnut Muffins

350 g plain flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

2 tsp cinnamon

160 g caster sugar

370 ml whole milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

75g unsalted butter, melted

4 medium-large very ripe bananas, mashed

2 handfuls of walnut halves, toasted and chopped

for topping:

2 tablespoons of caster sugar 

1/2 tsp cinnamon

• preheat oven to 170 C
• heat a frying pan on medium heat - add walnuts to a dry pan for roughly 5 minutes, tossing often to ensure they do not burn, then remove from the heat and chop roughly
• mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl
• in a separate bowl or jug combine the milk, egg and vanilla and mix well
• slowly pour wet mixture into the flour mixture whilst using a wooden spoon to beat together until combined
• once combined, stir in the melted butter, mashed banana and chopped walnuts and mix well
• spoon into lined or well greased muffin tray about 2/3 full
• combine the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the cupcakes 
• bake on the middle shelf for 20-30 minutes (if making mini-cupcakes check on them after 10 minutes)
• to check if the cakes are done insert a skewer into the centre - it should come out clean
• leave to cool in the tray briefly before turning out onto a wire rack to cool fully

This is a great alternative to banana bread - not too heavy, greasy or sweet, it is perfect with coffee in the afternoon or even as a breakfast on the run.

I am a big fan of nuts and feel they are essential with most fruit-based baking, however, if you are not a fan of walnuts they can be substituted with pecans, hazelnuts, or you can even add a few tablespoons of crunchy peanut butter. If you do not like nuts or are allergic, then simply remove - the end result will not be any less delicious!