vegetarian

Nutty Banana Brownies

These are scrumptious. They are moist, chocolaty, nutty, and sweet. They are my favorite way to use up bananas. These brownies also have whole wheat flour, so you can feel good about them. Of course, you can use all-purpose flour too and still feel good about them, because they are just that good.

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup chunky peanut butter

2 eggs

1 Tbsp milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 whole wheat flour (all purpose flour works just fine too)

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup chocolate chips, tossed in a tsp of wheat flour (all-purpose flour is fine)

1/2 chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 9 square baking pan and set aside. In a medium sized saucepan, melt the butter. Take off the heat and let cool slightly. Add the sugar, cocoa powder and peanut butter to melted butter. Stir until all is mixed together. In a separate bowl add vanilla to eggs and beat lightly. Add eggs and vanilla mixture, along with the milk to the cocoa mixture and stir. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the mixture and stir until combined. Place the mashed bananas into the mix, and gently stir again, mixture will be lumpy. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving. These brownies are great at room temperature (even better I think), and the bananas keep them moist for days (if they last that long). But if you must eat them warm, because they made your whole house smell incredible and you can’t wait… Please do yourself a favor and dab a little Nutella on the top, because chocolate and hazelnuts goes perfectly with nutty banana brownies.

Guacamole Salsa

Guacamole is a perfect summer dip. It’s a guilt free creamy indulgence. When combined with other bold fresh flavors and piled high on a salty corn chip it screams “fiesta!” Of course don’t limit yourself to corn chips; it also makes a great sandwich spread. For an even healthier treat, stack it tall on cold crunchy leaves of romaine or roll it in cool pockets of iceberg lettuce.

Serves 8

As organic as possible:
1 small onion diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeño, seeded and diced small

3 small tomatoes, seeds and juice discarded (as much a possible, don’t work too hard)

½ tsp coarse salt

1 dash cayenne pepper

4 ripe avocados; pitted, diced and scooped out of the skins
Juice of 2 medium limes

Place the onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomato, salt,  and cayenne in a bowl. If you’ve never worked with avocados, don’t worry; I’ll step you through it. On a ripe avocado, one with a little give when pushed, the skin may appear tough, but isn’t. Using a chef’s knife, cut lengthwise (top to bottom) all the way through to the pit. Continue all the way around the avocado until you have cut a full circle. Set down the knife and hold the fruit in your hand. Twist half of the avocado at the cut, holding the other half steady in your hand. Once it gives, separate the two halves. One of the halves should have retained the pit. Use the chef’s knife (being very careful not to cut yourself) and give the pit a little whack, just enough to get an edge of the knife inside. Then holding the avocado twist the knife enough to loosen and remove the pit. Carefully pull the pit off of your knife and discard. While the fruit is still in its skin, I like to cut a diamond pattern (dicing it) in the flesh and use a tablespoon to scoop it out along the skin.
Place the diced avocado in the bowl, and add lime juice. Gently toss, just mixing until combined, not to mash the avocado. (I like big chunks.)

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Serve immediately (pool side if possible) as avocados have a tendency to turn brown when left in open air too long. If juice settles, feel free to re-toss. Happy Eating!

Side note: If you need to store it in the refrigerator, gently press plastic wrap against the guacamole to eliminate as much air as possible from contacting the avocados… and the lime juice will help.

Hummus Lover’s Hummus

I am a huge fan of hummus. At any given time, I can eat unladylike amounts with ease. Let’s pretend we just had a hearty meal followed by dessert, and then for some unknown reason, you bring out some hummus and pita chips. I’d be like, “yeah, I have a little room for some hummus.” Smooth, chunky, creamy, pasty, garlicky, spicy, pine nutty…

As Organic as you can…

3 cloves garlic

1 scallion

2 -15 1/2 oz cans chickpeas rinsed and drained, (about 3 cups cooked)

6 tablespoons tahini

6 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

3/4 tsp salt

2 Sprinkles of cumin

Sprinkle of cayenne

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Do a rough chop on the garlic and scallions and throw them into the food processor. Pulse a couple times. Add chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, salt, cumin, and cayenne. Then turn your processor on and walk away. Check your processor and if need be scrape down the sides with a spatula. If it seems very pasty and not blending well, this is a good time to add a tablespoon or so of water. (You don’t necessarily want to add more lemon juice, or olive oil at this point). Then turn it back on and go do something else. Don’t be scared to let it run for what seems like a ridiculously long time, we want it creamy. When it looks incorporated and smooth slowly drizzle olive oil in. (Sidenote: sometimes my tahini is oilier than other times. If it seems thick to you, and you’d like to, add another tablespoon of olive oil.) Then using a spatula, and being careful of the blade, scoop the hummus into a bowl. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours. Do not skip this step! Because the hummus you taste right now is not going to be the better hummus you taste in two hours. However you can do a little taste for seasoning, and if need be and more salt and any of the spices you’d like. Then in a couple hours or even the next day when you’re ready to eat the hummus, remember not to eat it all by yourself at one sitting because that is a lot of hummus! (That last note was for me.)