pumpkin banana bread

I went to lunch with a friend yesterday to a bakery that serves fabulous salads.  They make pumpkin muffins in the autumn and they had them yesterday.  Even though I was craving one, I knew better then to get one.  My tummy has not like commercial eggs lately and I need to be gentle with dairy.

I came home and made pumpkin banana bread to take their place.  Yummieness.

Pumpkin Banana Bread

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 ripe bananas

1 cup pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Prepare a large loaf pan.  I line mine with parchment paper but you can grease it.

In a bowl, mix sugar and oil together.

Mix in the bananas and pumpkin.  Add the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, salt and mix well.  

 

Add the flour, baking soda, and cream of tartar.  Mix well but does not have to be completely mixed.  In another words, it can be lumpy.

Put the batter in the prepared loaf pan.  Bake for one hour or until a knife poked into the loaf comes out clean.

 

This is the best picture I could take after the bread came out of the oven.  It was disappearing rather rapidly!

gluten free cornbread

We had bean soup and cornbread for dinner last night.  I actually made gluten free cornbread because the last time I made corn bread I made regular and gluten free corn bread.  There was no gluten free corn bread left in the house after that dinner.  It was that much better then regular made with wheat flour.

Gluten Free Corn Bread

2 eggs

1 tablespoon vinegar

15 tablespoons plain hempmilk

1/4 cup olive oil

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 cup cornmeal - any color or grind but not flour

5 ounces of gluten free flours (I used teff, sorghum, amaranth, and tapioca)

1 teaspoon xanathan gum

Preheat oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit.  Prepare an 8 inch by 8 inch pan (I just line with parchment paper).

 

In a bowl, mix the eggs, vinegar, and milk.  Add in the oil, salt, and sugar.  Mix well.

Measure 5 ounces of gluten free flours.  I used sorghum, amaranth, teff, and tapioca.  Sometimes I will use potato, rice, almond, buckwheat, corn, or millet.  But it has to be 5 ounces because that is the same weight as a cup of flour.  It can be your favorite or favorites.  I find a combination works best.  

Add the gluten free flours, cornmeal, baking soda, cream of tartar, and xanathan gum to the bowl  and mix.  It will be lumpy.  Pour into the prepared pan and spread flat.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a knife stuck in the center comes out clean.

Watch it disappear.  Especially if you spread with butter.  Enjoy!

farmer's market and garden salsa

We went to the farmer's market this weekend and got some fabulous peaches.  They were so ripe that some got squished on the way home.  I made salsa with them.

Salsa

8 or so tomatoes (farmer's market)

4 peaches (farmer's market)

Handful of green onions (garden)

1 jalapeno pepper (friend's garden)

half a head of garlic

1 soaked date

salt and pepper

Chop finely the tomatoes, peaches, onions, jalapeno, and garlic.  Put half in the a bowl and the other half in a blender or food processor.  Pit the date.  Add to the mixture in the food processor.  Blend.

 

Put the blended mixture in the bowl with the chopped mixture and stir.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Russell said this was so yummy that he could it is all up not on anything.  Or just on rice.  It is yummy!

pumpkin brownies

I have been craving brownies.  I wanted something moist and rich and yummy.  This does not mean going to a bakery.  I am always disappointed.

Pumpkin Brownies

4 ounces dark chocolate

14 tablespoons canned pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cocoa

1 tablespoon tapioca flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.  Prepare a 8 by 8 inch pan (I line with parchment paper).

Put chocolate and oil in a pot.  Over medium low heat melt the chocolate with the oil.

Turn off the heat.  Mix in the pumpkin and sugar.  Add the vanilla and mix in.  Add the flour, cocoa, tapioca, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.

Spread in prepared pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Let cool.  If at all possible, wait until the next day to eat these.  They will be that much better.  Just ask Russell!

 

You can taste the pumpkin a bit, which I do not mind at all.  However, when apples come into season and I have made applesauce, I wish to try these with applesauce instead of pumpkin.  Both very autumn flavors.  I think I am craving autumn again.  The only issue with applesauce is it is hard to keep around our house.  Tummies like it!

ginger (syrup) soda

We do not drink commercial soda.  We do not drink bubbly drinks.  But when I may ginger syrup and add soda water, we drink ginger soda.  Makes me smile, settles tummies, and takes inflammation down.  We also do other fruit syrups the same way but ginger is our favorite.

Ginger Syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

a piece of ginger the size of your fist, peeled and sliced.

(yes, there is more ginger here then called for in the recipe but I was tripling it)  In a pot, the sugar, water, and ginger go.

 

Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes.  Turn the heat off and let sit at least a half an hour.  I sometimes let this sit for a very long time.  Even overnight.  It can get very spice but we like it.  Spicy and sweet at the same time.

Then I strain it into a jar.  

In a glass, I put ice and about a inch of syrup and then fill the rest with soda water.  It is lovely.  If you want it stronger or weaker it is all up to you.