I hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It's flippin' freezing here... have I mentioned that already!? Ay,yai yai. Anyways, my weekend has been pretty uneventful up until this point which is exactly what I wanted. I was supposed to go on a dinner date with PJ last night, but I developed a dull headache late afternoon yesterday that has yet to go away. I spent the night in bed watching tv. I rarely get headaches, so I'm unsure as to what caused this one or why it won't take a hike! On a side note, my mom's prescription recommendation to me this morning was to to take 4 Ibuprofen with coffee. Gotta love her :)
I had to share a picture of my lunch on Friday because A. it was so delish, and B. it came in the cutest little cauldron! I had a delicious kale salad with manchego and avocado on the side. Mmmmm..
I forgot to flip this pic when I uploaded it, so please lay on your side to get the full experience :) PJ and I ordered pizza and salad on Friday night. I had the truffled mushroom pizza which was so awesome. I LOVE truffle oil, and the second I opened the steaming hot pizza box I was intoxicated by the delightful sent of truffle. From that moment, I knew it was going to be a good dinner. I think I picked off and ate every mushroom from the leftover pizza. Lots of 'shrooms on Friday I guess, huh?
I also made an AMAZING coconut banana bread on Friday night which I suggest you all go make right this second. All I have to say is wow. By the way, that isn't icing you see on the top of my bread, friends. That would be 1 ingredient coconut butter made by yours truly! Also, I don't have a loaf pan which is why my banana bread looks more like a banana cake, haha.
I imagine that my bread would have looked like the above pic had I had a loaf pan and some flaked, toasted coconut for the topping. I assure you that despite my banana cake's unimpressive presentation, it tastes like a dream. Don't judge a book by it's cover, people.
The recipe I used was from Edible Perspective, which is an amazing food and recipe blog that features primarily vegetarian and gluten free recipes. Also, the food photography is outstanding. I subscribe to Edible Perspective, and when this recipe showed up in my inbox, I immediately began to salivate. Coconut and bananas in one bread? Don't mind if I do. I adapted the recipe a bit because the original was gluten free and used too many different wheat free flours that I frankly didn't want to purchase. If you are gluten free, follow this exact recipe.
Coconut Banana Bread with Coconut Glaze
(adapted from Edible Perspective)
for the coconut butter:
- 4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2-4 teaspoons pure cane sugar, optional ( I did not use any sugar and the butter tasted amazing!)
for the bread:
- 3/4 cup unsweetened large flaked coconut, topping ( I did not have flaked coconut to toast, but I think it would be really pretty!)
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or regular whole wheat flour ( I used regular whole wheat, but i think the whole wheat pastry flour would be lighter)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons ground flax meal
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 heaping cup well mashed ripe banana, brown spots on the peel ( I used 3 large bananas)
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons lite canned coconut milk
- 1/3 cup coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup/honey ( I used 1/3 cup organic, raw honey)
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
for the coconut butter:
Place coconut in your [~11c capacity] food processor and process until you reach a drippy consistency, about 5-10 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed and pour into a jar. Seal and store in the cupboard or pantry.
for the bread:
Preheat your oven to 300* F. Place the large flaked coconut on a baking sheet and toast for 6-10 minutes watching closely. Once golden brown remove and let cool. Increase your oven to 350* F and thoroughly grease a 9x5 bread pan with softened coconut oil.
Add the shredded coconut, flour, flax, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Stir until well combined.
In another bowl whisk the eggs together. Then whisk in the banana, milk, honey or coconut nectar, and vanilla. Be sure the nectar is fully incorporated. Whisk in the coconut oil then pour contents into the dry ingredient bowl. Stir the mixture together until just combined [when you no longer see dry flour].
Let sit for 5 minutes [to thicken] then pour into the pan and level out with a spatula. Bake for 38-48 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean [slightly moist but not gooey]. ( I cooked mine until the internal temp was 185-190 degrees and the consistency was perfect. Moist, but not mushy. The meat thermometer is my bff. I don't think my bread was in the oven for more that 30-35 minutes so be sure to keep an eye on it. Crumbly, dry bread stinks.)
Let the bread cool for 20 minutes, loosen then edges with a butter knife, then gently remove from the pan. Allow bread to fully cool then drizzle desired amount of coconut butter and toasted coconut on top of the bread. Slice before the coconut butter hardens. Serve or let coconut butter harden after slicing and store in a sealed container on the counter for 3-4 days. It’s much harder to slice once the coconut butter is solid.
I got my yoga on yesterday after enjoying a few pieces of that banana bread. Check out my hairy, sleepy yoga instructor. I apologize that my live- in photographer takes blurry pictures, but he works for free so I keep him around.
Also, while I was nursing my headache last night I watched the pilot episode of The Goodwife. I loved it! I feel a marathon goodwife watching session in my near future :)
Alright kids, I gotta go. I will be back later with some pics from the day!
Something to think about:
XO
Sarah
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