Healthy (er..ish) Banana, Zucchini, chocolate chip bread

These are by no means a healthy snack but a great alternative to cookies or cake if you need a dessert!

3 very ripe bananas

2 eggs

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 medium zucchini grated 

3/4 cup chocolate chips ( I did 60% dark, but you could do cocoa nibs or a high percentage to make it slightly healthier, or just leave them out if you want to be a party pooper) 

Preheat the oven to 350*. Lightly grease a standard sized loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the banana for a minute or so till well mashed. Add the eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix for another minute or so, until smooth.

Add the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Mix to combine and then add the flour. 

Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes. Keep checking on it after 30 minutes until the knife comes out clean- time varies depending on your oven. Let cool for 20-30 minutes in the pan and then transfer to a cooling rack until ready to eat. 

"Granola Bars" That are more like cookies!

Ok, when I set out to make these I thought that they would be yummy homemade granola bars, but really, they ended up being more like cookie bars because I had to make a few changes. I'll post the original recipe and then also the changes I made. If you do the original they will probably a little more like healthy granola bars. But they tasted SO good and the texture was super YUMMY!

Ingredients

2 cups Rolled Oats
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup raw cocoa nibs 

*I did 60% dark bakers chocolate chips which ended up melting and making the whole thing choclately rather than just pieces of chocolate, but it was super yummy*
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pinch sea salt (optional)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup raw, creamy almond butter

*I did Adams Peanut Butter because I didn't have almond butter. Since PB is a stronger flavor it took over a bit and added to the "cookie-ness", but once again SO YUMMY*

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, cranberries, cocoa nibs and cinnamon. Stir well.
In a small pot, combine the oil, honey, vanilla extract and almond butter over medium heat. You want to warm this enough to combine the liquids well. But DO NOT BOIL! Stir constantly to avoid any simmering. This warmth is strictly to get everything to combine as well as to make it a bit more fluid for mixing with the oats.
Pour the nut butter into the mixing bowl and mix well to completely coat the oats.
Press mixture into an oiled or parchment lined baking dish 8X8

* I did parchment paper and had extras on the side so that I could easily lift it out. That made it much easier to lift out, and just cut on a cutting board instead on in the pan*

Freeze for 2 hours.
Cut bars with a sharp knife and store in the freezer for up to 2 months, tightly wrapped so no air gets to them. Note that by the time lunch time comes around, these will no longer be frozen and will be perfect to eat. (These keep in the fridge for about a week.)

Hummus + Tahini Sauce

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup raw sesame seeds (or I had roasted sesame seeds that I just put under the boiler for a minute or two to heat up)
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 lemons, juice of
1 tbsp. garlic powder OR 6 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1/2 cup water
Salt to taste

Directions

Bake the sesame seeds at 350 F. for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven and immediately pour into your blender while the seeds are still hot.
Blend until it get thick and sticks to the sides.
Add in all other ingredients and blend until you have a smooth sauce.
Transfer to a storage container and chill for at least 2 hours so it can thicken.

(Makes approximately 1 1/4 cups)


Hummus

Ingredients

2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas *or you could buy garbanzo beans and soak them :)
Juice of 2 lemon
1/2 cup tahini sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 cup sun dried tomatoes (optional)
Water – just enough to get the right consistency

Directions
Place all ingredients, except the olives, in your food processor and blend until smooth.

I halved the recipe of the tahini sauce and it made just the right amount for the hummus. This makes A LOT of  hummus though. When I do it again I will probably just make half the hummus.

Crock Pot Refried Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 2 cups dry pinto beans, rinsed
• ½ fresh jalapeno or other hot pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• One big pinch of cumin
• 6 cups water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 8 hours or overnight while you are sleeping.
3. Remove the bigger onion chunks and drain the excess liquid. If desired, save the excess liquid to add back to the final product to get the optimal consistency (i.e. not too dry).
4. Mash remaining beans with a potato masher and voila! You have homemade refried beans.

Homemade Wheat Tortillas

INGREDIENTS

• 2½ cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour)
• ½ cup oil (I used EVOL but you could use avocado oil or grapeseed oil too)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup warm water (heat in the microwave for 1 min)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer set with a dough hook, pour in the flour, oil and salt. Mix until crumbly, about 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape the sides as needed. If your hand-held mixer comes with dough hooks those can be used as well.
2. With the mixer running, gradually add the warm water and continue mixing until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes.
3. Take out the dough and divide it into 12 equal sized pieces. I do this by making the dough into a big log shape that is about 8 – 10 inches long. Then I cut it into 3 rds. Then I cut each of those pieces in the middle and so on until you have 12 pieces.
4. Using the palms of your hand roll each piece into a round ball and place on cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to one hour.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet, griddle or 12-inch skillet over med-high heat. The pan should be fairly hot before you begin cooking the tortillas.
6. On a lightly floured board or counter top, use a rolling pin to turn each ball into a 8 to 10 inch flat circle (measure against your recipe if printed on a 8.5X11 sheet of paper). Be careful not to use more than a teaspoon or two of flour when rolling out each ball into a tortilla because too much excess flour will burn in the pan.
7. Grease the pan with a touch of oil and then carefully transfer each tortilla, one at a time, to the pan and cook until puffy and slightly brown, about 30 to 45 seconds per side. Set aside on a plate to cool slightly. Eat within an hour, refrigerate or freeze.