Banana Loaf

I've been suffering from yet another cough and cold recently - just how many of these can one person get! So I've not been eating properly and not wanted to do any cooking at all. 

Starting to feel more human now, so got back out into the kitchen where I found a couple of black bananas.  Best use for these I thought will be a lovely comforting banana loaf.  So I set to with a Nigel Slater recipe.  Now Nigel freqently says that a recipe is a 'guide' or words to that effect - so my slight misunderstanding when following his recipe is not a mistake - but a bit of creative adaptation.

The recipe calls for grinding hazelnuts to add with the flour.  I had a collection of mixed whole nuts that I thought would replace the 'hazelnuts' in the recipe list.  It was only as I was following the 'method',  that I realised the error.  Well what the hell I thought - just chuck them in roughly chopped and see what happens.  The result a delicious banana loaf that even hubby likes (not sure this is a good thing!).

There are big chunks of nuts, banana and chocolate in a lovely moist cake with a slightly crisp top.

The original recipe called for choc chips but I substituted roughly chopped dark chocolate and I think it works better giving a slight bitterness in contrast with all the sweetness.

So the recipe for Terri's Banana Loaf is:

6 oz softened salted butter
6 oz sugar (half light brown, half castor)
2 1/2 oz mixed nuts - roughly chopped
3 eggs
6 oz self raising flour
2 very ripe bananas
vanilla extract
6 oz of good dark chocolate - roughly chopped
a little demerara sugar.

1 - Preheat the oven to 170C
2 - Line a loaf tin (I use paper cases from Lakeland)
3 - Beat the butter and sugars together until they are light, fluffy and coffee coloured - best done with a food mixer.
4 - Slowly beat the eggs in to the butter and sugar mix together with a few drops of vanilla essense
5 - Add the flour and gently fold in.
6 - Peel and chop the bananas - smallish chunks
7 - Fold in the nuts, chocolate and banana chunks
8 - Scoop into the prepared tin - the mix is quite stiff so work it down into the tin and slightly flatten off with a spatula
9 - Sprinkle a little demerara sugar on the top.  Bake for 1 hr to 1 hr 10 mins.  If the loaf starts to get too dark then cover with cooking foil.  It's done when it's springy to the touch and a knife comes out nice and clean.

It is delicious on the day - but as with all banana bakes it gets better if allowed to mature for a day.

Parsnip and Rosemary Soup.

I have been going to Weight Watchers for ages - and recently I have not been very successful at losing the weight.  I  know that this is all down to me - I just cannot seem to get my self into the 'tracking zone'.

Then last week our group leader mentioned 'Filling and Healthy'.  Basicall there is a list of foods that are filling and healthy and you do not need to point them.  Now some of these to have a points value, but not if you are following this approach.  Fruits, veg, lean meats some cereals and very low fat dairy.  You also have to have 2 tpsns of oil a day as well.

Basically you can eat what you want from the list, but need to be disciplined enough to eat until you are just full - not stuffed or even slightly over full.  You can just do a day or longer.  You take any 'extras' from your weekly points allowance.

So I thought let's give it a go.  I figured it would give me a chance to work on some new recipes and hopefully lose a few pounds.

The first new recipe for me is Parsnip and Rosemary soup - which is just lovely.  Now, I love roast parsips and up to now that has been it for me on the parsip front.  I have tried the spiced parsnip soups but didn't like them.  But this is delicious.

Take: (serves 4).

2 tablespoons of light olive or sunflower oil.
1 large onion
2 sticks of celery
4 medium sized parsnips
1 smallish potato
Vegetable stock
2 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary.
Salt and Pepper.

Put the oil in a saucepan and heat.  Peel and chop the onions and put into the pan with the oil and gently soften them.  Chop the celery and put it in the pan with the onion.  Top and tail the parsnips but don't peel them.  Chop the parsnips and put them in the pan.  Then wash and chop the unpeeled potato.  Sweat the vegetable together over a low heat for 5 mins - don't let the veggies brown.  Then add just enought stock to cover the veg.  Simmer until soft and tender.  Take off the heat and liquidise.  Then add the rosemary and add seasoning to taste.

Serve warm with a dollop of fat free greek yogurt.  Yum, Yum!  and very filling.

If you want bread or crackers with this soup you will need to take the points from your weekly allowance