Blueberry Banana Bread

From foodnetwork.com

Prep:15 min
Inactive:2 hr
Cook:1 hr

Yield:6 to 8 Servings

Level:Easy

(from another website, To prepare gluten-free, mix up flour:
1/2 cup rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/4 cup arrowroot starch/flour or cornstarch

Use 1.5 cups of this mixture to substitute for the wheat flour.

Taste is excellent; texture slightly grainy with gluten free flour.

Ingredients
Butter, for greasing the loaf pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting the loaf pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ripe bananas, peeled and coarsely mashed to yield about 3/4 cup of mashed banana
1 cup (about 4 ounces) fresh blueberries

Directions:

Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- by 3-inch loaf pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla until blended. Stir in the bananas and blueberries. Add the dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes. Remove the loaf from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack, about 2 hours.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/blueberry-banana-bread-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Sweet Potato-Black Bean Stew with Sweet Peppers and Peanut Sauce

This is from Molly Katzen's newest cookbook, The Heart of the Plate.  You might recognize her name from her Moosewood Cookbook, published in 1977.  She was vegetarian way before it was as popular as it is today.  I just took a walk down memory lane and browsed through my old food-stained copy of that book.  Her recipes in this hardcover new book are more interesting, as evidenced by this peanut flavored sweet potato stew.  The color pictures add a lot more interest as well.

I didn't take the time to make the banana-cheese empanadas that were meant to accompany this stew, but made a 2-minute version of them by top broiling banana, pepper Jack cheese and a squirt of lime on thin bread in the toaster oven -- not bad!!  She gives much more direction about preparation than I'm including here.

Some other interesting sounding dishes are Roasted Eggplant Salad with Coconut-Lime Vinaigrette, Golden Lentils with Soft Sweet Onions and Brussel Sprouts with Cranberries.

Ingredients:
For the stew:
2 Tbsp olive or roasted peanut oil, or a combination
2 cups minced red onion (1 large)
2 Tbsp finely minced fresh ginger
1 1/4 tsp salt, or to taste
2 tsp minced or crushed garlic
2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (7 cups)
1/2 cup water
1 large sweet red bell pepper, in 1/4 inch dice (2 cups)
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice, or more to taste
3 cups cooked black beans or two 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained

For peanut sauce:
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tsp cider vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar
1 1/2 tsp agave nectar or light-colored honey
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Optional extras:
Roasted peanuts, lime wedges, chopped cilantro leaves

Directions:
1) Heat a soup pot over medium heat for about a minute; add the oil and swirl to coat the pan.
2) Add the onion, ginger and 1/2 tsp of the salt.  Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.
3) Add 1 tsp on the garlic and sauté for about 5 minutes longer, or until the onion becomes translucent.
4) Stir in the sweet potatoes, plus the remaining 1 tsp of garlic and another 1/2 tsp of salt.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
5) Add 1/2 cup water, cover again, and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are almost done.  Stir every 10 minutes or so.
6) Add the bell pepper and lime juice, stir, and cover to cook for 5 minutes or so until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.  Add more water or lime juice if the vegetables are sticking to the bottom.
7) Gently stir in the beans during the last few minutes of cooking.
8) Put the peanut butter in a medium bowl and slowly stir in the boiling water, then vinegar, sweetener and remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Adjust taste.
9) Use a rubber spatula to scrape all the sauce into the stew, then stir gently .  Adjust to taste with salt, lime or possibly crushed red pepper.

Teff Stew

from Bob's Red Mill website
Read about teff on Wikipedia

Teff Stew
This reinterpretation of wat--an Ethiopian soup traditionally eaten with flatbread made from teff flour--includes whole grain teff in the stew itself.

2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 cup chopped Onion
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground Allspice
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1 cup Teff 2 large Tomatoes, chopped
1 medium Zucchini, sliced
1 medium Yellow Summer Squash, sliced
4 cups Vegetable Broth
1 cup cooked Garbanzo Beans
1/2 cup Lemon Juice
1/4 cup chopped Cilantro
ground Black Pepper
Salt

Heat oil in a heavy 4-quart pot over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, spices and salt. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add teff and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until teff is soft, about 15 minutes.

Add vegetables and beans; cook until tender, 10-15 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook 3 more minutes. Add cilantro just before serving. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Snap Peas with Coconut Lime Dressing

From Nutrition Action Healthletter - September 2013

The snap peas I intended to use were not good by the time I made this dish, so I substituted broccoli, and it was fabulous.  Really adds a kick to an old standard, and it only took a few minutes to whip up!
Served it over couscous with leftover chicken we had baked the night before, using Blackening Spice Rub from this blog, borrowed from canyonranch.com

Ingredients:
3/4 pound snap peas, trimmed
1/4 cup light coconut milk
2 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce (or tamari, gluten free)
2 tsp lime juice
1 jalapeño, optional
1/4 cup unsalted roasted peanuts, chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced

Directions:
1) Lightly steam the snap peas until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes (3 minutes if you
use broccoli).  Rinse under cold water.  Drain well and transfer to serving platter/bowl.
2)In a small bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, soy sauce, lime juice and jalapeño.
3) Drizzle the dressing over the peas and top with the peanuts and shallots.

4 - one cup servings, each 80 calories, 95 mg sodium, 4.5 gm fat, 1 gm saturated fat, 9 gm carbs,
4 gm protein, 3 gm fiber.

Nutty Honey Chicken

Adapted from 1000 Lowfat Recipes by Terry Blonder Golson

This is a very quick and easy recipe.  For a gluten-free variation, use Tamari gluten free soy sauce and quinoa flakes instead of bread crumbs.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup honey
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp lo sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans or other nuts
1/2 cup soft whole wheat breadcrumbs or quinoa flakes
2 pounds skinless chicken breasts

Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 400.  Lightly coat a baking pan with oil - very important with honey in the recipe.

2) Combine the honey, mustard and soy sauce in a bowl.

3) Toss the nuts and breadcrumbs or quinoa flakes together on a plate.

4) Brush each piece of chicken with the sauce, then roll it in the breadcrumb mixture.  Gently shake off the excess.  Place on the baking sheet.

5) Bake for 20 minutes or so; check thickest piece for doneness.

Per serving: Calories 390; Protein 40g; Fat 15g (saturated 2g); carbohydrates 24g; Fiber 1g; sodium 180mg.