Maple Banana Bread (Fat and Sugar Free)

Having just embarked on a quest to get rid of the couple of extra kilos I have packed on, I am once again on the hunt for baked goods that continue to make me feel like Martha Stewart but to maintain a lean, mean physique.

Having been a long time fan of Chocolate Covered Katie's ingenious low calorie sweet recipes, despite all the internet furore over whether or not she has an eating disorder, which sucked me in for an entire free period at work the other day, I decided to modify one of her recipes to create a very low calorie banana bread that would make a good alternative when I get the hankering to bake without resulting in any shift on the scales.

This is pretty good. It was not quite as moist as I would have liked, but I think adding half a cup of frozen blueberries to the mixture would keep it a little more tender. Instead of a loaf, I made little portion-controlled muffins, and they work out to be around 95 calories a piece. Not bad. Of course, if you are not on a calorie controlled diet, you can use regular maple syrup, and I would suggest replacing the skim milk with a mild-flavoured oil.

Maybe if I keep this up, I too will one day achieve the dream of baking with Snoop Dogg.

Fat and Sugar Free Maple Banana Bread
(Serves 12)

2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup skim milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar-free maple syrup
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp stevia
1 2/3 cups mashed banana (I used 4 bananas)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius. Grease a loaf pan, or spray 12 cupcake liners arranged in a muffin tin with oil.
Combine the flour, baking soda and powder, spices, and salt in a large bowl and whisk together to combine. Seperately, combine the milk, vanilla, maple syrup, vinegar, stevia and mashed banana. Mix well.
Make a well in the centre of the dry mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Incorporate gently to mix until only just combined - in this case it is better to have a few lumps than it is to overmix which will result in very rubbery bread.
Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 50 minutes, covering with foil at about the 30 minute mark. Alternatively, pour into cupcake liners and bake for 20 minutes or until set and golden.

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New House

It has been a really long time since I enjoyed cooking.

When I moved into the little cabin out the back of someone's house up in the very isolated suburb of Avalon, I liked it. Even though there was no oven and only an outdoor shower, I liked the rustic vibe. I liked grilling on the barbeque on the verandah. I liked the timid baby possum that came to nibble carrot tops out of my hand at night.

But then winter came, and the outdoor showers became painful rather than an inconvenience. The barbeque broke and I was left with the option of cooking on the lumbering portable stove-top that would take half an hour to bring some water to a pitiful simmer, using the microwave, or the slow cooker. The baby possum grew up and tried to claw my ugg boots to shreds... while I was wearing them.

Long story short - I moved. Into a nice apartment. With an oven. And a shower. And no possums. And I've never been happier.

This was the second thing I cooked in the oven. The first was a roast chicken, obviously, which I rubbed with loads of limes, lemons and African peri-peri spices. It was slightly more charred than I expected, but it takes time to get used to a new oven, and they can be fickle.

Proscuitto-Wrapped Fish with Roasted Vegetables
(Serves 2)

This is a very easy midweek dinner. It contains a good deal of protein and is low in carbohydrates, for people that are worried about such things (depends what day you catch me on). It is also paleo-friendly, if the proscuitto is air-dried.

2 green zucchini
2 red capsicums
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1/2 tbsp olive oil or butter
salt and pepper
2 white fish fillets (I used basa, but any white fish fillet would work - defrost if frozen)
4 sliced proscuitto

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
Slice the vegetables into thick wedges. Toss with the garlic, oil and salt and pepper on a foil-lined baking tray.

Wrap the fish fillets in the proscuitto and lay on top or nestle among the vegetables.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily and the vegetables are tender.
Serve with steamed green vegetables and/or some whole grains such as brown rice or quinoa.

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Olive, Garlic and Rosemary Lamb

A simple weeknight recipe - marinate the lamb as long as possible for maximum flavour.

Olive, Garlic and Rosemary Lamb
(Serves 2)

2 lamb forequarter chops, or 4 small lamb cutlets
1/4 cup kalamata olives, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large stalk of rosemary, leaves chopped roughly
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Place all marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Add lamb and massage the bag to coat the lamb evenly. Refrigerate until ready to cook.

When ready, oil a barbeque or grill plate on high. Add lamb and cook until golden on one side, then flip and cook on the other side until cooked to your liking.

Serve with a large green salad or some steamed vegetables.  

Grilled Chicken with Caper-Orange Gremolata

Spending time on holidays with unlimited, stress free kitchen time is such a blessing. Many weeknights during the school term are a rush of grilling some protein and rummaging through the fridge for a few vegetables to chuck alongside. In the holidays, I will frequently spend the morning browsing through neglected cookbooks, carefully selecting a recipe, shopping for the best-quality ingredients, and then cooking up a storm when I get home.

I have been fiddling around with a bread recipe for the slow cooker, which I will post as soon as I figure out some kinks - in the meantime, the cockatoos certainly enjoyed their taste test on the balcony yesterday!

Last night I tried a recipe based on the gorgeous blog Roost. It happens to be one I will keep in my head for weeknights, as it is extremely simple and delicious, and took all of fifteen minutes from chopping board to plate. It's also a very healthy way to spruce up a simple grilled chicken without adding many calories.

Grilled Chicken with Caper-Orange Gremolata and Spring Greens
(Serves 2)

2 large or 4 small chicken thighs, fat trimmed and seasoned

1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
zest and juice from 1 orange
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and roughly chopoed

4 cups mixed green vegetables (I used broccoli florets and quartered brussel sprouts)

Grill chicken on a barbeque or a grill pan until browned and cooked through.
Meanwhile, stir together gremolata ingredients. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Steam vegetables until bright and just tender.
Serve chicken topped with gremolata and alongside greens.

Carrot Salad, Coconut Cookies and other kitchen happenings...

Wow, OK, I just finished the blog post and my computer deleted it. FML, and so on and so forth.

Now, to begin again...

School holidays are finally here, which means I can spend more time in the kitchen preparing meals that take more effort than the five minutes I am prepared to dedicate to it on weeknights. We had some family come to stay a couple of nights, so we fed them by grilling up a whole bunch of meat - spicy sausages for them, and kangaroo burgers for me) and making this gorgeous carrot salad. I love that it is so bright and colourful. It's also a good one to make for entertaining if money is tight, because carrots are always so inexpensive. As per usual, it is also very healthy, and clocks in at around 96 calories for a generous serving.

Carrot, Orange, Chilli and Mint Salad
(Serves 4)

4 carrots, grated
1 orange, peeled and segmented (save the juice from the chopping board!)
5 dried dates, chopped
1 long red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced
a decent handful of mint leaves, torn
salt and pepper
1 tbsp white balsamic or white wine vinegar

Toss all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Pour over any reserved juice from the orange slicing. Allow to sit for a while before serving, as the flavours will meld, the dates will soften and the oranges will bleed more juice into the salad. It was fine 10 minutes after making it, but was even better for lunch the next day.

What else? Well, I've been considering trying the Whole30 Challenge, which as a diet goes is pretty similar to the way I eat now, with the focus on fresh vegetables and fruits, good quality protein and minimal processed foods. However, it does involve cutting dairy, which will mean giving up my beloved after-dinner skim hot chocolate.

Then I created these as a nifty substitute. I'm a happy lady now.

Ugly Coconut Cookies
(aka Raw, Vegan, Sugar-free, Low Carb Cookies)
(Makes about 8-12)

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3-4 sachets Stevia (not artificial sweeteners like Equal)
1 x 110g jar organic 100% apple baby food
3 tbsp melted coconut butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tsp chia seeds
a pinch of salt

Combine all ingredients until thoroughly mixed and the whole mixture is moistened and will stick together if pressed. Roll into balls and flatten slightly. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate to serve.

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

My god, but salads can get boring, can't they?

I have a tendency to eat very similar lunches each week. This week was the last week of school, and I was feeling drained and cranky and in need of cheering up desperately.

Who would have thought that four carrots and a blender would do the trick?

This recipe, adapted from Appetite for Reduction, is bright BRIGHT orange and has loads of fresh, zingy flavours. I paired it with a salad of mixed lettuce, chickpeas, red cabbage, avocado, cucumber and nashi pear. Not to mention that fact that this is an excellent way to dress a salad with a thick and almost creamy dressing that has very little fat in it.

Carrot and Ginger Salad Dressing
(Makes enough for five or six large salads)

4 carrots, peeled and chopped roughly
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt

Steam carrots until very tender. Drain and place in a blender with all remaining ingredients. Puree until very smooth and place in a jar to refrigerate. Serve dolloped on top of salad.

This made a very nice change of pace from my usual work lunch!

Cheers

Alcohol is such an enemy to health and vitality.

I know this, and yet I still get so excited by the prospect of sitting down to a chilled glass of NZ Savignon Blanc every now and then. And I don't feel guilty - enjoying wine in moderation makes me happy, and being happy keeps you healthy and reduces cortisol levels, which make you retain fat, so in the long run, in fact, wine will keep me thin.

Desperate justification much?

But seriously, enjoying a couple of wines is a pleasure I don't want to give up. But social occasions do pose a difficuly. Once you've had those couple of glasses and you don't want to drink any more, but everyone around you is still pouring pinot noir down their throats like they're at a very sophisticated version of a frat party, where do you turn?

Do you switch to water? Everyone will just assume you're a penny-pinching loser, or a macrobiotic, or some other social outcast.

What about soft drinks? Sure, if you don't mind liquified diabetes in a glass.

Mocktails? Delicious, until all the sugar from the fruits and syrups hit your head in a blinding spear of headache.

No, you switch to this little number.

I'm not at all a fan of sweet cocktails. Hence, mocktails usually gross me out. This is a great way to keep yourself hydrated at a party without people questioning your lack of alcoholic beverage and as an added bonus, nibbling on the olives will keep you away from the horrendous cocktail food being served.

The Teeny Bikini Martini (all cocktails have to have silly names, right?)
Serves 1

300ml sparkling mineral water
1 slice of lime
juice of 1/4 lime
4 green olives, threaded onto a skewer

Pour mineral water and lime juice into a glass. Add the lime slice and the olive skewer. Enjoy!

I wouldn't mind trying a few variations on this. This is easy enough to order in a bar, but if I was at home, I would consider switching the lime for grapefruit and skewering alternate red and green grapes on the skewers.

This is one drink that will help you fit into that teeny bikini! Cheers to that!

What's your best trick for keeping healthy at social events?