Banana, nut & seed loaf (grain & dairy-free)

I'm back!! It has only been just over a year (oops!) since I posted a recipe on this blog . . have you missed me? A lot can happen in a year and has! I could offer up all sorts of excuses but I'm sure you're more interested in some new recipes right? I am very conscious that I haven't been holding up my side of the deal with new Likes to my Facebook page for this blog, dribbling, sometimes pouring in weekly (thank you!) as Thermomix users stumble across my recipes here on Mixing it up HK for the first time. 

To share a little with you of what I've been up to, the 'HK' part of my blog title hasn't been strictly true since December last year. I have returned to my home country of Australia, and to a very beautiful part of the world situated on the surfcoast in Victoria. As my husband still works in Hong Kong commuting home to be with us as often as he can each month, I feel very lucky to still have a link to this vibrant city (and my cherished friends) where I spent 14 years of my life, with an opportunity to visit several times a year. My own work also keeps me connected with Hong Kong which I enjoy. 

Here in Australia, my girls have settled in better than I could ever have hoped for at their new school, and have already established some beautiful friendships. Like any other mother, I'm performing a bit of a juggling act of work (my new nutrition & health coaching business here), home duties, and just being mum (sometimes dad too) to my two girls. I also make it a priority to incorporate fitness and 'me' time into my week. Whether this is my regular pilates class, a stroll on the beach, a bike ride to the local shops and farmers market, or getting to know new friends and catching up with old ones at a real food cafe . . . I'm a better parent and a happier, more balanced individual for doing so. There's too much stress to contend with in our daily modern lives, and as a health coach, I understand the negative impact this can have on the body. However, scheduling in some blogging time, something I really enjoy, needs to make it back onto my 'me' time list! So that's why I'm here. Hopefully you're happy about this too :) 

And now for the recipe . . . this grain and dairy-free loaf is perfect lightly toasted for breakfast with ripe avocado smashed or sliced on top, or simply enjoy with a thick lather of organic butter. I have to confess that it's also lovely topped with my mum's lemon butter, which I make with coconut oil these days, as a treat. The loaf has a mild banana flavour with a nuttiness and rustic texture that I adore. I love that it's extremely satiating and nurtures my body with minerals, healthy fats and a good dose of protein in the process. It's also the perfect way to use up almond pulp leftover from making my regular batch of almond milk. I simply dehydrate the pulp for about 6 hours at 47C before using in this recipe. You could also do this in a low oven. In place of almond pulp you can opt to use commercial almond flour or preferably finely ground almonds made in your Thermomix. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do X


Banana, nut & seed loaf (grain & dairy-free)

ingredients

40g flaxseeds (linseeds)

110g dehydrated almond pulp, almond flour or finely ground raw almonds

70g raw cashews

2 ripe bananas, cut into quarters

4 large organic, free-range eggs

½ tsp bicarb of soda

½ tsp baking powder

1 tsp Himalayan or sea salt

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp raw honey or coconut nectar (optional)

100g walnuts, roughly chopped & optional - see variation below

100g tapioca flour/starch

30g chia or hemp seeds

40g pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

30g sunflower seeds

method

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper. My tin is 19.5 x 9.5cm. 
2. Grind flaxseeds for 10 seconds on speed 9. 
3. Add dehydrated almond pulp (or raw almonds) and cashews and grind into a flour or very fine meal on speed 9 for 10-15 seconds. Set aside. 
4. Add the bananas, eggs, bicarb, baking powder, salt, apple cider vinegar and sweetener (optional) and mix on speed 4 for 15-20 seconds until bananas are mashed well and mixture is frothy. 
5. Roughly chop the walnuts by hand. Add to the TM bowl (or save some to sprinkle on top of the loaf) with the ground flaxseeds and nuts mixture, tapioca flour, chia, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Add your flavour variations (below) at this step. Mix on reverse, speed 5 for a few seconds to combine. The mixture will be quite thick and stiff. 
6. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tin and spread evenly with spatula. 
7. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Slice and store in a ziplock bag in the fridge or freezer. 

Please note that it is preferable to use activated nuts and seeds for easier digestion and improved nutrient uptake by the body. To incorporate this extra step you need to plan a day ahead . . . simply weigh out the almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds and soak in filtered water overnight. Cashews only require a couple of hours soaking. The next day, drain the water from the nuts and seeds and dry on trays in a 50C oven or in a dehydrator until crisp. 

Topping ideas:

• avocado
• homemade pesto & sliced tomatoes 
• mum's lemon butter

Variations:

• Add desiccated coconut in place of the roughly chopped extra nuts
• For a chai flavoured bread, add 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground cardamon, 3/4 tsp ground ginger, 3/4 tsp allspice and 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Spelt hot cross buns

First up, apologises for the late post as ideally you should have had this recipe in time for Good Friday . . . but life is never ideal is it? Easter is almost done and dusted for 2013, but you don't have to stop eating hot cross buns just yet do you? (in moderation of course, plus they freeze really well). I have been making my own hot cross buns at Easter for years, although originally I didn't use spelt flour and would use my bread machine to knead and prove the dough. I completely avoid the commercial varieties, not just because of all the additives and other synthetic ingredients, but because once you've had homemade you just can't go back can you? My crosses may not be as white and perfect as the store bought ones, but that's by choice . . . I choose the rustic look over bleached flour and hydrogenated oils any day!

My family look forward to enjoying their hot cross buns straight from the oven at Easter time, and I also use this same recipe to make a fruit loaf all year round . . but isn't there just something special about eating them in the form of a bun :) The enjoyment we all get out of sharing them over brunch or lunch (depending on how late in the day I started making them), definitely makes it worth the extra effort to fuss over their presentation at least once per year. I like to make a double batch of the dough, one batch after another and combine the dough in a bowl to prove. I must confess that I haven't tried the EDC recipe, even though I have heard great things about it, but that's just because I can't quite get past my own recipe . . . when you're onto a good thing you stick to it right? :)

ingredients
330g filtered water
2 1/2 tsp dry yeast
500g spelt bakers flour (use all white or half wholemeal) - use normal strong bread flour if you can't find spelt bread flour. 
3 rounded tsp cinnamon
2 rounded tsp mixed spice
3 tsp sucanat, coconut sugar or raw caster sugar
1 tsp fine Himalyan or Celtic sea salt
20g cold pressed avocado or macadamia oil
1 1/2 cups dried fruit of choice (sultanas, raisins, currants, dried apricots, apple, blueberries, cranberries etc.)

flour paste
60g white spelt flour
70g filtered water
1 tsp cold pressed macadamia oil or softened coconut oil

glaze
3 tbsp filtered boiling water
2 tbsp sucanat, coconut sugar or raw honey
1/2 tsp mixed spice

method
1. Line a shallow rectangular tray or dish with baking paper. 

2. Add 330g filtered water to the TM bowl and heat 1 minute at 90°C on speed 1.

3. Add remaining ingredients (except the dried fruit), and mix for a few seconds on speed 7. 
Then, set dial to closed lid position and knead for 2 minutes on interval setting. 

4. Add your dried fruits of choice and use the spatula to combine using a chopping and mixing action. Transfer the dough onto your thermomat, pressing in any runaway sultanas & currants, and wrap up (or place in a large, lightly floured stainless steel bowl and cover).

5. Place the dough in a warm place for 1.5 - 2 hours or until the dough doubles in size. I like to place in a bowl in a 40°C oven or warmer drawer, covered with a damp tea towel. I've heard another great place is inside your car in the sun . . not that I have this option available to me in Hong Kong!

6. Once the dough has doubled in size, turn out onto a floured benchtop or your thermomat. Divide into 12 pieces of equal size (or 24 if you have doubled the recipe). I'm a little pedantic here I must confess, I use a scale to measure pieces of dough at about 90g each :)  Shape each piece into a smooth ball, then place smooth side up into your prepared tray or dish and brush the buns at this point with a lightly whisked egg or milk (this is optional as I didn't do this for the batch I made in the photo, but it will help your buns to brown a little more).

7. Cover the tray of buns loosely with the damp tea towel or your thermomat, and leave in a warm place (or return to the warm oven) and allow them to expand to just fill the pan (about 15-20 minutes). Next, preheat oven to fan-forced 190°C. 

8. Meanwhile, to make the flour paste for the crosses, place all ingredients in the TM bowl and mix to combine for about 20 seconds on speed 4 (or whisk together in a small bowl). Pour into a small ziplock bag and snip off the very corner with scissors (or use a piping bag fitted with a 5mm plain piping tip) and pipe the paste in one continuous line down the centre of each row of buns and then crossways to form crosses. 

9. Place buns in preheated oven and cook for about 15 minutes until golden brown and they sound hollow when tapped. 

10. To make the glaze, combine ingredients in a small bowl and mix well to dissolve the honey or sugar. Brush the hot cross buns with the glaze while still warm. Serve as is or with butter. They are also lovely with lemon butter. These buns are so moist I often skip using any spreads. Enjoy!

From bread-making to pizza dough and Moroccan lamb

When I first moved to Hong Kong 11 years ago, I considered owning a bread machine to be essential as I found it very difficult to locate good 'western style' wholesome bread. Unfortunately, I have never been a fan of the white, sweet breads available at Chinese bakeries. I have always favoured the more rustic, wholegrain breads from both a personal and of course nutritional point of view! These days the situation has improved, although, we still make our own fresh, preservative-free bread. When in Australia I love Irrewarra sour dough and other rustic breads, but, I have found nothing surpasses our homemade bread in HK. 

Using a bread machine is too easy for loaf making, so the Thermomix will probably never take over this job for me. However, thanks to the Thermomix, I often grind my own flour from whole grains such as quinoa, oats etc. and seeds to supplement my spelt bread flour as a nutrient boost for our homemade bread. I also have lots of fun making gourmet breads such as yeast-based savoury and sweet scrolls and I do have plans to venture into making flat, turkish and flavoured twist breads. I have some recipes on hand and others I'd like to develop, so I'm definitely no expert and would love to hear from anyone who has really delved into this area. Please leave a comment on my Mixing it up in HK Facebook page or directly on this blog :)

Moving from breads to pizzas . . . my family are also a big fan of homemade pizza using a homemade pizza base of course, but I still like to make my pizza base in the bread machine. I make my dough from half white and half wholemeal spelt flour and usually add 1/2 cup of seeds such as flax. If you don't own a bread machine, you could use the Everyday Cooking Book recipe or try Quirky Cooking's gluten-free or spelt pizza dough.

Here is a recent pizza topping family favourite of ours . . . Moroccan lamb pizza. You could easily use Moroccan seasoning for this recipe but I like to blend my own seasoning using freshly ground spices where possible. Also, Moroccan seasoning is difficult to come by in Hong Kong. 

Moroccan Lamb Pizza

ingredients

1 x lamb backstrap (360g) or leg lamb, diced
1 large garlic clove
1 red onion, halved
20g EVOO
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch cayenne pepper
a few grinds of sea salt & black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
8 sml vine ripened tomatoes (or use cherry tomatoes), sliced
175g butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced (optional)
150g feta cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp pinenuts
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

method

1. Preheat oven to 220°C and prepare two pizza pans with olive oil and a sprinkling of flour.
2. Mince lamb strap in TM bowl by pulsing the Turbo button a few times. Put the mince aside.
3. Add the red onion and garlic to the TM bowl and chop 5 seconds on speed 7.
4. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add spices and oil and sauté for 2 minutes at 100°C on speed 1.
5. Add the mince and cook for 10-15 minutes at 100°C on speed 1 or until any liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the mince from the bowl and set aside.
6. Rinse out the TM bowl and fill with 500g water. Use the Varoma to steam your pumpkin. I didn't have any in the fridge when I last made this pizza (see photo), but it is a lovely addition to the pizza. 
7. While the pumpkin is steaming, spoon the tomato paste over the pizza bases. Divide the lamb mixture, sliced tomato, pumpkin, fetta and pine nuts between the two rounds. Place on preheated trays and bake for 12-15 minutes or until the pizza base is browned. 
8. Scatter with freshly chopped mint and serve immediately.

no thermomix?

Use a stovetop to prepare your Moroccan lamb in a saucepan and steam your pumpkin. You can mince your own lamb using a food processor or mincer (or buy lamb mince). 

variation

• Add extra cayenne pepper for more kick and use rounded teaspoon measures for a more intense Moroccan flavour. This recipe is child-friendly :-)
• Use natural yoghurt blended with freshly chopped mint in place of the feta or you could make this pizza dairy-free by omitting both! 
• add fresh baby spinach leaves
• Use chopped baby beetroot (drained from can) instead of pumpkin. Scatter over pizza with mint after cooking. 

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