Wolverhampton and Yet Another Banana Bread

I started writing this blog post on the 24 January 2022. 

It was going to be about our long early drive and day trip to Wolverhampton, England.  

But then shortly after, I was off sick from work.  It was not Covid, but whatever it was it struck me down.  

So much else has happened in between.  

I have missed some blogging friends and loyal readers.  So I just had to come by and say Hello - i am still here.   Thank you for your kind messages. 

This is just a short post, to share some snaps from our day trip in Wolverhampton. 

Also in an attempt to start blogging again, partly motivated by wanting to share some photographs from day trips and visits to places combined with some homemade eats.  I'm slowly dipping my virtual feet back in this space. 

Brimful of Asha by Cornershop is one of my favourite songs. The band Cornershop formed in Wolverhampton in 1991. 

Yet another Banana Bread!  

The topping was lovely, especially the way the sliced bananas caramelised on top, but i was not keen on the recipe.  I think the addition of lemon in the mix did not quite please me.

Brazil Nut Banana Muffins

Well this is week three that I along with many other people in the world have been in social isolation and working from home.

Its the first time I have been fortunate to work for an organisation, that has permitted me to work from home. Its not always been like this, a couple of years ago I worked for an organisation that pressured me to come in from my rural location to the city when we had 'The Beast from the East', even though all public transport from where I lived had been cancelled, afraid of being stranded I ended up taking annual leave that period. I am thankful that I now work for a considerate employer, I know that not everyone has that.  

In fact both D and myself have been working from home.  Its easy to get distracted with all the homely comforts, but we are disciplining ourselves.  D works from one room and I work from the other, the only time we cross paths is for lunch or in the kitchen for a cuppa.  And please don't be impressed with our expresso machine above, we have hardly used it! Its become more ornamental than useful. 

This brings me onto my Brazil Nut Banana Muffins.  I made these in the first week of social isolation.  The recipe is adapted from Heidi Swanson of 101 cookbooks from her Super Natural Cooking.  I didn't have all the ingredients to hand, for a start  I only had one leopard spotted banana. So I halved the recipe quantity and topped off with brazil nuts as I did not have the recommended pecans.  These were surprisingly good, especially the crunchy Brazil nuts which I haven't had in a long, long while - felt like a treat!  

Banana Muffins with Cocoa Crumble Topping

I made these Banana Muffins with Cocoa Crumble topping just before Christmas with left over ripe bananas to take into work in place of flapjacks for a change.

These muffins appealed to me mostly because of the cocoa crumble topping.

I enjoyed them that evening, but also the following day at work, but D was not that keen on them for whatever reason. He ate them though.

Ruby Tandoh's Banana Thyme Cake with Lemon Glaze Made at Home

I have made sweet tarts and cakes with fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary and bay leaves many times; and cakes with ripe bananas many, many times, but not the two combined together. 

So my curiosity was peaked when I found a recipe for Banana Thyme Cake in Ruby Tandoh's new cookbook Flavour.  I have borrowed the cookbook from the library.  I spotted her Crumb: The Baking Book there too, but decided that I would pick that up some other time. 

We always have overripe bananas in the house.  

I have to say the bananas coming into the UK recently have been rather disappointingly bordering on still green and unripe.  We tend to have bananas for our working desktop breakfast or lunch, but recently the bananas brought home have been overlooked until of course they are too ripe and only good for making a sweet bake.

This Banana Thyme Cake was lovely by the way, but the zingy Lemon and Thyme Glaze was the best part and I am not an cake icing person.  You can find the full recipe if you click here and the link will take you to The Guardian. 

Banana and Coconut Bread (vegan)

I have so many bookmarked banana recipes, but when it comes to finding them - Can I find them, of course not, then I find myself making another Banana Bread.

This time with the addition of dessicated Coconut and Coconut Sugar and guess what it happens to be vegan too.  D thought the bread looked dry and suggested that he may want put some jam or sunflower spread on it,  but I had to disagree with him. I thought it was plenty moist and to prove my point even further, I took some into work for some colleagues to try and they sided with me, but he wasn't haven't any of it - we agreed to differ. 

I think the coconut sugar gave the banana bread a caramel colouring as it looks like it is made with wholemeal flour.  I assure you it is not, the coconut sugar also imparted a little caramel flavour, or maybe I was just imagining that. 

This Banana and Coconut Bread is adapted from a recipe by Jack Monroe's A Girl Called Jack.  You can find the original recipe here.   I made some little tweaks, but nothing that is going to  make me claim this recipe as mine as it is not, it has been adapted albeit a little.  I had two ripe bananas, I used coconut sugar and I stirred in some dessicated coconut, and omitted the cinnamon from the original recipe, that is it.

I am sharing a generous slice of this Banana and Coconut Bread with Healthy Vegan Fridays by Rock My Vegan Socks and V Nutrition; and also sharing this with #CookBlogShare hosted by Hijacked by Twins. 

Other Vegan Banana recipes you will find on my blog
Tiger (Marble) Cakes
Blueberry Banana Muffins
Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake
Darjeeling Tea Pecan Banana Loaf
Green Valley Elvis Smoothie
Raw Raspberry Ice-cream or Raspberry Mousse
The Best Elvis Presley Bagel

Vegan Chocolate Banana Bundt Cake

As mentioned in a previous blog post, I made this rather big vegan Chocolate Banana Bundt cake last weekend when I had my nephews over to help me and D in the garden. 

Only thing was, when it came time to eating it, they both said they were too full for a slice.  So other than taking a quarter for ourselves.  I divided the cake in two and packed it for them both to take home and share with their respective families and friends.  

Its quite chocolaty, but the hidden banana comes through quite strong too.  Its a very moist cake and reminded me a little of chocolate gateau sponge.  I think this cake would benefit from a dollop of cream or even ice-cream. 

Vanilla Banana and Pecan Loaf

I make Banana Loaf all the time, so when I found myself with some very ripe bananas it was a toss between muffins or bread, for some reason Banana Bread won. 

Whilst making this Banana Bread, I was reminded of a time when I took some into work for colleagues to try and someone at work called me over, I thought she was going to ask me for the recipe, instead she asked What are those dark bits in the cake?
Banana I responded without hesitation, yet a little bemused.    

As I was fumbling in my kitchen cupboards looking for some vanilla essence, I remembered still having some Vanilla paste left over from making a vegan Vanilla Coconut Creme Brulee, its so much more powerful in flavour and scent. You get a good waft of it when you bring  to your mouth for tasting, and the pecan nuts added a fabulous buttery crunch.  

Other banana recipes you will find on my blog
Vegan Tiger Cakes
Banana Blondies
Banana and Coconut Flapjacks
Banofee Toffee Curd
Banana Soda Bread Farls

Green Valley Elvis Smoothie

This Green Valley Elvis Smoothie is so called because it contains two ingredients alleged to be enjoyed by the King of Rock'n'Roll, the one and only Elvis Presley - peanut butter and bananas. 

As smoothies with green leafy vegetables seems to be the rage, I decided to throw in a handful of curly kale from my garden.

The Green Valley Elvis Smoothie is super smooth.  The curly kale not only gives colour and body to this smoothie, it also impart some of its flavour but this is well balanced by the banana, 'milk' and further enhanced by the sweetener, this time coming from the peanut butter, but you could easily substitute this with maple syrup or honey. I wouldn't describe this Green Smoothie as delicious at all, but it filled a hole in my belly and actually tasted good.  I would be more than happy to make it again.  I even gave D a glass and he was quite happy to drink it too, but he wasn't that impressed by the name I gave it, suggesting maybe calling it #Green Green Grass Of Home', but I am not budging. 

By they way did you know that there has been some speculation that Elvis ancestral roots may be of Welsh origin, such as Elvis Presley's ancestors coming from the Preseli Hills and Mountains in Pembrokeshire, Wales and having links with a nearby parish called St Elvis.  Well whatever the truth, this man is a world wide true legend. 

Raw Coconut and Date Tartlets with Raspberry Mousse

I made my first ever Raw Tart  recipe last year, and it was truly delightful.  I've been wanting to find an excuse to make a variation of it again, and the red fruit flowing from my garden, mostly raspberries provided the perfect reason.

Raspberries don't last long in the fridge either, going mouldy here and there.  I will probably take to freezing some, but I want to make the most of them while the season lasts. I've already made Raspberry Bakewell Bars; Raspberry Coconut Balls; and Raspberry Pavlova, but this time it was time for another delicious Raw Pie.

The raw vegan Raspberry Mousse filling recipe featured on my blog only last month (see here), there is no cream in it, its not even substituted with vegan cream either, but made with frozen bananas and raspberries.  Its lovely on its own, but as much as I enjoyed the mousse-like texture, I wanted more texture and bite this time, and decided to make cases  to hold the raspberry filling. The tartlet cases are made with dessicated coconut, nuts and soft fruit. Of course you don't have to have raspberries as the filling, you can make this with strawberries too. Now whatever you decide, you will need a fork and spoon to tuck in.  Enjoy.  I am sharing this with Emily at A Mummy Too for #RecipeoftheWeek 4 - 8 August 2014. 

Raw Vegan Raspberry Ice-Cream or Raspberry Mousse

The raspberries from my garden will be featuring in  recipes on my blog in the next few days, I hope you don't mind.  Yesterday it was Beetroot and Raspberry 'Bakewell' Bars, today it is a Ice-ream or Mousse of sorts.  Okay, so this is not strictly an 'ice'-cream as it contains no eggs, or cream.  I write ice-cream here as this recipe has a 'creamy smooth icy texture.  But if you leave it for a few hours after blending, it does soften and become mousse like too, so I was indecisive what to exactly call it, so the greedy blogger in me chose to describe it as both.

I made this in my Optimuum 9400 blender.  It is a powerful food blender which I am still experimenting with, you may have seen my hugely popular Carrot Ketchup and Carrot Pate but the one recipe I wanted to try is the appearing on most food bloggers blogs: blending with frozen bananas.  I mentioned learning of this nifty trick in my Raw Carrot Halwa Mousse recipe from raw and vegan recipe books many many years ago, this time it was with the inclusion of homegrown raspberries.

Elvis Presley Bagel

I have posted this Elvis Presley Bagel on my before, sometimes its a afternoon snack, sometimes an evening bite, sometimes brunch.  

The reason I am posting it yet again, is that I made it this morning for breakfast and thought it would be a good opportunity to share it again, as its a firm favourite in our home, plus I love this photograph that my husband took a while back, sometimes I think it should be on the front cover of a food magazine.

Fresh Figs, Banana and Walnut Cake

I never used to like figs when I was a child.  I found them dry and the sandy grain like texture rather off-putting next to my teeth.  Now I get excited when I see fresh ones all the way from warmer climates like Cyprus or Turkey, though I have learned from my lovely blogger friend Choclette that she had recently foraged for some (British) local figs - all I can say is Wow!  The weather in the U.K this year has been unbelievably hot, so I should not be that surprised really, but I was.

I wasn't as fortunate though as I plucked four of these little bronze fruit bombs from the market a little while back.  I have to be honest I had forgotten about these fresh figs and noted them only this morning nestled in the fruit bowl next to three hardcore pears from my mothers garden.  What to do with these tender and ripe fruits now?  I certainly was not going to waste them.  I remembered a fellow bloggers recipe that I had bookmarked a little while ago for a Banana and Fig Loaf.  

The Best Vegan Elvis Bagel

I have posted this recipe on my before.  The reason I am posting it again, is that I made it today for a snack and thought it would be a good opportunity to showcase it to new readers coming via Vegan Mofo.

Its not really a recipe, just a easy snack you can put together in moments providing you have all the ingredients to hand which are bagels, bananas, peanut butter (crunchy or smooth - you choose) and strawberry jam or jell if you want to be more authentic.  

The bagels lightly are toasted.  Then the bottom half of the bagel is spread generously with peanut butter, the top half generously with good strawberry jam.  Before both halves are pressed together, the middle is packed in a domino fashion with sliced banana for height and visual impact.  This is one high octane of a Bagel.  I think Elvis Presley would approve, don't you?!

Vegan Tiger Cake

In the past I've posted a cake that I've rather pretentiously called Leopard Cake (Chocolate Chip Banana Bread) because of the rosettes on gold.  This time I am calling this one Tiger Cake - so called because of the tiger pattern and colouring. Its actually a Vanilla Chocolate Banana Marble cake and its suitable for vegan too.

I've been making this Vegan Tiger Cake on and off for the past six months.  It was even recently requested to feature on the menu of an 88th Birthday bash.  

This Tiger Cake came about when I saw someone make a Zebra Cake. Well I didn't think I could get a cake perfect with white and black stripes, but I knew I could for colours that would aptly describe a Tiger Cake.  Well here it is, unadorned.  Its a moist, flavourful and textual cake.      

Vanilla Chocolate Banana Marble Cake aka Tiger Cake
Serves 12
Recipe to follow

Peanut Banana Cake

One of my favourite childhood sweets to suck on was salty-sweet peanut sweets that were made at Lovells Sweet Factory  in Newport Gwent.   Shaped like a peanut they were sickly sweet on the outside, and a sherbet salty centre, oh how I enjoyed eating them.

I found similar sweets on my travels to the seaside, but they were not a patch on the original.  Anyway, a little while ago, I decided to make a Peanut Banana Cake.  It was simple and lovely.  

Now your going to ask me for a recipe, well it is this Banana Chocolate Walnut Loaf recipe with the addition of peanut butter and peanuts in place of the walnuts - simple as that. 
Peanut Banana Cake
Serves 6 - 8
Ingredients
2 - 3 ripe bananas, mashed
170g golden brown caster sugar
185g self-raising flour, sifted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons of smooth or crunchy peanut butter
80g unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped
Method
Preheat oven to gas mark 4. Lightly grease a 8 x 4 loaf tin and line the base with baking paper.
Put the mashed banana and sugar in a large bowl and mix well. Add the flour, eggs, oil, milk, peanut butter and gently stir until well combined. Stir in the peanuts.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50 minutes to an hour or until a cake tester inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then turn out onto a wire rack.

The Best Elvis Bagel

Some of you may remember a little while ago when I made a Strawberry, Banana and Peanut Butter cake dubbed by my husband as The Graceland Cake.  At the time I also mentioned making another Elvis Presley creation featuring regularly on the menu - The Elvis Bagel!!!  Well as promised, here it it in all its glory. 

Unlike other bagels that are toasted, this one is baked in the oven for a few minutes.  I think it makes the bagel more doughy and chewy which I like.  Then the bottom half of the bagel is spread generously with smooth peanut butter, the top half generously with good strawberry jam.  Before both can kiss, the middle is packed in a domino fashion with sliced banana for height and visual impact. 

Then put together on an oval plate and served with salted popcorn, sometimes some pretzels and when in season - fresh strawberries.  Its truly rich and filling.

This is one high octane of a Bagel.

Yes it can only be the Elvis Presley Bagel - A flaming star of a bagel with sliced bananas, strawberry jam and peanut  butter - the 1970s look on a plate.  WARNING: You may need to add coffee to your order!!! 

Now get your gnashers into that bagel! 

Do you have a favourite bagel filling, I'd really like to know?

Do you have a favourite bagel filling, I'd really like to know? 

Banana,Darjeeling and Pistachio Cake

Where did my weekend go?!

I can't believe its already Monday.  I feel so tired, so please forgive me for this rather short post.  I am off to brush my teeth and get myself into bed.  

I leave you with this Banana, Darjeeling and Pistachio cake.  I've made this Banana and Darjeeling cake before, but this is a variation with the inclusion of pistachio nuts - only because I had them to hand.  Its a moist cake. 

I am sharing a slice of this cake with Laura of How to Cook Good Food and Nazima of Franglais Kitchen who are featuring bananas for Februarys edition of One Ingredient.

Banana, Darjeeling and Pistachio Cake
Serves 6
Ingredients
6 – 8 Darjeeling tea bags
250ml boiling water
1 large banana
125g soft butter
125g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
200g self raising flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
60g pistachio nuts, roughly chopped
For the icing
175g icing sugar
1 teaspoon butter
Method
Add the tea bags to the boiling water in a measuring jug, making sure they are all submerged. Allow to stew until cold. Then squeeze the tea bags to get as much liquid from them as possible. Discard the tea bags and measure out ¼ pint of tea, saving the rest. Mash the banana with the butter and brown sugar, then stir the measured tea, the eggs, flour and baking powder and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Stir in the pistachio nuts. 
Line an 8 inch cake tin with non stick baking paper, spoon the mixture in and gently level the surface. Bake in a preheated oven gas mark 4 for 40 –45 minutes, or until a skewer in the centre comes out clean. Cool for a minute or so in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave until cold.
For the icing
Put the icing sugar into a saucepan with the butter and 2 tablespoons of the remaining tea, discarding the rest. Stir over the heat until the butter has melted. Pour over the top of the cake and leave to set. Adapted very slightly from Rose Elliot's Veggie Chic