Hazel Apple Snackin' Cake

Who doesn’t love apple season? Although the triteness of the phrase threatens me with asphyxiation, I fold to the pumpkin, apple and “OMG I would love a cup-of-something-warm” bacchanal that rages from September to November. Le sigh.

Amidst the glut of fall sponsored babble, memories of Flour quietly flood my thoughts. The hyperextension of bowl scraping and the shrieky accolades of bite sized critics cheered me then and now.During my shifts, the last 3 items on my mise-en-place, prepping twice baked croissants, pulling quickbreads and undirtying my surroundings tapped the well of Herculean resilience that I only have experienced while racing. The imminent finish line promises reprieve, brain off push on.

So this apple cake is a Namaste to the Vegan Apple Snacking Cake, part of my ritual bread pull, that was the hot air to my deflated energy. Thanks bud.

My apples are courtesy of Brooksby Farm- Tis’ the season! Go Pick while the going’s great!

Pro-Baker Tips

• This is an oil cake Beurre? Non, merci Beaucoup! The oil coats the flour so that the gluten does not activate, maiming your well-intentioned efforts at a tender crumb.
• This beauty is gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan. It just tastes so good you won’t have to tell your samplers about its components. It’ll be our clean little secret.

Serves 8-12

This is a hug for your soul and your stomach.

3 Cups of All Purpose Gluten Free Mix I use the ratios Shauna gives at Gluten Free Girl  (You could also use AP Flour or a Mix of WHole Wheat and AP)

1/2 C Vegetable Oil

3 tablespoons of ground flax

1 C of Nayonaise Light (You could simply add 1 1/2 C of Vegetable or other Neutral Oil)

1 C of Sucanat

1/4 C Agave Nectar Light

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Vanilla

3 Cups of  Peeled, Cored and Chopped Apples (I used Cortland, Gala and Macintosh)

1/2 Lemon

Poppy Seeds

Optional But strongly suggested Add-ins 

1 Cup of Nuts (I used Hazel) 

1 Cup of Raisins or Currants

1. Preheat oven to 350. If you have a silicone bundt pan like the one I used, no need to grease it. Otherwise, grease your pan de choice.
2. Beat the Oil, Nayonaise and Sucanat In a stand in Mixer for 5 minutes. Use your stove timer. It should be the color of caramel and the texture of hand lotion when its done.
3. While this is beating, flax egg time: Add your three tbspoons of ground flax to a bowl. Then add three tablespoons of water for each tablespoon of flax (So 9 tbs total) Stir with a fork until uniform in texture. Add your generous tablespoon of vanilla extract to the egg mix.
4. Add egg mix to the mixer and mix for 1 minute until uniform in texture. Squeeze your lemon into the wet mix making sure to prevent seed paratroopers that want to hop into the bowl.
5. Assemble the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Remember when adding the flours scoop from the container and level it off with a knife or spatula. You want it fluffy, not packed in! Add the spices to the flour and whisk. 
6. Add the dries to the wet in 3 additions. Add some and let incorporate and repeat. After you add your last of the dry, stop the mixer
7. After scraping the paddle attachment, use a spatula to finish off mixing. This prevents over beating and ensures that you discover any hidden agrocrags of flour at the bottom of your bowl. 
8. Add your nuts, raisins, and poppy seeds. Mix with spatula.
9. Transfer the mixture to your pan-in-waiting. Bake for 1 hour and check for doneness with a toothpick. It should come out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack before attempting lift-out. 

Serving Suggestions: A swipe of almond butter, coffee and the latest New Yorker. 
Or just a giant slab with coffee will do.

The Better Way to Eat Bread

Do they make bloggatory metamucil? If so, I need it because my regularity is STRUGGLING.

So I need to solve for the variables which equals me posting pictures and giving you my recipes more often. Is it three times a week? Maybe. 

But you have a right to know about what I've been doing in my kitchen. Becuase it's oh so magical. As we speak, a gluten free honey kissed loaf of bread is baking. Why?

Because I am sick of it. I am absolutely exhausted by the crap I am supposed to buy in the freezer at the grocery store. And don't get me start on the down right tomfoolery of paying $8 dollars for it.  I don't have a lot of time. Neither do you. But there is an innate peace, an innate happiness in a warm piece of bread, with puddly butter and a knife. Waiting for you to sink your teeth into.

Can that come from a freezer? Forgive me, but I am calling BULLSH*T on that claim.

I recently returned from a trip to Ireland and Germany where I was absolutely blown away by the quality of their gluten free baked goods. The bread was not found in the freezer and it was soft, filling and most importantly cravable. 

My hands down favorite was by a small local chain called Jam in Kenmare. Co Kerry. I was lucky enough to be in this tiny town for their second annual food festival. Local honey, meat, cheeze, fudge, and artisan bread makers lined the streets.

I bought an amazing pickled beet compote from this one

Cupcakes from Cupan Tea 

Chefs from near and far hosted demos and "little chefs" workshops were given so local children could get involved in the festivities. Along with my aunt, cousin and a few of her friends, we attended a cupcake frosting workshop in the Jam production kitchen. It truly made me yearn for my days rolling cookies at Flour, with Sarah P and Sarah M throwing jokes and advice my way.

My Cousin and her friends with their winning Cupcake Decorations

In honor of Jam and fighting the plague of bad bread here is my honey kissed loaf recipe.

Note: I am a huge advocate of baking by weight (less clean up!) so I will be giving most of my measurements by gram but the smaller guys will be in standard measures

200 G Almond Flour

150 G Coconut Flur

100 G Teff Flour 

50 G Chickpea Flour

This is a very variable mixture. Shauna explains how you can play with flours over Here

1 tsp xanathan gum

1 tsp sea salt 

1/4 C coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup honey ( I used TJS raw organic)

1/2 C warm water

Mise-

- Bowl (large)

-Whisk

- Scale

-Smaller bowl to Measure Dry Ingredients

-2 other small bowls 

-Cup Measures

-Teaspoon Measures

- Loaf Pan

-Parchment Paper

-Pam Spray or Butter spread 

Get Cracking-
1. Take your yeast and nestle him in a bowl with the 1/2 in 115 degree warm water (You will say how the heck do I know what 115 degrees feels like?- Friends a digital thermometer is as cheap as 5.00 at sur la table- Bread is a sassy minx and very temperamental- make the sacrifice)

------Turn oven on to warm- about 250 is great--------

2. Mesure your dry ingredients from their containers into a smaller bowl on your measuring scale

3. Dump those guys along with the salt and xanathan gum into the mixing bowl and whisk together

Beat Me Up!

4. Crack your eggs into a small bowl and whisk them together with the oil and honey

5. Make a crater in your dry ingredients 

6. Add your yeast and water slurry. Whisk.

7. Add your egg mix. Whisk.

8. Add your water by tablespoon until it becomes the texture of a dough

9. Spray your loaf pan with non-stick spray and fit your parchment paper right in there

10. Take your happy dough ball and plop him right in the loaf pan. I used the hood rat method of using a can to smooth out the edges on the bread. Take the time to do this. No one likes a craggy loaf of bread

Pop that guy in your warm oven and let it hang out for 45-50. 

Turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 25 minutes. Turn 180 degrees. 25 minutes more.

There you have it. 

Just the way I like it. Warm from the oven with a drizzle of Agave and a touch of Sea Salt.

Pretty Picky

For most of my short existence, one could say I have been a picky eater. Like a rogue piece of toilet paper stuck to a shoe, this reputation is one I cannot seem to shake. As a youngin', my lunch du choice was a plain bulky roll, a member of the 'itos family (Doritos, Cheetos or Fritos) and a fruit snack, preferably shark bites.

Pb &J? No way. Deli meats and cheese? Dream on. Leftovers? The possibility leftovers from my chicken fingers and fries was about as high as an ant's step stool. My nutritional choices were by no means was a result of my mother's cooking or inability to prepare good lunches. She just needed to feed me and this was it in terms of my culinary range.

I kept up this heartily nutrient filled diet throughout high school. Bread rolls at NDA, shaped like the tower tops at the Kremlin, were my standard go-to. Unless it was CFD or Chicken Fritter Day- then all bets were off and I would be running to the cafeteria after my last pre-lunch class. Steal off my plate? You were asking to be stabbed with a plastic fork. Apparently I missed sharing class in kindergarten.

College came as did the wide open glories of a meal plan and a dining hall. For most students,  this means the fast track to 15 but for me, I started to branch out and try new things. If I hated it? I could dump it and get something I wanted. Slowly but surely I started liking wild and crazy new foods. The breakthrough? A salad of simple greens and balsamic vinaigrette at a friend's house sophomore year. Holler at the Shen household for getting me to eat my first greens.

Now, I am a different kind of picky. 95% of what eat has become fruits and veggies- the crazier the better.  I will eat anything if it's green and coming from the ground except for a very select few instances. These instances are pre run and pre race. As any runner knows the stomach can be a demanding and debilitating mistress. She can riot with dairy, cause a fiber induced maelstrom and just make you miserable if she is disrespected.

That friends, is why Picky Bars are awesomesauce. For those with sensitive stomachs, food allergies and taste buds, these bars are absolutely spot on for pre and post race, breakfast, snack time and well any time. I don't get the same chalky mouth feel a la protein bars because they are made with real food things. Peanut butter- check. Almond Butter? Yup. Hazlenut-chocolate and Caffeine- Oh smooth caffeinator get into my belly. Soy lechitin-yogurt but not yogurt coating? Nope. Strange granulated rice esque type crisps that I don't actually know what you are? Thankfully not. And did I mention they have five delicious flavors...one of which includes caffeine? Oh yeah. And now that its hot, I have been nestling them in the ice tray for a cool and tasty treat when I get in from my runs. So this time I will own my pickyness. I want something delicious, made by athletes for atheltes. And I want it right now. Thank you very much.

                                      Who needs Patron on Ice when you have Pickys on Ice?

 Check em out for yourself, I promise it keeps the digestive dictator completely happy!

http://pickybars.com/

My Marathon Monday

This has been a weird 24 hours. I was having the best day I can remember in ages. Early morning swim, made it home in time to make breakfast treats for the team and made the commuter rail just in time. It was a long slow trek of many colors, purple, red and inimitable green, to the mile 23 shin-dig my teammates were throwing. It was my first Marathon Monday, I was beyond excited.

Settling back into Boston has been an adjustment for me. Between changing careers, being injured on several occasions and just getting my life together, my new team at NB has made the adjustment immensely easier. Runners it seems, speak the same language. Fluent in personal records and neuroses and accented by injuries, it just seems like our dialect ties us together. Its been great to have this support system.

That being said, we were having an absolute blast cheering our friends and compadres along as they neared the finish line. It didn’t matter if you were BAA, Greater Boston Track Club or a recreational jogger, runners yell and cheer for runners passionately. Its rare we get our day in the proverbial sports sun, we were all loving it.

After watching friends and teammates go by, it was about 1:40 when I figured I had better high tail it home. I had a commute of many colors to go. I wanted to make South Station for the 2:40 train, and if it weren’t Marathon day, I’d have probably been just fine.

We crawled along Beacon Street. Too many revellers and runners were slowing our progress. I remember looking at my watch thinking, Even with a bum leg I’d have been better off running to Park Street. Maybe I’ll just get off and hubway (bike) it there.”

The crush of people prevented me from moving from my seat, so I waited it out. The irritated conductor kept announcing that there would be no Copley Stop for the day because of the Marathon- great it was actually like an express 3 train in Manhattan. I looked at my watch after Hynes Convention Center Station- 2:49, irritated, I am pretty sure I audibly grumbled to myself and defeatedly sank into my seat.

We were delayed again, between Hynes and Arlington. I figured it was because of train traffic. There was a shake and a noise and nothing else. Typical train stuff- Made it to park street finally. I jumped on a train bound for Braintree. I chatted with a Scottish man, about 60 or so, who had finished the race in 2:57. Proud of his accomplishment and contentedly munching on a large bagel sandwich, we swapped running tales and talked about his need to stretch and cool down. This rarely happens on the T. I scarcely withdraw my eyes from a text or the floor on a normal T trip in fear that they might extend an invitation for unwanted conversation. Marathon Monday is different, everyone is pleasant and there is a communal spirit of goodwill towards runners. It is most definitely a holiday for “my people” as my mom would say.

My phone had less than 5% battery at that point but I was bored, so I checked my twitter for something to do. I saw a tweet about explosions at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. Thinking it was a horrible joke,  I kept scanning for more information. The photo of the finish line, in front Marathon Sports popped up. It was chilling to think that I had just been there.

Like the worst domino effect of all time, shock, guilt, worry anxiety just fell through my consciousness. I had barely missed it, but what if my friends had not. I have co-workers, teammates and acquaintances that either work or were finishing at that point. I mentioned the explosion to my new friends-in-running, and the communal affect of my words was a unified silence. It didn’t take long for people to realize that we were probably on the train, underneath that spot when the bombs went off. It only took another second for people to frantically pull out phones, computers and any other communication device to reach out to loved ones.

I stared out the window to stop myself from totally losing it, but by the end of the ride I was a puddle of tears. My Scottish friend tapped me on the knee as he left, and the people across from me wished me well as they left the train.

My friends, thankfully, are all okay. In the absence of knowing what to do, I chose to do nothing.  I went to bed at 7 pm. Those who know me, know very well that this is about as common as seeing the aurora borealis. Once in a lifetime.

I am unsure when exactly I picked this up, but for some time- when I am having a crap track workout or failing miserably on a tempo run, I repeat to myself, “The only way out, is through.” It is this ability to persevere through the crap, through the discomfort- that makes endurance sports so admirable. It is on days like Marathon Monday, that those racing and those who just love the sport, wear this marker of courage or insanity so proudly. So I am thankful that of any group that this could have affected, the running community is where Boston will have to look to find its strength and support. This event has shown that our core strength, our love for the sport and for our peers, is unshakable.

Thanks for all the well-wishes. Its been amazing to know I have such great friends in my life.

I love Early Mornings- Don't judge me

I adore the early morning. I don’t mind being a snot about it, but I feel accomplished waking before the rest of humanity to do something. Typically its writing, but I can be convinced of other morning pursuits if the time and temperature are right.

In college, there was a spell when I would swim every morning before class. Rain, snow, frigid wind or hail. By 7 am my sorry butt was in the pool. It was never a pretty sight seeing as though my strokes were bad, I lacked a swim cap and I was lucky if I could endure 1000 meters before k-oing.

The only reason I made those mornings was through the kind badgering of a friend. She would drive the 150 meters from her dorm to mine to pick me up in the golden bullet, her mini van born in the early 90s, attempting conversation while I shoved handfuls of Kashi down my throat to wake up.

Once standing physically next to the pool, it was sometimes too cold for either of us to jump in. Sans judgment, we would continue to babble to delay the task at hand. We always eventually jumped in. The shared obligation of doing something became the hand to our stubborn backs, ushering us forward like a prisoner to the guillotine.

I miss those mornings dearly. The camaraderie, the feeling of undeniable accomplishment when the session was over, even the arctic cold that steals your breath away when you first take the plunge.

But mostly, I just miss having my friend there. Right beside me, tackling the unpleasantries of life. The biggest adjustment to leaving the bubble, be it Williams or otherwise, is the newfound presence of absence. It’s a party of one my friend, so you better learn quickly how to start hanging out with yourself.

So this is an easy way to start your morning on your onesies and feel amazeballs about opening those peepers- whether its at 6 am or 12 pm- and you don’t need to share it with anyone.

Morning Mojo Smoothie

1.5 Cups of Frozen fruit- I use the Trader Joe’s Very Cherry Blend (high in Antioxidants and absolutely delicious)

Half a banana (frozen for thicker smoothie)

1 C spinach

1 Tbsp Nut Butter of Choice

Chocolate or Vanilla Almond Milk-Fill half to 3/4 of the way up

1. Dust off that Food processor hidden in your cupboard

2. Fill with the spinach first- It’s light and the heavier fruit will push it down to get a chunk-free smoothie. (Who wants spinach in the teeth before lunch time?)

3. Once all the ingredients are in the processor add your almond milk until it almost covers the fruit but not completely

4. Blend Thoroughly- About 3-4 minutes to prevent aforementioned chunkage

Brushing Teeth and Stealing

Have you thought lately? Really, just sat or laid down with no other purpose than letting your mind wander? I haven't. I try not to let my mind wander these days. It is difficult to focus on your focus when your focus is thinking about recipes for whipped cream while your trying to switch lanes, eat an apple and sing along to Taylor Swift. You end up with apple on the steering wheel, warbling like a bird and getting stuck behind a car going 50 on the highway.

Last night while brushing my teeth, a task which is fairly thought-bankrupt, my mind was wandering. I was thinking about what I needed to write about. Not want, need. These are things that I've been mentally masticating, stuck in the depths of my mind like leafy greens in your teeth. Life will not and cannot continue until you get them out. While I should have been focused on battling periodontal disease, I was struck by the thought that I had left two blocks of tofu on the counter, just chilling, waiting for a marinade. It was 12:30. I was tired. What to do what to do? You guessed it. I 86ed the tooth wash and ran downstairs to save the tofu from its imminent death-non-death. I lathered those guys up with a tasty marinade and fridged'em. I could then sleep in peace with the mental-spinach -in-the-teeth removed.Whew. 

Aside from when I have actual things that I have forgotten about and need to address promptly, of late, my musings mostly relate to my recent stint at Flour. These three months were some of the most grueling, thought provoking and rewarding I have ever had. I met fantastic people- and that is not just limited to the day I chatted with Dorie Greenspan, spotted Bobby Flay or was lucky enough to converse with Ming Tsai. The prep cooks Baby Johna and Orlando always made me laugh, taught me Spanish (Adras- meaning behind-the perpetual cry of the kitchen) and jokingly scolded me for stealing bites of their roasted tofu. Chef Jeff and his effusiveness cheered me on my worst days.He regaled me with stories of his old mustangs, experiments with veganism and adoration of cooking with fresh ingredients. I'll never forget the day he brought Maine-grown carrots strung with ornaments of dirt, gleefully offering me a bite of freshness at its finest. It was the first afternoon I actually felt like I belonged.

But they and their stories will be later additions and editions.

I've sidebarred them in my mind and on paper. Sidebarring in our kitchen was and is life. You are sidebarred if you forget to clean a station, make a bogus batter, or send out a product that is just not up to par. When you still have your training wheels on, you may as well expect to be on the sidebar daily because there is always an aspect of your day with needs improvement. That is the left hand side of the sheet. The middle is the task list. Straightforward for me, considering I was responsible for the same production list everyday. The right side is where you noted what needed to be made. For me this was life and death. If I didn't have my cookie dough made, there would be nothing for me to bake. And if per chance someone took the back up cookie doughs in the walk-in fridge without telling me, then friends, I was a canoe with a hole in the middle of the Atlantic, simply and utterly screwed. So now I have adopted this method into my writing madness. The left side of my planning sheet is for articles I need to read, the center for things I have in the works currently, and the right is ideas for future stories. Sarah, my former boss and now perpetual source of inspiration, would be proud of my writing sidebar.

Mondays and Thursdays were my favorite days in the kitchen because there were more relazed than the frenetic hurry of the weekend and it was always tofu day. Orlando, one of the prep cooks, would take the marinating tofu out from the fridge and roast it, the smal little cubes adopting a deep tone of caramelized brown after their 40 minute stint in the convection oven. Although I attempted to be covert about my snacking, there was always a soy sauce outline of the tofu announcing the robbery.

The markings of my crime as obvious as this guy ^

Soy and Sesame Tofu

1 Package of Extra Firm Tofu

1 Cup of Reduced Sodium Tamari (for Gluten Free Version) or Soy Sauce

1 Tbsp of Wasabi

2 Tsp of Ground Ginger or you can grate fresh

¼ C Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbsp of Sesame Oil

1. Preheat Oven to 375 Degrees
2. Drain your Tofu from the packing liquid. Wrap that little guy in a towel or several paper towels and let him hang out under a book or a basket of bananas while you prep everything else
3. In a 9X11 Pyrex baking dish or large bowl, add all of the other ingredients. I start with the wet and add the dry at the end for sake of ease.
4. Whisk together, making sure to break up the wasabi in the marinade.
5. Slice your tofu into cubes or steak size depending on how you like to eat it. Although be forewarned that in cubes it inspires stealing bites from the pan
6. Put them in the oven for 40 minutes, stirring every 8-10 minutes so each side gets that amazingly crisp exterior
7. Try to stop yourself from eating as they cool. Or don't

The Hurricane

You know those times where everything in your life, seemingly unrelated, come together in one cosmically unexplainable marriage. It would be like only having peanut butter, root vegetables, wine, and maybe some lemons in your kitchen and you somehow make a wonderfully delicious Thai inspired dinner.

Most times it would be an epic failure.You would probably find yourself dipping carrot sticks into the peanut butter and maybe drinking tap water with lemon. Whole heartedly awkward, and unfulfilling. 

It seems as though all of the things that I am attempting to control in my life at the moment, working, training, coaching, cooking and just living could all be improved by one simple ingredient. Focus. Like the disparate ingredients mentioned above, everything in my life at the moment seems hodge podge. Sometimes running is going well, sometimes work is going well, sometimes I make it home on time and clean up the kitchen  after I cook (not often-sorry Mom). 

When I was about 4, so old enough to open my Christmas presents, I started a tradition. Not purposefully, but it started nonetheless. I would run downstairs, barely wait for my sisters and tear through my presents. One after another, I made it rain wrapping paper, barely looking at what exactly it was I was unwrapping. Hey- I was four, things were shiny, and I was excited- cut me some slack. I think around age 12, still continuing this blitzkrieg of unwrapping, my sister Deirdre dubbed me Hurricane Fiona, I left a swath of devastation everywhere I went.

I feel as though my life has been a little too much unwrapping bonanza-esque for my own good. I have been attacking various tasks with unbridled ferocity without actually paying attention to what I am doing. 

For example,  I cannot run a workout from 7-8:30, drive home immediately afterward, make dinner and be in bed by 11. No, I cannot remember cards for everyone's birthdays, work, volunteer and go out on a Friday night. I will end up eating peanut butter on your kitchen floor with carrots and maybe a turnip- unfulfilled and awkward. 

Something will give. It may just start with a few cracks here and there, a missed birthday, an allergy disguised as the flu, a fender bender, or an injury. Or in my case all of the above!

To cure this malady, I have to thank Flour for shaping my unfocused willy-nilly self, into a focus ninja. It's all about the mise- ie mise-en place. The french word that is ubiquitous in every kitchen means "everything in place." So get your act together before your act has to be together.

 I can't make my morning breakfast pizzas (brioche dough crust, creme fraiche, cheese and assorted toppings) without having every ingredient and tool I need, next to me. You want to have everything in place before attempting to accomplish a task- no distractions- 100% focus.

Bacon, Parm, Egg and Roasted Tomato Breakfast Pizza @ Flour

So my Achilles blowing up? I had warning signs that I ignored because I wasn't focused on running. Car accident circa a few months ago? Perhaps if I had focused on how tired I was, the gratuitous heat of my car and more sharply on the road, I wouldn't be in such a pickle and eaten the bumper of a Suburban in front of me. So now focusing on my focus- is my goal. Short bursts of intense focus on one particular task- like writing, like cooking and like training (more often not so short bursts- more like long extended efforts). 

So in the vein of managing your life-here's something short and simple that gets seemingly disparate ingredients to harmonize, a melody in your mouth so to speak. I recently used it with shaved carrots, minced roasted beet and lentils to make an unbelievably satisfying dinner post pool workout.

Spinach Basil "Pesto"

Makes 1 and a half cups, Refrigeration necessary

Tools

Spatula or scraping object

Food Processor

Cutting Board

Pan (for Toasting)

Ingredients

1.5-2 C fresh Basil

1 Heaping handful of Spinach

3 Cloves of Garlic

1 tbs of Salt (guideline- I usually go by pinches from my countertop salt bowl)

1 tsp of black pepper- By Choice

I cup of Roasted Cashews

Olive Oil

1. Find your food processor and get that guy ready for some action. Preheat oven to 325.

2.If you are roasting your own cashews, get those little guys toasting in the oven for about 15 minutes. Occasionally stir them to make sure for an even toasting. To check for doneness bite into one and it should snap pleasantly. Color will change from sandy to Necco wafer brown. (If you are buying pre-toasted nuts -skip this step.

2. Pop the top on your food processor and load it up with the greens, garlic and seasoning.

3. Process those guys into submission. You will have to stop and scrape down twice or three times to make sure you get everybody incorporated.

4. With the processor running, add oil to personal preference. I wanted my pesto to be a semi solid. So I added about a tbs. Others prefer theirs oilier.

5. Scrape, and place into your favorite tupperware or mason jar and use with vegetables, pastas, or meat as desired!

Banana Hugs

Do you ever feel like everything and nothing at the same time? Welcome to 24. That's what I have decided. In the past year two years, it seems like I have gone everywhere and nowhere. I'd apologize for sounding like a Dr. Seuss book, but I've also decided not to be sorry.

It has taken me far too long not to be sorry about not knowing what to do or where to go, but my shoes are now on my feet so to speak and I'm approaching the a starting line.

I've worked in art, I've worked with food, I've worked in kitchens and offices and in the middle noweheresville New Hampshire. I've written newsletters, emails, articles, presentations, tweets, speeches, labels, ingredient lists, orders and posts. No novel yet but its coming...one day.

I've been burned by pans, harangued, hit, hated, loved and liked. I've fit people for socks and shoes and races, cried crybaby tears and whined about places.

But I'm not sorry.

I can make granola by the pound, cookies by the hundred and run for miles. I can do more pull ups than most men and run in heels or even discuss the state of American painting or the Patriots, whichever you fancy.

So on days when my tray of sticky buns, studded with pecans and oozing with molten lava goo, crash onto the floor and the damage rivals the Valdez Oil Spill and I get a ticket at Harvard while volunteer coaching and I find out I'm allergic to wheat... I have to remind myself of all the above. (Insert All the Above by Maino here for a comic reprieve)

I don't know where you're at friends, but if you're having one of those days where you are everywhere and nowhere at once, sit down for 3 minutes and write yourself a list of things you can do well... and then bake.

Its accomplishment, its deliciousness and its healthful. What more can you ask for?

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Inspired by Babycakes Bakery

Makes Two Small Loaf Pans

1 Cup of Gluten Free All Purpose Flour (Bob's or Trader Joe's will work)
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Xanthan Gum
1 Tsp of Salt (I used Sea Salt)
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp All Spice
1 splash (2-3 second pour) of Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Coconut Oil (Liquified or semi-solid works)
1/3 C Agave nectar
1/3 Cup Almond Milk
3 Medium Bananas Roughly Mashed or 2 Medium Bananas and 1/4 C Unsweetened Applesauce

Preheat oven to 325. Step One Accomplished

Take your bananas and mash them separately. Do not completely liquify them. Leave some good and chunky pieces. Now put them aside for awhile. Don't be sad though, they make a reappearance in Act Three.

Whisk together Dry ingredients in a Medium Size Bowl. Think 3x by Cereal Bowl .
-Flour
-Baking Powder
-Baking Soda
- X-Gum (sounds so much cooler than xanthan gum)
-Salt
-Spices

Now, Add your wet ingredients. LOOK AT YOU GO
-Agave
-A.Milk
-C-Oil
-Vanilla

Stir this bad boy up until it is SMOOTH. That means the coconut oil bombs have disappeared. You have taken your whisk and dug down to the crater of the bowl where Flour mines are often buried. LEAVE NO CREVICE UNWHISKED.

Now Put the dirty whisk in the sink. Take a spatula or wooden spoon and Fold in the Bananas until its evenly mixed in. Resist the temptation to take your spatula and just spin it around the bowl a few times.

Remember the game hot hands? You put your hands on the bottom palms up, someone puts their palms on yours face down and you have to slap the living daylights out of their hands before they pull them away..? That flipping motion is what you should be doing with your spatula and bananas- but slower and with less intent to injure. Maybe that's my third grade demonic side coming through. But I digress.

At this point, I highly suggest adding dark chocolate chips, cacoa nibs, or dark chocolate chips. The banana and the chocolate are about as meant for each other as Sunny and Cher, Pb and J or Kanye and Kim.... 

Spray the loaf tins with Pam or another nonstick cooking spray (or C oil). These guys need roughly 30-35 minutes to bake. I turned mine 180 degrees after 17 minutes and checked for doneness starting at 30.

Doneness check method? Find yourself a toothpick and insert it in the cake. Clean? It's done. Besmirched with crumbs? Not so done.

It will be a toasty mahogany color when done. It should not look liquidy in the slightest at the top.

Now you've taken them out of the oven. Restrain the urge to dive right in for at least 20 minutes. All the banana-y goodness needs to set itself up in the pan. Run your knife all around the pan to loosen-er up. Cover the loaf pan with a dishtowel or plate and flip it, flip it good to remove the loaf from the pan.

Now you can set this little guy up on a cutting board or plate and slice it warm or if you can bear it, wait till its completely cool.

When you're done eating half the loaf...wrap it in plastic wrap and store at room temp. It will be okay for up to 4 days but I will be shocked if you don't inhale it before then.

Don't tell anyone its GF and vegan until after they eat it. They won't have a clue...or you can keep it our little secret.

 Finished Product? Banana Chocolate Hug