Banana Chocolate Chunk Bread

I’ve created this banana bread thinking of my brother.  He works in a school that is nut free and he has difficulty digesting wheat. I wanted something he could bring to school as a healthy snack.

Ingredients

  • 2 C spelt flour
  • 1 ts baking powder (I use aluminum free)
  • 1 ts baking soda
  • 1/8 ts  sea salt
  • 1 C very ripe bananas mashed (2 bananas)
  • 1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/2 C nut free milk (I used Coconut milk beverage.  If dairy isn’t an issue you can use cow’s milk)
  • 2 ts pure vanilla extract
  • 1 C coconut sap/sugar (coconut sugar can be found in natural food store)
  • 2/3 C chocolate chunks (I use the Enjoy Life brand, as they are made in a nut free facility and are vegan)
  • Big handful of LOVE!!

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. Lightly oil the sides and bottom of your loaf pan (I take 1/4 ts of coconut oil)
  3. In a large bowl beat/whisk together the applesauce, sugar, milk & vanilla
  4. Add banana purée and beat/whisk until creamy
  5. Measure out your 2 C of spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Then sift everything together in a bowl.
  6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and stir until well combined
  7. Stir in the chocolate chunks
  8. Pour batter in your loaf pan and bake for 60-75 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean
  9. Remove from oven and put on wire rack for about 30 min.  Then remove from pan and let cool on wire rack until completely cool

Butternut Squash Soup

  • 4 C chopped butternut squash
  • 1/2 C chopped shallots
  • 1/2 C sliced celery
  • 1/2 C sliced carrot
  • 1 ts minced garlic
  • 1 C chopped bosc pear with the skin on (about 1 pear)
  • 3-4 C vegetable or chicken broth. (enough to cover the veggies)
  • 1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
  • 1/2 ts salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1/8 ts freshly ground nutmeg
  • pinch of cayenne or to taste
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • handful of LOVE!!
  1. In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of EVOO at med heat.  Add shallots and cook until translucent about 2 minutes stirring occasionally.  Add carrots, celery, cook 1-2 minutes, add minced garlic and stir well to get the garlic all over.  Add butternut squash and pear.  Add S&P, nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne and stir to get all the veggies.
  2. Add vegetable or chicken broth, just enough to cover the veggies. Cover and bring to a boil then, uncover and simmer until the veggies are fork tender, about 5-12 minutes
  3. Let the soup cool down for about 5 min.
  4. Pour soup in blender and blend until smooth.  You may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your blender.  You may not need all of the broth, depending on how thick you want the soup.
  5.  Taste to check seasoning and adjust as needed, make sure to blend again to mix the seasoning you add more.
  6. Serve