Mama’s Deluxe Banana Bread (vegetarian/vegan)

We’re about a month and a half late for National Banana Bread Day in the U.S. (February 23^rd) but in Canada, we don’t need a reason to celebrate this all-time classic. Banana bread or loaf cakes are like chocolate chip cookies – a crowd-pleaser whether you’re dressin’ to impress the omnivores or just kicking back for afternoon tea. First potluck with the new gang? Can’t go wrong with banana bread. Everyone’s got their favourite recipe for banana bread. This one is straight from my mama’s recipe stash. After years of drooling over other kids’ Dunkaroos and Lunchables, I’m finally proud to say that my mom’s a bit of a health freak. She doesn’t by the whole diet-labeling ordeal (and neither do I anymore), but for the sake of ease this recipe is both dairy-free and made with whole wheat flour. You can veganize it by substituting eggs with flax seed, and gluten-free by subbing wheat flour with a gluten-free flour mix. The best part of baking is customizing. Got a sweet tooth? Mix in some chocolate or carob chips! I like to ease up on the sugar and load mine with berries and nuts – for that juicy burst of flavor and nutty crunch. INGREDIENTS: For an 8’ x 4’ pan (makes 8-10 servings) Wet ingredients:

• 1-3 eggs (or equivalent flax seed substitute)
• 3-4 super ripe bananas
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup brown sugar

Dry ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour mix)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon flax seed for extra fibre (optional)

Fun add-ons (optional):

• ½ cup berries (frozen blueberries, blackberries)
• ½ cup nuts (sunflower seeds, walnuts, almond slivers)
• chocolate/carob chips

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas and add in all the wet ingredients, putting in the sugar last. Mix into a slushy consistency.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix, stirring until you get a smooth consistency with no lumps.
5. Stir in your fun add-ons: berries, nuts, chocolate chips, etc.
6. Line your baking pan with parchment paper (compostable) or vegetable oil, then pour in the mixture.
7. For decoration, sprinkle some nuts on the top, but not too many so that they burn.
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick/fork comes out clean.
9. Cool, slice, and enjoy!

RECONSTRUCTED SALADE NIÇOISE (VEGETARIAN, GLUTEN-FREE)

A former co-worker of mine ate this for lunch almost every day of the summer, paired with some olive bread and cheese. So despite the name, this salad reminds me of the most sublime summer days in Montreal. And since the days are getting longer and I’m gearing up for a spring trip back to la belle province, whipping up this beauty for lunch provided a dose of nutrition and nostalgia.

This reconstruction of the classic salade niçoise arose out of several reasons: I don’t eat tuna, I prefer arugula over other salad blends, and I found that olives and red onions combined in a salad gave me really bad breath! So I made some changes but the overall colours, flavours, and heartiness have not gone away.

INGREDIENTS**:

For two meal-sized servings:

Dressing:

• 2 cloves of garlic
• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning
• Sea salt and pepper to taste

• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 to 1 ½ tablespoons mustard (Dijon, preferably)
• ¾ to 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 to 2 ½ extra virgin olive oil

“Tuna”:

• ½ cup white cannellini beans
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon hummus
• ½ teaspoon all-purpose seasoning

Salad:

• 2 to 3 eggs
• 3 to 4 small potatoes
• ½ red bell pepper
• ¼ small red onion
• 3 to 4 large handfuls of arugula leaves
• 2 to 3 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• 2 to 3 handfuls of thin green beans

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Heat up some water in a saucepan to boiling. Drop in potatoes and cook for 8-10 minutes, until soft enough to be pierced with a fork.
2. In another sauce pan, boil the eggs until the insides are fully cooked.
3. While eggs and potatoes are boiling, prepare tuna: Mash the beans in a separate bowl and add hummus, lemon juice and seasoning.
4. In another pot, boil more water. Throw in the green beans and cook for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Prepare the dressing: cut cloves of garlic in half and combine with all other ingredients in a bowl. Whisk together until fully blended.
6. Empty all boiling items into a strainer and run them over cold water.
7. Slice everything up! Quarter the potatoes, halve the tomatoes, and cut everything else up into small, bite-sized pieces.
8. Layer your salad: Create a bed of arugula and tuna, pile on the potatoes and eggs, and top with veggies.
9. Drizzle dressing over it all.

**NOTE: I’ll be honest, I’m not one for measuring out my ingredients, even when I’m writing a blog post! Most of the quantities are best estimates. Keeping the dressing ingredients in similar proportions to each other is the most important.