Ice Cream

Dessert was never so simple or tasty.  I have spotted a number of recipes for this delicious, frosty treat lately.  Here's mine.  Simple to make and only need slice and freeze ripe bananas.  One banana per serving. I said it was simple.

Other ingredients, a splash of milk (I use almond), up to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, a bit of sweetener if your banana wasn't  ripe enough before you froze them (I reach for Erythritol) and a smattering of mini carob chips (optional, of course, but oh so tasty).

After they're frozen, you can put them into a smaller zip lock freezer bag.
But I can  never keep enough of them on hand and am always freezing more.

Put your frozen banana slices into your blendera and add your splash of milk, sweetener and vanilla;
blend until smooth.  If you add too much milk, you'll end up with a smoothie.
Still delicious but I like to eat my ice cream with a spoon.
Your ice cream will want to stick to the sides, so scrape down the sides until your banana chunks are all smooth.

Serve and sprinkle with carob chips.  Eat and enjoy the Yummersness!

Whole Wheat/Flaxseed Bread

Man cannot live by bread alone but I'd sure like to try.  Torn from a magazine ad boasting 'cholesterol lowering properties,' I kept this recipe and stuck it in a folder that rarely sees the light of day.  Then, I cleaned out my recipes, threw away all the oldies calling for cheese and meat and oils.  This recipe made the cut.  

Here's the exact quote at the top of the recipe's page:  "The Amazing Bread That Works Exactly Like Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs But Without the Side Effects" Don't hold your breath.   But the bread is tasty and at least when I make it, I know the ingredients that go into it.  No preservatives, so after a couple of days, I toss it in the fridge.  And if you are making just for yourself...I'd cut the finished baked loaf in half and wrap it well and put it in the freezer for another time.  Perhaps when you have a neighbor over for tea or coffee and a fruit plate.  Just sayin'.

Let's get to it... here is the list of ingredients as copied from the original recipe (mostly) and I've added my notes showing the adjustments I've made after several tries with the recipe.  

1 2/3 cups warm water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

3 T. honey or 1/8 cup sugar (I use Erythritol dry sweetener)

1 T. oil (safflower or olive) -- * I use grapeseed oil because I have it on hand

1/2 t. salt ( may be omitted) but I use it...so as not to mess with the leavening properties

1 cup ground flaxseed meal (use 2/3 cup whole seeds if you are grinding yourself)

3 cups fresh whole wheat flour + additional cup of flour for kneading--I used whole wheat pastry flour for this and don't always use the entire extra cup...just depends on the stickiness of your load while kneading.

** I use an additional ingredient:  2-4 t. of Wheat Gluten added in with the wheat flour.  I have it on hand, don't have any issues with gluten and I like my bread to get that height that is sometimes missing when you use whole wheat flour.  This is just the way I do my bread but will make a perfectly tasty loaf without the added gluten.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside until bubbly (5-10 minutes)

Mix in sugar...

salt...

oil...

flaxseed...

and half of the wheat flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Mix well.
Stir in remaining 1 1/2 cups of wheat flour until it makes a soft,
kneadable dough.

Turn dough onto lightly floured surface.

Begin kneading, adding just enough flour to keep dough from being sticky.

Knead for 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.  Preferably done while listening
and singing along to your favorite tunes.  I think the bread knows and rises better if you do this ;-)

Optional method of forming loaf, learned from my friend, Melissa White-Dunn, many years ago.
Roll it out into long rectangle.  Helps eliminate air bubbles.  Really makes a
difference when you are using white flour.  With this whole wheat, not so much.
I still like rolling it out and thinking of Melissa!

Roll up bread into a loaf and tuck neatly into your bread pan.

I like to score the top of the loaf into 1/2"segments (use a very sharp knife, going only 1/4" deep).
Makes it easier to slice the bread after baking.

Cover loosely and let rise in warm place for one-two hours, until doubled in bulk.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes in center of your oven; Your bread is finished when the loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped.  (My oven is a bit off so I have to let my loaf bake a bit longer and it never gets very brown on top.  I probably take it out of the oven too soon but since I always toast my bread before eating, I prefer it a little underbaked that overbaked.)

Cool for 10 minutes and remove from the pan.

Yummers!