Have you tried Quinoa before? It’s the latest craze next to couscous. I hadn’t really tried any of it before now. My brother went to Costco and bought two big bags of it. We went from eating white rice, to multigrain rice, to brown rice to quinoa. It’s a good source of protein and amino acids as well as many minerals and vitamins. If you haven’t tried it, use it as a substitute for rice one night for a side dish. It’s texture is better than rice I find.

I had looked online for several recipes that use Quinoa, but I was surprised to find not many used it in baking. I cam across a muffin recipe for carrot and Quinoa so I thought I would try it as a loaf instead with a few additions and tweaks.

Adams mom bought me loaf pans a few weeks back which I had been wanting to use and make a loaf to say thanks! She had gotten silicone pans which I had also not used before. They worked out great! The silicone made it easy to unmold and you also don’t need to butter it. They came in orange, blue and grey. I’m very lucky to get so many baking gifts! I’m going over to his parent’s house tonight for a get together so I thought I would bake this loaf today to bring. I even put together a little recipe card that Adam had bought me for my birthday for the loaf so she could try it out herself!

The house smelled delicious as it baked – it was tormenting me as I did the laundry and dishes. The aroma of Cinnamon always makes a house seem more comforting. Though baking in the heat of summer isn’t something I would like to be doing all day. I’ll have to take the dog out for a walk after this – she has been giving me that look all morning as I’ve been baking. the “please mom – please” look. She always wins, and she knows it. She’s very spoiled, but that’s because she’s my baby.

Back to the loaf -this is a perfect recipe to make as a gift for someone – simply wrap some parchment or wax paper around it and deliver it to someone who may need a little sweet pick me up!

Quinoa Carrot Loaf

Ingredients:

• 1 2/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup shredded coconut
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup cooked quinoa*
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 Tbs. canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla

* approx. 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa + 1/2 cup water. Boil, then cover and simmer for 12 minutes.

Directions:

Pre-Heat oven to 350.

Peel carrots and shred them using KitchenAid shredder attachment, or handheld shredder. Set aside.

Boil and cook quinoa. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, sift together dry ingredients.

In another bowl mix together eggs, carrots, yogurt, oil, vanilla and cooked quinoa.

Pour wet ingredients into dry mixture and mix until just moistened.

Spoon into prepared loaf pan, or muffin tin if you prefer.

Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until done. Insert a knife into the center to check, It should be completely set and just bounce back slightly when touched.

Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes in loaf pan before transferring to cooling rack. You can slice it, or wrap in parchment to deliver to a friend.

Enjoy =)

First off I have to apologize for my long absence! It’s been a crazy March so far. But I had such a craving to bake that I went out and bought a new pan just for this cake! I had wanted to make zucchini bread initially, and growing up my Nonna always made the best. I had her recipe written down somewhere and couldn’t find it! So I decided to improvise and create something a little different. My mom’s been out of town this weekend, so this morning when I told my brother I was going to make zucchini bread, he asked if I could make banana bread instead. So I thought I would compromise, being the nice sister I am. I found this recipe and decided to give it a try. It’s super moist and I love the colors that come out of the combo of zucchini&banana. This is really yummy and I even got to use my brand new attachment! I had gotten it from Koko, back in June for my birthday and hadn’t tried it! I think I was scared, its the shredder and grater attachment for the Kitchen Aid mixer, and it’s so easy and works great!! Especially for zucchini bread or carrot cake when you have to shred lots! So if you have one, try it out on this recipe! It’s delish.

ps. I realize my cake is broken, or should I say “wrecked”. Needless to say one part of the cake got a wee bit stuck, but hey, perfection isn’t everything. It’s how it tastes!

Zucchini & Banana Bundt Cake

Ingredients:

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup aw zucchini, shredded ( about 3 small )
• 1 cup mashed banana ( about 2 )
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, if desired.

1. Shred zucchini and set aside.  Mash bananas and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat eggs, oil, and sugar.
3. Slowly add flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and pecans.  Thoroughly combine.
4. Add zucchini and bananas until well blended.
5. Pour into greased and flowered bundt pan, and bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Cool for 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.  Remove from pan and cool completely.

Im in a loaf mood right now. After my brother said I need to make another Grapefruit and Yogurt Cake for him to bring to work ( he’s an electrition and said his co-workers didn’t believe I made it.. I guess that’s a compliment) although he said he wasn’t sure I made it either. I asked him if he really questioned my baking skills..haha. So now what to do with all those rotting bananas?.. Rather than throw them away put them to good use in a yummy banana bread! This one is filled with bananas, chocolates and pecans. A grown up version of the regular old Banana bread.

This recipe comes from one of my favorite books, Joy Of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition.

Banana Bread Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a loaf pan.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (about 2-3)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• 1/2 cup ( or more! ) chocolate chunks or chocolate chips 

Sift together flour, salt baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Whisk Thoroughly. 

In a mixer, preferrably with paddle attachment, beat on high speed until butter and sugar lightened in color and texture, 2 to 3 minutes. ( If you don’t have a KitchenAid or other stand mixer, a bowl and handheld beater will do the job!)

Beat in the flour mixture until blended and the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in eggs one at a time.

Fold in bananas, chocolate, and chopped walnuts or pecans until combined.

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.

Everytime I bake a loaf or Banana Bread, I always check it at the 45 minute mark, and then turn off the oven and allow it to continue baking for another 10 minutes or so. That way it doesn’t dry out and it slowly cooks all the way through. 

Enjoy!

**The picture came out really well, I just used four pieces of yellow construction paper and then in photoshop blurred out the lines/shadows. This is an easy way to do it if you don’t have different colored background, and are using a light box. That way you can change the color and edit it to look like one piece for different pictrures, and thus a yellow background for, well, Banana Bread of course!