banana and brazil brownies

I made these brownies after finding some brazil nuts in the cupboard which no one was eating. Rather than wasting them I decided to add them to a recipe.

I found a recipe for banana and brazil brownies on Recipe Zaar which started life as a vegan, gluten free version.
As we don't need to worry about gluten and are not vegans, I adapted it and came up with my own version.

Next time, after hearing the verdict from my daughter, I will increase the brazil nuts to 3 - 4 ounces, reduce the fructose by an ounce and add another tablespoon of cocoa. They are filling and 'robust' as my husband calls them, with a lovely, fudgey texture.

They freeze well too, so make a glut and freeze them for later use.

Brazil nuts are one of the best sources of selnium, which is drastically depleted in our soil due to over farming. Selenium is vital for fertility in both sexes, helps to balance thyroid function and is a powerful antioxidant. Studies have shown that brazil nuts can help prevent breast cancer.

Just three brazil nuts a day will provide your daily recommended amount of selenium, but this is much nicer way of eating them!

Banana and brazil nut brownies

Ingredients

* 2 very ripe bananas
* 6 ounces flour
* 2 tablespoons cocoa
* 3 ounces of fructose
* 140 ml melted butter
* 125 ml milk
* 1 egg
* 2 ounces brazil nuts, crushed

Method

• Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl.
• Sieve in the flour and cocoa.
• Add the fructose, butter and milk
• Mix in the egg
• Mix well then stir in the crushed brazil nuts.
• Put the mixture in a greased brownie tin and bake for 40 minutes at 180.
  

Verdict: 8/10 perfect texture; nice and chewy.
It smells of chips (??!!), don't put so much fruit in next time and not so much fructose; it's a bit sweet.
Could you put more chocolate in next time; they're not very chocolatey?

banana and walnut loaf

This recipe received a huge thumbs up from both my daughter and husband! Even the cat was hanging around by the oven door as I took it out.

I set myself a challenge this week to use up things in my kitchen cupboards instead of buying new. I wanted to try and find yummy recipes for the things I have bought that none of us have used.

Enter left stage: a packet of walnuts.

They've been sitting in the cupboard looking at me for several months. I bought them for DD as she really got into nuts at one stage. Like all kids though, she knew what she liked and she only liked pistachios.

I bought walnuts because they are power houses of nutrition. They are a hard nut to follow and provide huge amounts of omega 3s which helps to support heart function, the brain and all manner of things.

Walnuts are also high in antioxidants, manganese (brain function) and copper (anemia, hair loss, dry skin).

Then I went to the farm shop and was asked if I made banana cake because bananas were going brown and were half price today. Aha! Banana and walnut cake here we come.

Banana and walnut loaf; adapted from Kate Ford's "Compassion in farming" recipe

Ingredients

• 3oz butter
• 1/4 cup fructose
• 1 egg
• 1 mashed banana
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp crushed walnuts (I put them in a bag and battered them with a rolling pin)
• 1/3 cup natural yogurt
• pinch salt
• 1 1/4 cups self raising flour
  

Method

• Preheat oven to 180
• Cream together the butter and fructose
• Mix in the beaten egg until you get a smooth batter
• Add the banana and lemon juice and mix well
• Add the remaining ingredients and put in a greased loaf tin
• Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden

Verdict: 10/10

This didn't rise as much as I though it would, but my daughter shoved a massive piece into her mouth and went skipping down the garden with it; giving me a thumbs up sign as she went. She spent most of the night raving about it and asking for more.

Hubby, who isn't really into such things loved it too; so I think it's safe to call it a family favourite AND it means I will eventually get through the packet of walnuts! I think you could up the amount of walnuts easily; the original recipe called for 2 tablespoons, but I doubled it and now I know my two liked it, I'll add more next time.