Cinna - Banana Smoothie

Helloooo!!

After months of deliberation, I finally got that little push from the Universe that I'm in desperate need of a system reset.

Post-race fiasco and Chinese food binge sesh, I was invited to the home of one of my gym-mates for what I'm now referring to as 'the last supper'. 

The food was INSANE.

What I would generally scorn on a daily basis, I welcomed with a childlike sense of awe and wonder, that such basic Trinidadian fare like coocoo and callaloo could be transformed far beyond my culinary capability.

I'm not calling myself a bad cook... it just exceeded my expectations to the point of happy tears.

Apart from the food, the best part of the night was the open discussion about nutrition and self-healing. 

Now being a product a nutrition and dietetics curriculum that boasts of unrevised and ancient literature, adopting a raw diet for however long is generally one that is ill-advised and frowned upon.

A trend I've noticed with many of my lifestyle changes is when I really want to do something, I throw myself in 100%. In that same breath, I became vegan overnight after watching Earthlings just once in 2006. Flash backing to the first time I went on a high-carb, low-fat raw vegan diet, all I can really remember is feeling the best I have ever been. The weight dropped off effortlessly, I was never hungry and I was so flooded with positive energy, all I wanted to do was RUN.

Which is pretty much how I got into running. After retiring from competitive swimming and living a few years as a sedentary retiree (and really packing on the pounds), I found the Banana Girl Diet and thought, hey this could really be something to consider. 

I became a Banana Girl that same night.

Yesterday's lunch!! Yummy Trini-grown Lacatan

Is it easy to be a Banana Girl in Trinidad? Surprisingly yes. The biggest misconception about raw diets is how expensive they are. But really when I look back on it, the most expensive raw attempts I've ever had were when I explored what I like to call 'gourmet raw'. Lots and lots of nuts, seeds and 'superfoods'. When really, the most effective superfoods grow right under our noses and we trade it off for prepackaged mulberries, spirulina and imported raw cacao. Which are all well and good in small doses as treats, but in the Caribbean we have such a bounty of goodness that unfortunately goes unnoticed!! How many people really know that what we call 'bhaji' is really amaranth whose seeds are harvested and sold as an 'ancient grain'? Or 'cressels' is the watercress, iron rich swamp plant of legend? 

Just a big BTW, mulberries do grow in T&T. You can save your $120 per 8 oz for the much more delicious FRESH option.

One of my biggest concerns as a Slow Food advocate and concerned bush girl is our dwindling fruit basket. As a 'north' girl spending weekends and holidays in 'south', I had the best of both worlds. My childhood was spent frolicking in a backyard of governor plum, West Indian cherry (acerola), julie mango, soursop and sapodilla trees that were killer for climbing and passing the time with Enid Blyton and Roald Dahl. In south, my great-grandmother and cousins had the more exotic sugar apple, dongs, penny piece, portugal and pomegranate. It also helped when I had a wandering father who would leave home to go 'hunting' for antique furniture in the countryside and return home armed with gri-gri, rolling cherries, poix doux and hog-plum. 

The saddest part is, you very rarely see these anymore. And when you do, the prices are enough to make your wallet weep. It's a sad day when a small handful of locally grown lychee or rambutan cost more than 12 imported Granny Smith apples. Does that even make sense?

Anyways, for a long time the dinner discussion dwelled on the topic of raw food and high carb diets. Which I really really needed. While I was watching my grapelike ovaries on the ultrasound all I could think about was bananas. Weird I know, but the fruit association is real hahah.

I ignored my first instinct and went as far as to consider the hormonal treatment. Then I leaned in the direction of what foods do I really need to cut out to lessen the hormonal fluctuations.

All along, I just needed more of what Nature created.

So with the support of 2 of my other gym-mates, we're embarking on a trip to the Banana Island. 

This recipe is my breakfast inspired by one of them who came to the gym yesterday armed with a mug filled with this goodness and it haunted me all night with excitement. So here it is. The most delicious 2-ingredient smoothie of all time.

#amazing

CINNA - BANANA SMOOTHIE

Yields 1 smoothie

Ingredients
5 ripe bananas, frozen for at least 8 hours
1 heaping tbsp ground cinnamon

Preparation
Blend with 2 cups water.
Enjoy!

Notes
The spottier the bananas, the more nutritious they are!!

Sa7ten!

Black Bean Brownies with Raw Banana 'Nice Cream', Pomerac Salsa and Vegan Ganache

Turning today into a throwback sort of day!!

Just found these absolute classics from my first on-screen experience as a guest chef on a local cooking show.

I never knew what a real butterfly feeling was like until that day. Camera lights and all eyes on you? TERRIFYING.

Would I do it again? In a heartbeat. 

Yep, that's my hand (from CNC3 Taste site)

The producers thought it would be 'cute' to have a chef couple on the show. Those were the good ol' days.

Getting makeup done. I looked like an Oompa Loompa on purpose (pik by Shawna Maharaj)

That's Ed in the background. I wonder if he'd let me post his recipes from this show...

K back to the foodie stuff.

If you haven't as yet tried a black bean brownie, you're missing out on life. I'm just telling you straight up. It's so full of fibre and protein and you'd really never guess that it's made with beans. I did it once for a demonstration at my University and the students thought that I was lying... that there was no way this brownie was made with black beans. It was just so fudgey and perfect.

Take my silly advice. Try. These. Brownies.

And topped with ice cream? A HEALTHY ice cream too??

Raw jargon for this is 'nice cream' and it has every right to be called that. It's even nicer than ice cream. And all that extra potassium is a great bonus too. 
The high pectin content of bananas makes this nice cream really smooth and with a pleasant mouthfeel. The coconut oil creates a structure to the mixture when it hardens and adds that desirable ice cream 'bite'. Many banana nice creams call for just bananas, but I believe that the coconut oil is much needed!! It adds an ever so slight coconutty hint and deepens the flavour profile in a beautifully subtle way.

This nice cream is a must have in any raw repertoire and it's so nutritious, it really is a dessert that SHOULD be had for breakfast!! This recipe is a great base for if you want to use add-ins like peanut butter, cacao nibs or powder, berries, hemp seeds etc. 

And I bet they'd all taste insane with this brownie!!

By the way, if you were wondering what pomerac is, it's a tropical pear-shaped crimson fruit with a white spongy flesh inside that has a taste reminiscent of roses. I believe it goes by the moniker 'Malay apple' in other countries. Tossed with strawberry, mango, pink peppercorns and just the teeniest pinch of salt and it makes a killer topping to any ice cream.


BLACK BEAN BROWNIES WITH RAW BANANA 'NICE CREAM', POMERAC SALSA AND VEGAN GANACHE


Black Bean Brownie
(adapted from iFoodReal)

makes 1 tray (12 to 16 brownies) 

Ingredients
15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed well
2 flax eggs (or real eggs if that's your thing)
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup date paste or 12 Medjool dates
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tbsp espresso (brings out that intense chocolate flavour)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preparation
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a sheet tray or an 8 X 8 dish with parchment and lightly grease with coconut oil.
Add all but the chocolate chips to a blender and blend until smooth. A food processor works too.
Fold in 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
Add the mixture to the baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of chocolate chips.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool fully.
Slice up into squares (or rectangles for plating).

Notes
Batter feeling a lil dry? Lacking sweetness? Hell, I like to throw some honey in there. Don't judge. Honey attracts moisture and will keep your brownies soft and moist (I cannot believe I just used that word).Chia gel can replace the flax eggs. But the flax adds a pretty awesome nuttiness.
If the surface is cracked up like a clay desert that hasn't seen rain in years, don't freak out! That's so normal for these brownies since they lack the gluten to keep everything nice and tight. Have a look.

I almost expect to see cacti popping up

Those cracks are perfect for pouring in a rich fortified wine. Mmm port-infused brownies...

Raw Banana 'Nice Cream'

Ingredients
3 bananas, sliced in circles and frozen for at least 8 hours
1 generous tbsp coconut oil, melted
scrapings of 1/2 vanilla bean
drizzle of honey** optional

Preparation
Throw everything into a food processor or powerful blender and process until creamy and no chunks are left.
You may see little flakes of hardened coconut oil but that's fine. They melt in your mouth and you get this incredible pop of flavour.
Transfer to an airtight container and freeze until solid.

Notes
Use almost overripe bananas for this!! The spottier the better. Great way to use up those mushy nanas that no one wants to eat.

Pomerac Salsa

Ingredients
2 large pomerac
3 strawberries
1 mango (I love Julie mangoes for this)
crushed pink peppercorns
a pinch of pink Himalayan salt
mint sprig to garnish

Preparation
Cut up the fruit into a medium dice shape.
Toss with salt and peppercorns to taste.

Notes
The mango should be just ripe! Firm enough to be cut up into cubes.

Vegan Ganache

Ingredients
1 cup dark chocolate couverture
1 cup almond milk

Preparation
Bring the almond milk up to a boil, turn off the heat and transfer to a liquid measuring cup (or a mug).
Dump in the chocolate and leave to melt.
Mix vigorously until it becomes like a thick chocolate sauce.
So easy a toddler could do it.
Although I don't advise they try :P

TO PLATE
Cut the brownies into rectangles. Place one at an angle onto a clean plate (use white for dramatic effect). 
Pour the ganache at room temperature into a squeeze bottle. 
Drizzle your design onto both the brownie and the plate. Zig zags are always impressive.
Spoon your salsa onto one end of the brownie. Top with a sprig of mint.
Make a quenelle with the nice cream and place at the other end. Or in a pinch, use an ice cream scoop.

Voila!!

Acai Bowls

Here in Trinidad, these sell for exorbitant amounts. Somewhere between $40 and $50 (translates to about CAD$10).

I dunno bout you all, but that's enough money for enough farmer's market produce to feed a family of 10 (I count my dad's nurses as part of the family. They really are family.)

So after trying one for the first time, my ego kicked in a bit and I decided that I was going to make this store-bought acai bowl even better.

I do believe I've succeeded. And I'm a tragically picky eater.

Prepare for an onslaught of acai bowl pictures!!

 I can see you drooling from here

An acai bowl is pretty much a run-of-the-mill smoothie, thick enough to eat with a spoon and with some tangy acai pop in there for a major antioxidant boost to neutralize free radicals. It really becomes magical with the TOPPINGS. And boy can you get creative with 'em!!

Mmmm crunchy cacao nibs

ACAI BOWLS

makes 2 12 oz containers with a lil extra for immediate snacking
can make 3 containers if you use lots of toppings

Ingredients
2 frozen bananas (I use local Grumy Shell or about 6 Sucrier figs / Lady's fingers)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 cup frozen blackberries
4 tbsp acai powder
1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp honey** optional
See Notes for topping suggestions

Preparation
Add everything to a blender jug.

Blend until creamy and smooth. 

If you're using a lower powered blender, it may take a while so be patient. Also, keep pulsing to avoid heating the mixture.
If the mixture is too thick, add a few splashes of almond milk until it loosens up.
The acai bowl is your canvas. Happy decorating :)

A bevy of beauties

Notes
Spotted bananas are best for this!! They are at their ripest at this point.

For an extra chocolatey boost, add some raw cacao or carob powder to the blender.
As this is a high carb meal, adding some nuts or seeds as toppings lowers the Glycemic Index factor and will keep you satisfied for a longer period.
Purchase frozen berries in bulk to really make this cost effective. Although in a pinch, using only bananas works just as well. 

TOPPINGS (go wild)

Sliced fruit -  bananas, berries, grapes, mango etc.

Shelled hemp hearts

Chia seeds
Cacao nibs
Vanilla Bean Maple Granola
Nut or seed butters (almond is a personal fav)
Unsweetened coconut flakes
Coconut yogurt
Honey, maple syrup or yacon syrup** omit honey if vegan
Bee pollen** omit if vegan

!!!!!!!

Sa7ten!!

Orange Carrot 'Gatorade'

This... I could drink this juice forever.

Just look at that colour.

And pictures don't do it justice at all!!

(Yes our oranges in the Caribbean aren't orange... they vary between green and yellow).

This is my drink of choice for right after a brutal race. The sugars from the carrots and the oranges get right to work on my depleted glycogen stores and the ginger and turmeric are super on inflamed tissue.

Sometimes I add either a pinch of Himalayan pink salt or dilute it a bit with coconut water for that much needed electrolyte boost.

It is AWESOME.

Like really. There is no generic juice on the market that could possibly compare to that liquid sunshine. It is happiness in a glass. It really is.

Gatorade who?


ORANGE CARROT 'GATORADE'

Makes just over 4 pints

Ingredients
16 oranges - I used half Ortanique, half King oranges.

12 carrots

piece of ginger as large as your thumb (maybe a little bigger if you have short thumbs)
a piece of turmeric root as long as your middle finger

Preparation

Wash and peel the oranges. Keep the peel for soaking in vinegar or making orange peel tea!! Get as much of the outer pith as possible as it tends to make the juice bitter. Cut into wedges large enough for the juicer feed mouth.

Scrub the carrots and leave the peel on if you're using organically grown carrots. So much goodness is in the peel and you want to get everything!! Cut the carrot into chunks, but smaller than the oranges.
Leave the ginger and turmeric peel on. Just scrub 'em well.

Juice away!! I use the Omega J8006 masticating juicer. It's my best friend.

Notes

Add the Himalayan salt OR the coconut water just before drinking. It isn't totally necessary if you're not using it as an energy drink replacement.
Add more ginger if you love that ZING.
I tend to juice the carrot first followed by the ginger and turmeric and keep that pulp for use in veggie burgers or carrot cakes. I spread the orange pulp among the plants outside. Always keep juicing pulp if you can!! The fibre is so good for many things. Even in soap!!
Most cold pressed juices keep for about a week in the fridge. I try not to let them go past 3 days due to the risk of nutrients becoming oxidized. But many swear that once it is sealed properly, the nutrient content is preserved.

Maybe just one more collage just to show off this beauty :)

Sa7ten!!

Raw Mango 'Fruit Roll-ups'

Once upon a time, there was a girl who loved a boy. This boy used to have a beautiful bistro that churned out lots of yummy dishes using local ingredients.

One of these ingredients was the coveted Julie mango.

Now here in Trinidad, most of the time local fruits tend to be more expensive than their imported counterparts.

After some time, the girl and the boy separated. The boy and his bistro parted ways also. But the boy generously gave the girl a gift from his bistro.

Lots and lots of julie mango puree.

Well, the girl had a time with this puree.

I developed these mango leathers for a Caribbean Foods demonstration just under 2 months ago. But it's mango season here right now so it was only fitting that I bring back these classics.

Aren't they prits? #nofilter hahaha

Full dehydrator!!

So I did 4 different types of mango leathers. From the top --> mango papaya, mango acai peach, mango pina colada and plain julie mango.

First we gotta start with the mango puree.

1 julie mango will yield roughly 1 cup of mango pulp. Maybe a little more but there can never be too much mango!! Just cut the fruit into chunks and blend until smooth. Try not to let the blender run for too long as the heat could compromise the nutrient content of the fruit.

Basically if you plan on filling a dehydrator with this goodness, I do suggest finding a mango tree. Or a friend who is very generous with her fruit.

Here we go :)

RAW MANGO 'FRUIT ROLL-UPS'

Yields 2 trays --> exact roll yield depends on how wide you cut them.
Roughly about 6 rolls per tray

Ingredients
4 cups of mango puree (about a blender full)

Preparation
Lay out Paraflexx sheets or Silpats on the dehydrator trays. 
Evenly divide the puree between the trays and spread as flat as possible until about 1/8th of an inch thick (an offset spatula is pretty handy for this).
Turn on the dehydrator to 115 degrees Fahrenheit. They do dry faster on higher temperatures but to ensure that these stay raw and vitamin rich, keep it as low as possible. 
Leave to dry for about 8 to 10 hours. Or longer depending on the thickness of the puree spread. The leather is done when totally dry to the touch.
If the bottom is still wet, flip and leave for a couple more hours.
Try not to eat the whole thing before it's through drying ;)
Turn off the heat and while it's still warm, cut into long strips with a scissors. 

Notes
Try to keep a little 'well' in the middle of the spread puree. In other words, let the edges of the spread be thicker than the middle. This is to encourage even drying as the edges dry faster.
I like to dry leathers overnight to avoid snacking on the dried bits. They are so good!!

If you don't own a dehydrator, fear not!! Leathers can also be made in the oven on the lowest setting (usually 175 degrees Fahrenheit) and with the oven door cracked open for circulation. It stores for a pretty long time in airtight packaging. But if you're a chronic snacker, I bet it wouldn't last more than a few days.

Looks pretty darn yummy eh? This is the mango papaya.

VARIATIONS

Mango Papaya

2 cups mango puree

2 cups papaya chunks

Mango Pina Colada

2 cups mango puree

1 1/2 cups pineapple chunks

1/2 cup coconut manna

Mango Acai Peach

2 cups mango puree

1 1/2 cup peach chunks (the riper the better!!)
1/2 cup acai powder (I use this one)

Notes

I like to use up the really soft fruit bits that no one seems to want to eat to make fruit leathers. Even overripe bananas make fantastically sweet leathers that kids can't seem to get enough of.

Sa7ten!!

Quinoa Pizza Crust with Raw Mango 'Marinara'

The inspiration for this came as my brothers arrived home from the gym with a Papa John's pizza in hand that was simply oozing with glorious melted cheese. 

Wait... I can't eat wheat... OR CHEESE. Twas an absolute tragedy.

Naturally, my heart sank... pizza is one of God's greatest gifts to humanity. Many nights I spent with my Canadian roommate, The L Word and pizza for company. Pizza also evokes blissful memories of wonderfully intoxicated events and midnight shenanigans. Le sigh...

As I buried my wounded ego in a mug of liquorice root tea and pondered the 'ignorance is bliss' phrase, I happened across this Cooking Light video which piqued my interest just a little.

I will not lie. I was initially a HUGE skeptic. A pizza crust with just quinoa, salt and baking powder?? This must be too good to be true.

Behold!!

Quinoa Pizza Crust with Raw Mango 'Marinara'

As you can see, it doesn't look half bad for a 'not-really-a-pizza'.


The video used the white quinoa but all I had on hand was red. Hence the burnt look. Which i liked. Made it look authentic hahaha. 

Topped the finished crust with my go-to raw marinara (cuz I did a raw vegan stint for a bit and am quite proud of my raw arsenal), a slew of veggies and voila!

A serving size is supposed to be half of this pizza. According to Cooking Light, 2 wedges of crust alone is supposed to give you 236 calories and 3.87 g of fat.

I inhaled the whole thing... Yes I'm a nutrition major, but I'm also a very hungry athlete!! :P

QUINOA PIZZA CRUST WITH RAW MANGO MARINARA

Quinoa Pizza Crust 

(adapted from Cooking Light)
makes one personal pan pizza crust


Ingredients
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup filtered water
1 tsp baking powder (I use Dr. Oetker Baking Powder for it's gluten free awesomeness)
1/2 tsp salt

Preparation
Place the quinoa in a small bowl and cover it with filtered water. About 2 cups does the trick.
Soak the quinoa overnight or for at least 8 hours.
Drain and rinse throughly. Don't skip this step! It prevents any bitterness in the crust.
Add the quinoa, water, baking powder and salt to a blender and process for about 2 minutes or until a smooth batter forms. Keep scraping the sides of the blender to catch any stray quinoa bits.
Preheat an oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Line an 8 inch cake pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with coconut oil.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth out with a rubber spatula.
Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
Remove the parchment, flip the crust, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crispy edges form.


Raw Mango Marinara

(adapted from my brain - hehe)
makes enough sauce for 2 pizzas

Ingredients
1 ripe Julie mango
1 pimento pepper
3 Roma tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
pinch of salt
a generous sprinkle of Italian herbs - dried basil, oregano, marjoram etc.

Preparation
Toss in a blender and pulse until smooth.
Alternatively, use a food processor for a more chunky sauce.

Notes
Top the finished crust with sauce, veggies and fresh garden basil and nom away my friends. You can even stick it back in the oven to warm it up for 10 more minutes, but when the pizza craving is real, it isn't even necessary. Here I used tomato slices, black olives, halved grapes, Italian large leaf basil and sprinkled with homemade vegan cashew cheese.

If you're going the lazier route and using bottled marinara that's been laced with high fructose corn syrup, you're on your own :P

As the Arabs would put it, 'Sa7ten!'