Banana Bread

It's one of those sure-fire recipes that even a klutz can't go wrong with - Rachel Ray's Banana Bread.

If you have a child who has food allergies...you could always substitute one ingredient for another, with only slightly different results. The taste and the appearance of the bread remains pretty much the same - perhaps a little more rubbery and intense in flavor if using applesauce, or moist and crumbly if using condensed milk (both egg substitutes) - but otherwise, nothing to complain about. It remains healthy and robust. The applesauce and egg should be substituted using weight proportions (1 egg = 50 grams, therefore substitute with 50 grams applesauce/condensed milk).

If your child is allergic to nuts - you could skip them and add only the dried fruit...or pumpkin/poppy seeds if you have them. Nature is bountiful. We need to find the alternative to foods that one is allergic to, and preserve them in their innocence as much as we can. To live organic.

That said, I haven't tried making this bread with rice/corn/tapioca flour (for those who are allergic to wheat). Usually, the wheat allergy is accompanied with a nut intolerance. One would have to rework this recipe to find the right mix of ingredients (rice/other flour, xanthum gum, etc) that works. To save time and energy, just visit your nearest 'Health Hut' or 'Whole Foods' store and search the baking section for allergy free cake/bread mixes. There are so many out there, you won't be disappointed.

This recipe contains no soy - so those with a soy allergy only need to check their ingredients for soy traces before using them.

I sometimes throw in a handful of steel cut oats and it makes the bread denser and chewier.

I find this banana bread a great breakfast choice - a slice with the customary cup of coffee keeps your engines fired till lunchtime. And a good teatime snack as well. Or, if you're like me, a slice helps to keep one's mind focused on management texts, between meals...

Well, no more talk. Here are the goods - I took care to capture most steps, as you can see :)...

Rachel Ray's Banana Bread

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.

2. Grease, flour, and line your bread pan.

I use my trusty, much used, 6 year old non-stick pan. I think I bought it in a dollar store, way back when we lived in Singapore - pre-2007. Believe it or not, it works just as well as the Calphalon/ IKEA non-stick ware we have, and has survived the dishwasher, hours of 3rd-degree scalding soaks in the kitchen sink, and even being subjected to pressure by my sons who thought it would make a convenient stepping stool.

3. In a bowl, mash 2-3 over-ripe bananas.

4. Add 1/4 cup oil (canola/olive) - the taste will differ very slightly as the bananas and dried fruit are the stronger flavors. I haven't tried using peanut or sesame oils in this bread, but if I do, I'd probably change the accompanying ingredients as well (pumpkin/poppy seeds, perhaps a dash of lemon juice)...
                                      

5. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (you could skip the vanilla if there isn't any at home). Keep aside.

6. In another bowl, assemble the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1 cup white/brown sugar (your choice would change not only the taste but the color as well),
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/2 teaspoon baking powder,
1 teaspoon baking soda.

7. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mix in stages.

8. Add 1 cup dried fruit of your choice - cherries/raisins/cranberries... - the tart ones work better than the sweeter ones like dates. I used dried craisins in the mix shown below.

9. Add 1 cup nuts of your choice - walnuts/pecans - they work better than do almonds and cashews. I used pecans this time.

10. Add 1 cup chocolate chips - the dark ones work best! :)

11. Pour the batter into the pan, and center it in the oven for about 70-80 minutes.
                                    

12. The bread half done...

13. Voila! (Ahem, a tad burnt I'll admit)

14. And for breakfast this morning...

As I wrap up this blog post, I can hear my friend's voice ring in the distance..."AA, at this rate, you'll never lose weight!"

Eat a Bowl of Mexican Soup

If you are ever inundated with tortillas, avocados, beans, and chickpeas (Garbanzo beans) after a party, then do what I did - make Tortilla Soup! It's the easiest thing in the world ever, requires little time at the stove, and will (I personally think) do very well both during summer and winter. One of those hearty, chunky soups with bite that tastes better with family at the table.

Tortilla Soup

1. If you have a poblano chili or a yellow/red/green pepper lying around, roast it on an open flame on your gas stove or on a grill plate (if your stove is electric). When the skin on one side has turned black, turn the chili/pepper over with tongs, and keep turning till the skin has charred on all sides. Keep aside to cool.

2. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a stock pot, and saute 1/2 a finely chopped onion till golden.

3. While the onion is sauteeing in the stock pot, rub the charred skin off the chili/pepper, deseed it under the kitchen tap, quarter it, and dunk it into the food processor. Quarter 4 medium tomatoes...or just open a can of Hunt's diced tomatoes (like I did)...and add to the chili/pepper in the food processor. Puree the lot and keep aside.

4. To the now golden chopped onion, add 1 teaspoon of garlic - chopped/ smashed/ whole/ however you like it. Stir till fragrant.

5. Add the chili/tomato puree to the onions/garlic and sautee. Yum! At this point, you can add any vegetable you like - I'm partial to spinach or fresh corn. 1-2 teaspoons of cumin does well in this dish.

6. In another pan, sautee some diced chicken ham (or whatever leftover cooked meat you have at home - chicken/ beef/ mutton/shellfish) till crispy. Add this to the onion/garlic/tomato/chili paste that is cooking in the stock pot.

7. Add the leftover beans (1-2 cups) and chickpeas (1-2 cups). Add 1 liter water, the juice of 1 large lemon (or 2 green limes), salt and pepper to taste. Toss in a handful of chopped coriander/cilantro. Stir and simmer for 15 minutes.

8. While the soup is simmering, cut the leftover tortillas (7-8, about 9 inches large) into 1/2 inch strips about the length of your little finger. The best tortillas to use are corn/brown rice tortillas, a day or two old, a bit rubbery in texture. When you are done cutting them up, toss them with 4-5 tablespoons olive oil, and fry them in a non-stick pan. This way, you control the amount of oil they can soak up and the tortilla strips still get light brown and crispy. Keep aside the fried tortilla strips till dinner is served.

9. Tortilla Soup is best served in deep bowls. Chop up some leftover avocados into 1/2 inch cubes and drop them into each bowl. Pour over the hot bean and chickpea soup. Top with a handful of fried tortilla strips. Savor with your loved ones!

An American Idyll

To my children - the Singapore Singaaran and the American - and my First Mate, with whom I'll be celebrating our 12th wedding anniversary this July, Alhamdulillah (by His grace and mercy)...:

Al Bowlly's 'Did You Ever See a Dream Walking?' (1933)

Did you ever see a dream walking?
Well, I did.
Did you ever hear a dream talking?
Well, I did.

Did you have a dream thrill you
With "Will you be mine?"
Oh, it's so grand,
And it's too divine!

Did you ever see a dream dancing?
Well, I did.
And did you ever see a dream romancing?
Well, I did!

Did you ever see heaven right in your arms,
Saying, "I love you, I do!"
Well, the dream that was walking,
And the dream that was talking,
And the heaven in my arms was you.

Here's the song on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pfR7lsZWw&feature=related

Delightful and romantic. The Singapore Singaaran - who is a sweetheart - loves these kinds of songs, btw :).

As for me, such tunes get me smiling and dreaming of old American homes with dark solid banisters and woodwork, picture windows and jolly cushions on their seats, pastel rooms, cheerful, surrounded by oaks, elms and willows, French doors opening out onto pretty lawns with picnics on them, books and bikes and ice cream carts, bandanas, polka dots, bows and baseball caps - a rather idyllic idea of a healthy all-American life captured in Thomas Kindkade paintings, 'Hidden Valley' Ads, Wes Anderson's films (not 'healthy' but pulsing with vigor, at least) or the 'What Katy Did' books.

Full o' Beans

The First Mate was feeding the American his dinner because he was taking so long.

We were having rice, green beans sauteed South Indian style (with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and grated coconut), and chicken saalan (North Indian stew with a base of tomatoes/ onions/ ginger/ garlic/ chilli powder/ turmeric/ a tablespoon of coconut milk)...

We tell him, "Come on, eat up your beans...just like Mickey. Mickey loves beans."

He crosses his arms and pouts, "NO!"

"Ok, at least eat up your vegetables. They're good for you."

Pat comes the the answer, "Mickey doesn't like vegetables."

The Officials in London are Very Concerned...

Gadzooks! Can it be almost a month since my last post?

Given the time lapse, how fitting that I should make an entrance with a bang (literally, as you will see from the subject...it's banging!).

To go on...

It has been reported that the officials in London are "very concerned" (quoted from msn sports) about an onslaught of sex workers trafficked by violent African, Albanian, and Asian gangs for the ‘entertainment’ of the Olympics tourists.

While I respectfully assent to the gravity of subjecting 1000’s of innocent women to a hell on earth, created by none other than that crowning glory of God’s work – man…I could not help ejecting some dry humor (Freudian pun intended) towards the London Olympics ‘tourists’ who would be partaking of this buffet…

Question: The outcome upon crossing prostitution with the London Olympics?

Answer: Cricket and Baseball tournaments, etc, played on another field altogether.

Reminds one of Grace Quek, the Singaporean who shocked her countrymen (and foreign males, not to forget) with her singular taste for sex marathons. From what I know, the men could not keep up.

Was Quek’s ‘demonstration’ a point won for female power? Here is an article by Soraya  Chemaly from a blog fittingly called ‘Becoming Fearless’: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/soraya-chemaly/message-to-girls-about-re_b_1518849.html#s327348&title=Dr_Ingrid_Mattson

Here’s another one:

During the London Olympics, most men were spoiled for choice by the plethora of pools.

Let’s not start with the summer popsicle, weightlifting, and shooting jokes…

In honor of the Operations Management course I’m doing currently:

As a kind of poetic justice, what came downstream effectively deterred what went upstream.

Hopefully, there were no bottlenecks, kaizen was enforced, and the muda (because that is what it is) was consistently captured.

Don't Quit

1990. At home after school. It had been a tiring day. Not physically, but emotionally. Maybe physically too - given the mind-body connection. Not so much school as home.

What a surprise it was to discover her letter in the pile of mail on the table! She probably sensed what was going on at home, from my behavior at school. Even if she didn't fully know what was going on, she had taken the trouble to sit down and write me a letter! I love her so much for that and I cherish that gesture of friendship deeply.

I don't remember if she'd caught on to the actual situation, but she'd ended her letter with a poem - 'Don't Quit' by Leo Piggot (1931). Here it is. I thought I'd share it with you - don't know when or why or if you might need to read its inspiring and comforting message. One doesn't need a crucible to turn to this poem...

Don't Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,

When funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit--

Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,

As every one of us sometimes learns;

And many a fellow turns about

When he might have won, had he stuck it out.

Don't give up though the pace seems slow--

You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than

It seems to a faint and faltering man;

Often the struggler has given up

When he might have captured the victor's cup;

And he learned too late when the night came down,

How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out--

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar;

So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit;

It's when things seem worst that you mustn't quit.

These words, copied down in her firm, pragmatic, determined, left-leaning handwriting brought a smile to my face and new resolve in my heart.

The little, meaningful things friends do for one another! God bless her.

Actually, God has blessed her :), this friend of mine, and rightfully so. Today, this girl with a steel will, loads of charisma, an attractive personality, and great breadths of creativity is a very well known personality in India. Good for her!

Who was Leo Piggott and what happened to him? Well, apart from the fact that he lived in the early 20th century and wrote several inspiring poems....I really don't know, I'm sorry to say. I would have liked to know more of him, but google was unsuccessful this time I'm afraid...or perhaps the Piggotts are very private indeed.

Enjoy The Silence

"The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
  But I have promises to keep,
  And miles to go before I sleep,
  And miles to go before I sleep."

Reflect.

Re-tune.

Connect with the spiritual dimension of the universe.

Meditate.

Enjoy the silence.

Go within.

Withdraw to find your true center. Like an artist, who must retreat for days, and then emerges to create a masterpiece.

A single word, process, thought – a mantra. A long drive. A retreat to one’s room. A walk. Communion with nature. Quiet time.

You alone can illuminate your lantern, from within.

Your light can, and will, penetrate the darkness and brighten the road ahead. Be receptive, be alive. You will see things you never had been able to see before.

Connecting with oneself and with the universe does not mean hiding away from the world. It means wandering, searching, analyzing, making connections. Are you ready to do that?

Be true to yourself, so that you may be true to those around you.

The pieces will fall into place.

It will be the best thing that happens to you, and to everyone else.