Spoon & Shutter

Dr. Weil's Banana Bread

From Susan: I know what you’re thinking: “Seriously, Susan – banana bread? Boorrring …” But this ain’t yo’ mama’s banana bread. It’s a super-duper healthy way to use up those browning bananas lingering in your fruit bowl – a recipe from Dr. Andrew Weil, no less. Because I am a sucker for these kinds of things – and because I had a delightful phone interview with the health guru for Boho – I signed up for Dr. Weil’s “Recipe of the Day” email. You can too, just click here. His site is loaded with good information about healthy aging, which is, ahem … an important topic for some of us these days …

Dr. Weil’s Banana Bread (with a few tweaks from the Spoon)

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup organic honey

3 tbsp. canola oil (I used blended oil, 75% canola, 25% extra-virgin olive – it’s our basic cooking oil)

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (We actually had this in the cupboard, but you could use regular whole wheat flour, the bread will just be heavier)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. sea salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans, but walnuts are good too)

1 tbsp. flax seeds

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a loaf pan. Combine bananas, honey, oil and vanilla, mix well. Combine dry ingredients, add these to the banana mixture and mix until just combined. Stir in the nuts.  (Do all this mixing by hand; the texture won’t be right if you use an electric mixer – plus it’s more satisfying to use a wooden spoon, don’t you think?) Scrape batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with flax seeds. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for at least 1/2 before removing the loaf. Dr. Weil would suggest that you enjoy this bread with green tea!

OK – here’s the Bonus Recipe. I whipped up this easy pasta last night for dinner, but we didn’t photograph it. sorry …

Spaghetti with Shrimp, Pesto and Tomatoes

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1 /2 lb. large shrimp, deveined and sliced in half lengthwise

1  6 oz. container fresh prepared pesto (if you’re one of those people who has homemade pesto on hand, you probably don’t need this recipe)

3/4 lb. thin spaghetti

grated Parmesan cheese

This is one of those make-the-sauce-while-you-boil-the-water pasta recipes.The trick is, don’t overcook the shrimp!

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan. Add the tomatoes and smush them lightly to release their juices. Cook over low heat for 5-8 minutes until softened. When the water boils, add the pasta. Add pesto and 1/2-3/4 cup hot pasta water to the tomatoes, cook and stir over medium-high heat for a few minutes until bubbling and well combined. Right before the pasta is done, add the shrimp to the pesto-tomato mixture and cook just until shrimp turns pink – being careful not to overcook. Drain pasta and toss with the sauce. Serve immediately, topped with Parmesan cheese.