Loaded Southwestern Bruschetta

Just by looking at that picture, you know this is a messy recipe. If you mind getting your hands dirty,then your’e better off looking, rather than enjoying this loaded southwestern bruschetta. I am not afraid of getting my hands or face a little dirty and so I dug in. Like so many other foods, the messiness of the dish was entirely worth it. Think about it, would you avoid an ice cream cone or popsicle in the summer just to keep clean? I think not. Therefore, loaded southwestern bruschetta is a deliciously messy idea. What are some of your favorite finger-licking-good foods?

Thinking about messy summer foods reminds me of my favorite cold treat. Growing up, I was  nearly addicted to toasted almond ice cream (the kind that comes neatly wrapped, on a stick, and sprinkled with toasted almond flavored pieces). Anytime there was an ice cream truck that came by, it was guaranteed I would order a toasted almond frozen treat. I would sit at the beach eating my half melted ice cream pop, not even caring that half of it was on my hands and that the seagulls above were eyeing me. When I was finished, I only longed for more. Maybe that is why I’m also crazy for the Almond Joy.

*Find my Almond Joy Bar post here (recipe from Rawmazing) and my Almond Joy Popcorn recipe here. For an Almond Joy-inspired breakfast treat, try my Almond Joy Overnight Oats recipe (click here for the recipe).

Loaded Southwestern Bruschetta:

*Makes enough topping for about 1/2 a loaf of bread, sliced (I used a wheat loaf from Whole Foods, as I have yet to tackle making my own bread)

Ingredients:

1 avocado

1/2 tsp of garlic or more to taste (1/4 tsp for the bean/corn mixture and 1/4 tsp for the avocado spread)

1/4 tsp of salt and pepper (for the avocado spread)

1/2 of a lime, juiced

2 tsps of olive oil

1 portobello mushroom cap, diced fairly small (1/4 inch pieces)

1/2 cup of black beans

1/2 cup of corn

1 medium tomato, diced

1/4 tsp of salt and pepper (for the bean/mushroom mixture)

1/4 tsp of chili powder

a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper

1/2 a loaf of whole wheat bread, sliced into thick pieces

Method:

1- First, make the avocado spread by halving the avocado. Then scoop out the green fruit’s ripe flesh into a bowl. Add the spices and the juice of  the lime. Mix well. Then set aside in the fridge to let the flavors combine.

2- Over medium heat, add olive oil to a pan. When the pan is hot, add the diced mushroom pieces. After a couple of minutes add the corn, tomato pieces, black beans, and spices. Stir and heat until the corn is warmed through (if using frozen corn) or until the mushrooms are fully cooked. Put a lid on for the last minute of cooking to moisten up the mushrooms.

3- Spread the avocado mash on the half loaf of bread. Then, slice the bread into thick slices. Top each slice with a generous helping of the corn salad. Enjoy!

Sweet Sunday: Dueling Banana Bread Recipes

The smell of warm banana bread baking in the kitchen always brings on a wave of nostalgia that makes me think of  my parent’s house, which was where I first tasted that wonderful cinnamon topped treat. My mom always used the recipe in found in The Yellow Cookbook. That recipe is always guaranteed to create soft, sweet banana bread. I hadn’t thought about using another recipe until recently. The  recipe in The Yellow Cookbook called for shortening, as well as other highly processed ingredients such as white flour and sugar. When mixed with the ripe bananas, eggs, salt, and baking soda it made a deliciously dense sweet smelling bread. In lieu of trying to eat healthier, I recently tried two different recipes. One recipe was by Heather, who submitted the recipe to 8 Weeks to a Better You. Another was by a blogger who has recently inspired me, Lisa Leake, of 100 Days of Real Food. Both recipes included the hearty ingredient of whole wheat. They also included honey as a natural sweetener. Leake’s recipe was not as sugary as Heather’s recipe (seeing as it contained a fraction of the honey). Overall, I would use both breads recipes again. They were more filling than the banana bread I grew to love as a child, but they were still full of that great banana flavor. Also, I didn’t feel half as bad about eating the bread each morning because I knew it only contained feel good ingredients. Next time I think I will try using whole spelt flour, which requires less liquid and is somewhat less dense (it also has a slightly nutty flavor). I posted both recipes below.

 

Ingredients and directions for Lisa Leake’s banana bread:

*Recipe found at 100 Days of Real Food

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp of baking soda

1/4 tsp of salt

3 mashed ripe bananas (the riper the better)

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/3 cup of oil (I, like her, used coconut oil)

1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.

2- In another bowl, mash the bananas until they become smooth. Then add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix together. If the coconut oil is in a hard state, melt it in the microwave. I took the eggs and yogurt out before making the bread, so the coconut oil wouldn’t harden up again because of the temperature of the other ingredients.

3- Add in the dry ingredients. Mix well and put the batter into a well greased loaf pan. Bake for about 60 minutes (her recipe said 40 to 50 minutes, but mine took about an hour). When you are finished you are left with a healthy breakfast treat that you can enjoy all week long.

*If you like your bread a little bit sweeter, you can substitute the oil for unsweetened organic applesauce.

Directions and ingredients for the banana bread recipe by Heather:

*Recipe found at 8 Weeks to a Better You

2 cups of whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 of a teaspoon of salt

1/4 of a cup of sugar free applesauce

3/4 of a cup of honey

3 mashed ripe bananas

2 eggs, beaten

1 – Grease a loaf pan and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2- Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. In another bowl mash the bananas and then add the other wet ingredients.

3. Combine all ingredients together and then pour into the loaf pan. Bake for about 60 to 65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Have you found a banana bread recipe that you love? Feel free to post the recipe or link below.