Peanut butter banana chocolate chip mini loaves

Ingredients:

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 egg

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 160 C. Spray 6 mini loaf pans with non stick cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together until combined- flour, baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and sugars. Create a well in the center and pour in remaining ingredients, excluding the chocolate chips. Mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Divide evenly between loaf pans and bake 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool 5 minutes in pan and remove to cooling racks. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse

A while ago, I went to a friend's place for dinner. Because of health reasons, she is dairy and gluten free. She made this mousse that was absolutely delicious. I was surprised she was eating it because it had all the rich deliciousness of a normal chocolate mousse. Then she let me in on the secret - avocados.

I was surprised and immediately shared the recipe for a friend who was also gluten and dairy free for health reasons. She was delighted because here was a recipe that she could take to a pot luck dinner that everyone would actually eat that wasn't just plain vegetables.

Vegan chocolate mousse
Ingredients
2 Large Hass Avocados, cubed
1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Coconut oil
2-4 Tablespoons of Granulated Sugar
Splash of Water  
1-2 Tablespoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Low-Sodium Soy Sauce
1 Cup Cocoa Powder (un-sweetened)

Method
•       Add all ingredients except cocoa powder into a food processor, pulse until smooth. Add cocoa powder to avocado mixture and blend until smooth. - I just used my beaters and it worked just fine. If it's a little thick, just add a bit more water.
•       Refrigerate in a tighly sealed container for up to a week.
•       Serve with cool whip and your favorite berries and enjoy! This recipe is really rich and you only need the 1/2 cup to satisfy any chocolate craving! Makes 8-- 1/2 cup servings.

Broccoli salad (for Cipri)

2 heads of broccoli, cut into small pieces (I just use the flowers, but feel free to throw a little stem in there)
2-3 spring onions chopped
1/4 cup (give or take) of sharp cheese (I used a 6 yo cheddar last time and it was delish)
4-6 slices of bacon fried crispy and broken into pieces

Dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp sugar (to taste really)
1 tbsp vinegar

mix in a large bowl and toss with dressing.

Just when I thought bacon couldn't be any tastier ...

Maple Pecan Sundae with Candied Bacon

4 slices of bacon
2tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 200 C. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a rack in the middle. Place the bacon on the rack and sprinkle evenly with 1 tbps of the sugar. Bake until the sugar is melted (about 8 minutes). Sprinkle the remaining sugar over the bacon on the same side. Return to the oven and bake until the bacon is deep brown and glazed (10-12 minutes). Remove from the oven.

Preheat the broiler. Place the bacon under the broiler until the sugar bubbles, watching to prevent burning (about 1 minute). Remove and let cool on the rack. When cool, cut into 1 cm pieces.

3/4 cup Maple Syrup
2 cinnamon sticks (broken in half)
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup pecan pieces

Put the maple syrup and cinnamon in a medium pot and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce to medium heat and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced to 1/2 to 2/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and remove cinnamon. Mix lemon juice in sauce. This can be made up to 2 hours before serving. Keep at room temperature.

To serve: mix pecans, candied bacon with the sauce and serve over vanilla ice cream. Delicious!