In the Baker's Den: The ultimate banana loaf and some cheeky amaranth balls

Nothing calms me down better than being in the kitchen and getting all experimental! Much of the recipes I post here are trial and errors, despite how basic they are! HOWEVER, given that I am not much of the professional baker, I am loving the end products. So here I am, sharing my two “Sandra’s gone pro-baker” recipes: The ultimate (and easiest) gluten-free banana and walnut loaf and some random popped amaranth and peanut butter balls! Bon Appetit! 

Gluten-Free Banana & Walnut Loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup of all purpose gluten free flour
• 1 cup of almond meal
• 2 teaspoons of GF baking powder
• 2 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup of lactose free or skimmed milk
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs
• 60ml of vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon 

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (I used fan-powered setting)
2. Sift the flour into a  bowl then add the almond meal, baking powder, cinnamon and walnuts.
3. Add the wet ingredients: eggs, mashed bananas, milk, vanilla essence, oil and honey. Stir mixture and gently fold until well combined. 
4. Add the mixture into a non-stick loaf pan (20x10cm).
5. Place in the oven and bake for about 45minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 
6. Place aside to cool completely then slice it all up and enjoy! (Optional: Freeze slices for consumption at a later point)

Popped Amaranth and Peanut Butter (Energy) Balls

Ingredients

• 1 cup of popped amaranth
• 1/2 cup of peanut butter (the choice is yours, try to use ones with no added sugar)
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of honey

1. Combine the peanut butter, honey and vanilla essence in a bowl. (Note: if peanut butter is too firm, microwave for 15-20 sec)
2. Add the popped amaranth and stir to combine.
3. You can place in the fridge for 10 minutes to firm up and then roll into balls.
4. Once rolled into about 12 balls, return to the fridge for about 30 minutes before serving. Best consumed the day after! 

Until the next experiment…

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