FROZEN CAROB BANANAS
For a delightful raw banana dessert, prepare ahead.
- Peel firm ripe bananas, cut them in half crosswise, insert a heavy skewer into the base of each banana half, and freeze them.
- Prepare a carob sauce by processing water, carob powder, maple syrup, canola oil, and flavor extracts in the blender until the texture resembles a thin flowing sauce. Put this sauce into a deep, wide-mouth glass.
- Spread crushed raw nuts out onto a large dish.
- Assemble by dipping each frozen banana into the carob sauce, then rolling in crushed nuts. Makes 8 servings. Sauce recipe makes about 1 cup (240 ml.)
Breakfast or brunch becomes a special treat when nutty pancakes are on the menu. Serve them with maple syrup or your favorite topping, and round out the meal with a sauté of onions, peppers, and potatoes. Broiled or sliced tomatoes, fresh fruit salad and some soy sausages or soy bacon make the breakfast a hearty extravaganza.
Banana Pecan Pancakes is one of the delicious recipes from Zel Allen's cookbook The Nut Gourmet; Nourishing Nuts for Every Occasion published by Book Publishing Company in 2006.
BANANA PECAN PANCAKES
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (Gas Mark 6) and line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Break the tofu into pieces and put them into the food processor. Add bananas, flour, soymilk, evaporated cane juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon, maple extract, and salt. Process until well blended.
Combine the water and flaxseeds in the blender and blend on low speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture becomes thick and viscous (the consistency will be similar to thick oatmeal). Add to the tofu mixture in the food processor and process until well mixed.
Transfer to a large bowl and add the pecans, stirring well to distribute them evenly.
- Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets, putting about 12 to 15 pancakes on each sheet. Keep the pancakes small, no larger then 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter, for easier turning. Flatten the pancakes slightly with a fork so they will bake evenly
- Place 2 of the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Turn the pancakes with a spatula, reverse the baking sheets (move the upper baking sheet to the lower rack and the lower baking sheet to the upper rack), and bake 7 to 8 minutes longer. Place the finished pancakes on a serving dish and bake the remaining pancakes.
For some ideas on how to use overipe bananas check with Aunt Nettie at https://www.vegparadise.com/asknettie4.html