Banana Coconut Walnut Bread

This is a quick bread which is sweet and nutty and delicious. An easy bread to whip up when pressed for time.

Banana Coconut Walnut Bread

2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour (or All-Purpose Flour)
2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cinnamon Powder
2/3 cup Sugar
2 large Eggs
1 cup Banana, mashed
1/2 cup Skim Milk (or whole milk, or whatever milk you have on hand)
1/4 cup Coconut Oil (or any oil you have on hand)
1 tsp Vanilla essence
1/2 cup Coconut, shredded
1/4 cup Walnuts (Optional (or) any other nut you have available: almonds, cashewnut, pecans)

Preheat oven to 180 deg C.

Whisk together all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In another bowl, whisk sugar and eggs until combined. Add the mashed banana, milk, oil and vanilla and whisk until combined.

Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the coconut and walnuts and stir to combine.

Pour the batter into a 9"x5" loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

Enjoy.

Other Quick Breads in this blog: Parmesan Walnut Bread, Beautiful Banana Bread, Mango Bread, Banana Chocolate Bread and Honey Bread.

Pazham Pori (Fried Plantains)

One of the fruits I dislike intensely is banana. Yes, I know I'm in a minority. I can't abide the taste or the smell or the consistency. Its just... awful. My kids love it. My husband loves it. And I'm sure you love it too. That is, if you are still here reading this post.

One of the tea time snacks my mother-in-law makes is hugely popular with everyone (except me, because of the above-mentioned banana). But for what it's worth, I thought some of you may enjoy it. This is sort of like a vegetarian posting a non-vegetarian recipe. I haven't eaten this myself but we do make it at home, and the looks on people's faces when they eat this is pure delight. So, please enjoy. And if you are like me and don't like bananas, please say so in the comments so I don't feel so much like an outcast!

Pazham Pori
(Fried Plantain Fritters)

3 Ripe Plantains (or those really long bananas, in case you cant find plantains). In Tamil its called Nendram Pazham, the closest equivalent in English is Plantain. Here's a picture.  

For the Batter: 

1 cup All-Purpose Flour

1 tbsp Rice Flour

1 pinch of Turmeric Powder

1 tbsp Sugar

Salt, to taste

1 tsp Sesame Seeds

1 tsp Cumin Powder

Oil, for deep frying

Mix all the ingredients for the batter together. Heat the oil in a wok or deep bottomed pan. Cut the plantains lengthwise or into small circles (as I have done here). Carefully dip the plantains into the batter to completely coat it, and then even more carefully, drop the battered plantains into the hot oil. Fry on both sides until evenly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and dry on a paper towel. Repeat for remaining plantain. 

Serve hot.