The obstinate abstaining pistachio

The Facts
1. As I've mentioned, my sister likes using whole wheat over all purpose flour.
2. I've been making a lot of really sweet treats (apple dumplings, tapiocas, etc) lately.
3. There were 4 ripening bananas on the counter, not to mention a dozen bananas in the freezer hogging space (leaving little room for the few leftovers of the jiao-zi batch the other day).

The Idea
I decided to make a healthier, less sugary treat using up the bananas and whole wheat flour. I went with a diabetic recipe I found online - no white sugar, no eggs, little fat, and 4 bananas. It's even vegan! I was doubtful of the vanilla extract and raisins - I think a true banana bread should be unadulterated - using the full flavor of bananas. However, this was the only one I could find using all whole wheat flour so I decided to give it a try.

The Recipe: Whole Wheat Banana Bread and Muffins
2 T honey
3 T oil
1 t almond extract
4 ripe bananas, mashed
2 T lemon juice
2 c whole wheat flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1/2 c raisins (a must!)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Mix honey, oil and extract.
2. Add bananas and lemon juice. Mix well.
3. Sift flour, baking powder and soda together. Stir into banana mixture.
4. Fold in raisins and nuts.
5. Spread batter in one loaf pan and 6 muffin cups. Bake at 350 deg F/180 deg C. 20 min for muffins, 40-55 minutes for loaf (depending on size).

The Results
The muffins cooked well, but the loaf I kept in quite a bit past the 35-40 minute directions in the original recipe. Each time I checked it with a fork it was still quite gloppy. I tried a muffin after it had cooled off and it tasted awfully bland. The kids knew I had made something and were waiting for it the rest of the evening and through dinner. I thought they'd take one bite and then I'd have to finish up leftover muffins (they can be quite picky sometimes), but to my surprise they loved it. I think it might have been the idea of a treat, the moistness of the muffins and the existence of the raisins. I had another one and knowing ahead of time it wouldn't be the traditional sweet (or maybe b/c it had more raisins) made it taste better. I had a few slices of the bread this morning and it was quite moist and tasty. I don't think I'd make this again calling it a banana bread - but certainly again for a healthy quick bread - maybe next time adding some chopped apple or what not.

Today
Today I had quite a delicious lunch at a friend's - 2 wonderful curries and a fresh cabbage-chicken salad, ending with fresh watermelon and pistachios. Maddie went off with Katie and her daughters to Base de Loisirs, and Wubby and Hugh went down for a nap with mom, so I found myself with a little alone time. I decided to make rice pudding using soy milk (another thing about my sister is that she doesn't like using cow's milk). It was my first time making rice pudding - it's only recently that I even developed a taste for it. I remember in college I didn't like it at all. Anyways, I ended up merging two recipes when halfway through one I realized the maple syrup had developed a furry coat it really shouldn't have been wearing.

Rice Pudding with Soy Milk
Another vegan recipe! It's times like this I wish Meredith was around - it's rare anything I cook goes without at least one of butter/milk/eggs.

1 cup thai rice
4 cup plain soy milk
1 small cinnamon stick
1/8 t salt
1/4 c sugar
1/2 t almond extract
1/2 c raisins
cinnamon, nutmeg, or 4 spices

1. Combine the rice, 3 cups of soy milk and the cinnamon stick in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil at med-high heat.

2. Add salt and reduce heat to med-low, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the sugar, extract and 1 more cup of soy milk (as necessary). Cook for 15 minutes longer (or until rice is cooked through and absorbed most of the milk).
4. Stir in the raisins, remove the cinnamon stick and transfer to serving bowl(s). Sprinkle with desired spices. Serve warm or chill.

Notes: Don't rinse the rice - you want all the starch for stickiness. I would say you can go up to 5 or 6 cups of soy milk depending on your rice - the thai rice I used absorbed all the liquid so it wasn't much of a pudding - more like a sticky rice dessert. If you're busy and don't have time to stand around stirring a pot, use a baked rice pudding recipe. And if you're really lazy, you could just use leftover rice and skip the whole cooking process.

Miscellaneous
Thanks Mike for telling me you're reading! It's hard to know sometimes. From my counter map, I can see what cities I have regular readers in but I can't tell who each marker is specifically. We were just chatting about my French language ability - which has seriously gone downhill. I remember visiting my sister in Paris years ago and being able to follow a completely French conversation. Ever since going to Taiwan where I had to use a lot of Mandarin, I've found that my French recall is at an all time low. The other day someone called and thought he was talking to my sister. I wanted to say, "No, I'm her sister" but ended up saying "I'm your sister". I didn't even realize my mistake until my sister told me a week later, saying I must have really confused the guy. The reason is because "ta" in chinese is "her", but in french it's "your". Oops!

For years I've been telling people that my brother-in-law spoke better Chinese than my sister - always an impressive fact. It turns out I may have been misleading people, as it is all relative. Apparently, when they were living in China, people expected my sister to speak perfectly since she looks Chinese. On the other hand, Edo, a tall white guy, wasn't expected to know any. So when he spoke at all, they were easily impressed. But when my sister spoke, she sounded mentally disabled (their words not mine)! Haha, I can only imagine what I'll have to go through if I ever land myself in China what with having even worse Chinese skills than she started with.