Straight-up Bananas

Healthy, quick and vegan creamy pasta

So here’s the thing, I’m a bit of a pasta fanatic. If I could have it every day, I probably wouldn’t hold back. To help curb this affliction of mine, I like to make sure I never bring any of that processed white pasta crap into my home–I always have whole wheat, buckwheat, spinach or quinoa pasta at hand.Today was one of those days that I just needed me some slurpy pasta goodness. I ravaged my cupboard only to find that I was in dire need of some groceries, but in critical times, beautiful things are born.  I know what you’re thinking. That’s a bit dramatic for a stupid pasta dish. And to that I say NAY! It is not. Try the recipe and you’ll understand. It’s super, super simple to make, ridiculously healthy and delicious!

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So here’s what you’ll need:

1. A pasta of your choice (I used whole wheat here)
2. A can of diced tomatoes
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. A handful of torn basil leaves
5. A pinch of chili pepper
6. A pinch of sea salt
7. Olive oil
8. A handful of baby spinach
9. 1 ripe avocado
10. Juice of half a lemon
11. Some chopped spring onions

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Here’s how it’s done, son:

• First, follow the instruction on your pasta box for cooking the pasta.
  
• Second, finely chop the garlic and fry on low till nice and golden.
  
• Third, in a blender, add all the rest of your ingredients except for the olive oil and sea salt and blitz together until smooth.
  
• Then, blend on low and drizzle in the olive oil slowly. This will help make the mixture even creamier.
  
• Add sea salt to taste.
  
• In the same frying pan that you fried the garlic, add the cooked pasta and as much sauce as needed. If you feel it’s too thick, save some starchy pasta water and add it to the sauce to loosen it up.
  
• Serve and top with some more chili pepper, fresh dill and spring onions.
  

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And voila! There you go. Easy peasy. It’s so good and creamy it feels like you’re eating something naughty without upsetting your tummy! It’s so easy to make, in less than 15 minutes you’ll be chowing down on this baby.

Go straight-up bananas with me and give this recipe a shot. 

Oh, and follow me on Instagram.

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Healthy peanut butter fudge brownies

I’ve got a winner up my sleeves! I’ve got chocolate. I’ve got peanut butter. I’ve got fudgey goodness that sticks to the top of your mouth. I’ve got healthy. I’ve got sugar free. I’ve got raw and vegan. I’ve got quick. I’ve got just a few ingredients.

Seriously, I am not overreacting here. This recipe really does have it all. If brownies are your thang and flopping bellies are not, it’s time you gave this a try. You will never taste the difference.

So here’s what you’ll need:

1. 1 cup of melted coconut oil
2. 1 cup of dates (pit the dates and place them in warm water for 20 minutes to soften up. Drain them well)
3. 2 cups of raw cocoa 
4. 1 cup of crunchy peanut butter
5. ¼ cup of stevia, maple syrup or honey
6. 2 pinches of sea salt

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Now here’s how it’s done, son:

First, throw everything except for the peanut butter into your food processor. 

Blitz until ingredients are combined.

Add the peanut butter and mix through with a spoon.

Pour mixture into a tin or whatever and put in the fridge for an hour at least.

Cut up. 

Stuff in mouth.

Be happy and healthy for eternity.

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ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME! I’m giving you the secret to killer peanut butter brownies that are healthy, quick and easy to make!!!!!!!

Please go straight-up bananas with me and give them a try. You will not regret it.

Oh, and follow me on Instagram since you’re here.

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Chewy coffee and cinnamon cashew bars

I think I can safely say that my favorite part of Italy was just roaming the cobble-stoned alleyways, using my sense of smell as a compass. What’s that? The smell of freshly baked gelato cones?…Yes, I shall venture forth and motorboat me some 13 flavors of homemade gelato from the 70-year old Italian grandmama scooping up gelato and having a drag simultaneously!

I’m not going to lie, we did have gelato 3 times a day on some not so rare occasions. And why shouldn’t we, God damn it! My favorite combo was a scoop of cinnamon, a scoop of espresso and a scoop of dark chocolate. Oh goodness, yes.

Now that I’m back in Dubai, I’ve been trying to think of ways to stuff those heavenly tastes back in my mouth. And then it hit me! I’ll make my chewy cashew bars, but I’ll change the flavors! YES!

Ladiessssss and gentlemen, introducing from the right, weighing 0.025 kilos, from the Straight-up Bananas kitchen, with a chewy chocolate, date and almond crust, and a chewy cashew cinnamon center, topped with a coffee and cashew layerrrrrrrr, please welcome…..Straight-up Bananas healthy, quick and delicious chew cashew cinnamon and coffee bars!

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Here’s what you’ll need:

Crust

½ cup of almond meal

½ cup of pitted dates

1 tablespoon of cocoa powder

1 pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons of melted coconut oil

First Filling:

1 and a ½ cups of raw cashews that have been soaked overnight

½ cup of honey

½ cup and 2 tablespoons of full fat coconut milk

½ cup of melted coconut oil

2 tablespoons of vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

 Second Filling:

Add 3 tablespoon of dried coffee to half of the above mixture

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The method behind my madness:

 

First of all, line a baking tray with cling film.

Then, blitz all the crust ingredients together in a food processor.

After that, pour the crumbly mixture into the baking tray and press down really tightly.

Once you’ve done that, take all the filling ingredients except for the coffee and put in blender.

Blend the mixture ridiculously well, until it forms a smooth batter.

Then, take HALF of the filling mixture and pour over crust.

Finally, take the other half of filling mixture and add the coffee and pour over the first layer.

Place in freezer for about 4 hours or overnight.

Cut into equal shaped slices and take slices out of freezer at least 15 minutes before serving so they can be nice and chewy.

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 I cannot tell you how much you’re going to love this recipe. It’s so easy to make. Once, you’re done you’ve only got 3 dishes to wash (YAS!) and it’s super healthy, quick and delicious!

 Go Straight-up Bananas with me and give this recipe a shot! I’d love to hear from you!

Oh, and add me on Instagram, please!

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Healthy peanut butter fudge brownies

So I’ve been testing and trying different healthy brownie recipes. So far, this is my favorite. It’s so fudgy and decadent and when you bite into it, your whole face gets smothered in oozy peanut butter goodness. Now I know why it’s called foodPORN. It’s so damn sexy.

And you know what the best part of this recipe is? You only 1 dish to make it. I’m a sucker for any dish that requires the least amount of post-chocolate-coitus dishwashing.

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Ingredients:

A ½ kg tub of yogurt

¼ cup of skimmed milk

1 tspn of vanilla extract

1 tbspn of flaxseed “eggs”** (could be substituted with 1 large egg)

¼ tspn of sea salt

1 tspn of baking powder

½ cup of honey

½ cup of organic cocoa powder

½ cup of oat flour (finely-milled oats)

¾ cup of melted, runny organic unsweetened peanut butter

1 handful of chocolate chips

1 tspn of melted coconut oil

**Flax seed eggs are a healthy alternative to using eggs when baking. All you have to do is mix 1 tablespoon of milled flaxseeds with 2 ½ tablespoon of water. Stir well and allow to sit for 5 minutes. The mixture will have a runny egg-like consistency to it.

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The method to my madness:

 

-          Preheat your oven to 150 C

-          With some coconut oil, oil up your baking pan so the brownies don’t stick

-          In a blender, mix all the ingredients except for the peanut butter really well

-          Although the mixture may feel very runny, don’t worry about it. That’s what will make them super fudgy

-          Pour into your baking tray

-          Add spoonful dollops of the warmed up peanut butter

-          With a knife, swirl through to give the brownies a marbled effect. DO NOT OVER MIX THEM.

-          Top with the chocolate chips

-          Bake for 20-25 minutes

-          Allow to cool completely before serving for maximum gooeyness

This can and WILL be the best thing you’ve had in your mouth all day. I promise. Go straight-up bananas with me and give the recipe a chance. Oh, and add me on Instagram.

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Quick, easy and healthy chewy fruit bars

So I love cheesecake as much as the next person. But I find myself continuously falling off and back on the healthy eating wagon. And when I fall off, it never feels good. I’ve got a pretty vivid imagination and so I imagine the processed junk I may have had for lunch swooshing around in my stomach as I walk like a box in the back of a car. (bad analogy?)

Then there’s days that I’m back on..really hard. haha. This just so happens to be one of those days. And so I made these babies.

Aren’t they loooovely? Aren’t they beautiful! 

I have to say, I am so ridiculously pleased with how these taste. I think this dessert is going to be one of those things that I always have in the freezer.

Here’s my rendition of @lootahpremiumfoods fig and coconut cheesecake bars and here’s how you can make it.

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Ingredients:

Crust:

• ½ dates
  
• ½ almonds
• pinch of sea salt

Filling:

• ¾ cup of raw soaked cashews
  
• ¼ cup of honey
  
• ½ the juice of a lemon
• ¼ + 1 tbspn of full fat coconut milk
• ¼ cup of melted coconut oil
• 1 tspn of vanilla extract

Top with any fresh fruit you’ve got on hand. I topped some with kiwis and some with blueberries.

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Here’s how it’s done, son:

1) Line you loaf tin with cling film so that you can easily remove the cheesecake from the mold without it crumbling into a thousand little pieces. 

2) In your food processor, process the dates, almonds, and salt until it forms a crumbly dough.

3) Throw dough into the loaf tin and press down.

4) In a blender, bled all the filling ingredients for 2-3 minutes until silky smooth and poor over the crust.

5) Bang the tin on your counter top a few times to get any air bubbles out.

6) Top with the fresh fruit and cover with cling film.

7) Place in the freezer to set for 4-5 hours.

8) When you’re ready to have a piece, take it out at least 15 minutes before eating so that it doesn’t freeze your teeth off.

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There! Easy, peasy! Please, please give it a go and let me know how you liked it.

Oh, and follow me on Instagram since you’re here @straightupbananas

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Raw, vegan ‘Nutella’ cookie dough

I’m sure I’ve mentioned a thousand times already how much the mister LOVES Nutella. And after tirelessly scrolling and double tapping my Instagram feed @straightupbananas, I found this beautiful creation from @BestofVegan 

So here’s my rendition of this glorious recipe. I promise you, it’s so tasty, healthy, and quick to make that you’ll find yourself making 20 batches in your sleep. (Is that not a thing?)

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Ingredients:

Cookie Ingredients:

• 1 cup of toasted hazelnuts
  
• 6-7 dates
• 1 tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• a pinch of sea salt

Chocolate Ingredients: 

• 3 tbspn of organic cocoa powder
  
• 3 tbspn of room temperature coconut oil
  

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How to get it done:

First things first. Lightly toast your nuts (hehe..nuts) in a skillet for ten minutes. While the nuts are toasting place the dates in some warm water. 

Then, place the toasted nuts between two paper towels and rub while warm to remove the skins.

Drain the dates from the water well and place dates and hazelnuts along with the rest of the cookie ingredients in a good processor and blitz till it forms a coarse dough.

Roll the dough into medium-sized balls and indent the balls with your thumb. Your thumbprint will be filled with all the chocolatey goodness in the world.

Mix your chocolate ingredients together, and dollop chocolate in the holes left from your thumb–if you’ve got some leftover like I did, just drench the cookies in chocolate (Hey! It’s good for you, right?)

Place the cookies in the fridge for an hour or two and them eat them like the pig that you secretly are at home.

Again, I cannot stress enough how easy, healthy, and quick this chocolate fix is. Go straight-up bananas with me and give them a go. PLEASE!

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Quick and easy roasted coconut and kale salad

I’m still in denial that the long-awaited long Easter weekend is over. In fact, I’m in denial that I’m at work typing away on my laptop. This is all a figment of your imagination, banana head. 

Over the weekend I did some serious cooking (and eating) catching up. A crazy week at work called for the ultimate chillaxing weekend with maximum food action. And boy, was that chillaxing weekend with maximum food action achieved! 

Last Friday was what I like to call: Thai Feast Day. I rolled up my sleeves, bashed me some lemongrass and tried desperately to mimic all the seductive flavors I had in my mouth while at my favorite Thai restaurant, Little Bangkok (Nope. Not endorsed in any way or form. It’s amazing if you haven’t tried it.)

This is the part where the fridge-rummage dance ensues. After a long and romantic walk to the fridge, I found a few gems: kale, shredded coconut, eggs…now what to make of them…

KA-BAM! I give you the roasted coconut and kale salad, ladies and gentlemen. Delicious, quick, and oh so healthy! 

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Here’s what you’ll need:

1. 1 tomato
   
2. 1 cup of shredded coconut
3. 1 hard-boiled egg
4. coriander
5. a bunch of kale
6. three pieces of dried mango
7. soy sauce
8. coconut oil
9. grated or powdered ginger
10. lemon juice

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The method behind my madness:

1. First, preheat your oven to about 150 C.
   
2. Then, rip up the kale and place in a bowl with coconut oil, soy sauce, and shredded coconut. Mix well. Massage the oil into the kale leaves.
3. Place kale and coconut mixture on a tray and put in oven.  Let those chill there for about 12 minutes, making sure you toss twice.
4. In the meantime, toss the egg, tomato, mango, and coriander in a bowl.
5. Once the kale leaves are all dried up and the coconut has gone a dark golden brown add the mixture to the egg, tomato, mango, and coriander.
6. For the dressing, grate a tiny bit of ginger and a splash of lemon juice and dress the salad.

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Voila! You’ve got a delicious, healthy, and easy Thai salad on the table! I served this salad with a coconut milk curried chicken breast and Thai coconut milk soup. I’ll  post the recipes soon!

Go straight-up bananas with me and give this recipe a shot! I’d love to hear from you! Oh..and add me on Instagram too!

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Healthy Cream of Broccoli

My tendency for unintentional self-harm has taken its toll again. I’ve gotten the one part of my body stitched up that I never even knew was possible: the sole of my foot.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my affliction with the infliction of self-harm is THAT advanced.

So, what do you do when you’re sentenced to bed rest for the weekend and your only means of transportation is a classy one-foot hop? You head to the kitchen and make yourself a quick, easy, and healthy soup that’ll hug you from the inside, naturally.

Look at this bad boy.

Ingredients:

• Spring onions
  
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 cup of coconut/soy/cow milk
• 1 ripe avocado
• 1 handful of basmati rice
• 2 celery sticks, chopped
• 1 bag of frozen broccoli florets
• 2 organic bullion stock cubes
• 4 cups of hot water
• Sea salt & pepper to taste
• Optional: yogurt

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I know, I know. Some of the ingredients look like they should be in tortilla, not a soup–but let me tell you right now, this soup is going to be so creamy and decadent, that you won’t even be able to tell that it’s good for you. Good for me? Blekh 

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The Method Behind My Madness:

1. First, saute the green onions, celery and garlic together.
2. Then, add the boiling water, stock cubes, and basmati rice.
3. After the rice is tender, add the broccoli and let cook for 5 minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK THE BROC, YA HEARD!
4.  Now that the broccoli is a bright green, carefully ladle the broth and veg. into a food processor/blender. Add the milk and avocado and blitz until creamy, smooth, and no longer has any visible grains of rice.
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground pepper
6. Top with a dollop of fresh yogurt for extra creaminess.

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I can almost guarantee you, that if you don’t tell anyone that the soup is actually PACKED with protein, anti-oxidants, vitamins, and is ridiculously good for you, they would never know the difference.

Go ahead…go straight-up bananas with me!

Your homework for today:

1. Lie to all the people you hold dear, and let me know how it went! I’d love to hear from you!

2. Follow me on Instagram by clicking here.

@straightupbananas

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