Rose Apple Butter, MultiGrain Bread, Banana Nut Bread, Vegan Sandwich Spread

Rose Apple Butter
Rose Apples or Malay Apples or any of a dozen other names, Syzygium jambos, are native to Southeast Asia, but have been introduced all around the warm climates of the planet, including a number of Caribbean islands, Florida (some time before 1877) and southern California.  I happened to find these nice ripe "apples" in a local botanic garden.  Some varieties have pink fruit, most are pale greenish-white.  They sort of resemble green rose hips.  All are ripe when you can shake the fruit and the central pit rattles around inside.  

Preparation is simple enough.  You can eat them out of hand, of course, including the skins.  Or, you can wash the fruit, cut in half and remove the pit and any debris in the central cavity. 

 You can halve them again, if you choose, and stew them in a sugar/water mixture (not too sweet, it will detract from the subtle taste of the fruit.  Traditionally the stewing water is doctored with a bit of cinnamon or cardamon which enhances the flavor, doesn't bury it in sweetness.

Then I "invented" Rose Apple Butter.   Take a couple dozen cleaned, chopped fruit and puree them.  Add about 1/4 cup of sugar.  Simmer them down for 20-30 minutes on medium heat until they thicken, and ladle into a screw-top jar: 

The subtle aroma and taste of rose water is really, really special!

MultiGrain Bread
Had an Aha! moment.  I've been making white breads, half & half breads, beer breads and more.  And still buying "healthy multi-grain bread" with lots of seeds.   Make my own!  Doh!  All my own combination -- (everything but the) kitchen sink bread!

1 cup AP Flour
1 cup WW Flour
1 cup Oat Flour - ground from quick cooking oats
1 cup Brown Rice Flour -- had it on hand
1 cup Red Bulgar Flour -- ground from Bob's Red Mill  Bulgar Wheat
1 packet Quick Rise Yeast
2 cups warm Water to bloom the yeast in
1/2 cup hulled Sunflower seeds
1/8 cup Chia seed
1/8 cup Flax seed
1/8 cup Black Sesame seed
1/8 cup White Sesame seed

Dense!  Real tasty, but really dense!  Not nearly enough yeast to give any rise to all those non-gluten flours.  

But Sally likes the taste, and I didn't think it was too bad, so I'll continue to develop this recipe more.  Next time, at least double the yeast and double the rise.

Banana Nut Bread
Speaking of breads, the bananas in our Produce Co-op this week were so ripe that after two days I had to do something -- they were beyond 'good eats'@!@  So here's the perfect dessert bread.

Banana Nut Bread is the perfect vehicle for excess, over-ripe bananas.  It's been a while since I made it.  I was doing it a couple times a year, when the banana trees behind the neighbor's house ripened a stalk of wonderful fruit.  But the County came through a couple years back and chopped out all the banana trees along with the ditch-side scrub brush, and the bananas haven't grown back.

2-3 very ripe Bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
pinch of salt
1 cup Walnut pieces
1/2 cup Sugar or more to taste
1 Egg, beaten
1 tsp Vanilla 
1-1/2 cups Self Rising Flour (or AP flour + a 1-1/2 tsp Baking Soda)

Preheat the oven to 350F.   Prep a 4x8 loaf pan with baking spray or grease.

Combine the mashed bananas and melted butter into a smooth paste.  Stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla.  Fold in the flour to make a batter and then fold in the nuts.  Pour it in the loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes until a wooden skewer comes out clean.   YUUUUUUM!

Vegan Sandwich Spread
FOK calls this NoTuna Spread.  Sorry -- no tuna flavor, no tuna name!!!  Interesting and tasty Vegan alternative for sandwiches however.  As written the recipe makes enough for 2 large sandwiches or 4 wraps.

1 (15-ounce) can Chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 Tbsp Tahini (I used smooth peanut butter, a classic substitute)
1 tsp Dijon or spicy brown mustard -- I used a whole grain Irish Stout mustard
¼ cup diced Onion
¼ cup diced Celery
¼ cup diced Dill Pickle
1 Tbsp Capers, drained and chopped
¼ cup diced Red Bell Pepper
1 Tbsp roasted unsalted Sunflower Seeds (optional)

In a bowl, mash the garbanzos (don't puree them, you want some texture here), then fold in everything else.  I used the food processor and pulsed the chickpeas just a few times to get them broken up.  If it doesn't stick together too well, add a couple teaspoons of pickle juice or caper juice.  

As written, the spread is pretty bland.  It needs a serious infusion of spice -- curry spice, Everglades Seasoningtm, Cavenderstm, taco seasoning, even just salt & pepper -- whatever suits you.