Easter Truffles

Easter is coming.  In our house, during years past, that meant one thing (besides the obvious theological and spiritual implications): Cadbury Eggs.  You'll note that Cadbury Eggs are neither vegan nor sugar free.  They could be considered somewhat spiritual, however, depending upon how you define "spiritual".
In order to save myself from the savage beast that emerges from my gustatorily puritanical self this time each year, I decided to try and create a chocolate delight to rival the evil Cadbury Egg.
By George, I think I've done it!!
I just made a batch of 20 of these little lovelies to last me through the next two weeks, plus the several days after Easter when the pesky Eggs are not only still available, but on sale!  E-gads!
I encourage you, if you are equally seduced by the scandalous Egg, that which has obviously been designed to elicit erotic responses (or am I the only one?), to make a batch of these Chocolate Truffles and indulge in one daily until the Eggs have officially left the building.
Chocolate Truffles
8 oz. unsweetened chocolate (from bar form), chopped
1/2 c. agave
3/4 c. plus 1 T. unsweetened So Delicious Coconut Milk or regular coconut cream or low-fat coconut milk
1 T. Vegan Earth Balance
Enough cocoa powder (or other topping) for rolling
Combine all ingredients in a double boiler, trying not to have the bottom of the top pan touch the water.  Stir occasionally.  When all seems melted, stir vigorously until creamy and combined.  Pour into a pie plate and cool in fridge.  When it is cool, scoop with a cookie scooper, melon baller, or small ice cream scooper into balls.  If they get soft during this process (speaking of obvious sexual overtones), refrigerate a little longer.  Roll each ball in cocoa powder (or other interesting topping, like chopped nuts).  Refrigerate or freeze and enjoy whenever the urge for the Egg, or other Easter chocolate, strikes.

Simple Banana Bread

Nothing says yummy like a countertop full of old, black, mushy bananas.  Apparently, the same little people who convinced me to buy extra bananas this week, lest they perish of a potassium deficiency, lost interest in said bananas sooner than expected.
Alas, when one is faced with rotten bananas, one has no choice but to make banana bread.
Here's what I notice about gluten-free cooking: frequently it is just too complicated.  Perhaps those of us in the GF world are feeling bitter about having to eliminate an entire genre of food.  To overcompensate, we zealously shove as many grains as we can possibly fit into every little thing we make.  Amaranth!  Garfava (run FAR away from this one if you have particularly flatulent gourmands)!  Quinoa!  Sorghum (run further away from this one if you want your family's intestines to actually feel better from a GF diet)!  Teff!  etc. etc. etc. etc. ad nauseum.
Truthfully, unless you are looking for a complicated flavor or a drastically different set of nutrients, most recipes only require one or two flours.  Save your money and your sanity and stock your cupboard with brown rice flour and corn meal or corn flour (masa harina) for a good time with gluten-free cooking.
This recipe for banana bread attempts to be as simple as possible: two cheap flours and then the basics. It's a great recipe for a first-timer.  If you are not a vegan, you can replace the flax mixture with two eggs.  If your bananas are not ripe enough, place them in the freezer in their peels for a few hours and then take them out an hour or so before making the bread.  Pop them out of their peels, a rather gratifying experience, and let them sit (in a bowl) for an hour.
You might note the omission of salt.  I find it unnecessary in most baking.  And bad for the heart.  And it makes people swell.  If you like to swell, you can add 1/2 t. to the dry ingredients.
Banana Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. brown rice flour
1/2 c. corn meal
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 t. xanthan gum
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup Earth Balance or other vegan spread
2 T. flax seeds blending in blender with 5-6 T water
1/2 cup Agave
1/2 cup nuts, raisins, or dried fruit of choice (optional)
Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease a loaf pan.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium sized bowl.   In another bowl, mash the bananas; add flax mixture and agave.  Blend together well (you can use a mixer for this if you like it smooth.
Slowly sprinkle in dry ingredients until well mixed.  Add nuts or dried fruit if desired.
Pour mixture into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.