Absolutely in love with this Persian Okra dish. Served with a baguette or rice to soak up all the stew goodness.

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time:  1 hour
Ready in: 1 hour 15 min
Serves: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
3 large garlic cloves chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ teaspoon turmeric
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ cup fresh sour grapes ghooreh or ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
2 cups hot water
pinch of ground saffron (optional)
1 kilo fresh okra
1 eggplant cubed and roasted

INSTRUCTIONS

To make the sauce, heat oil in a deep pan over medium high-heat. Add chopped onions and fry for about 20 minutes or until onions are slightly golden. Add chopped garlic, tomato paste, turmeric, salt, pepper and sour grapes. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the tomato paste is fried and changes the colour of oil to a deep yellow-orange.
They key to a tasty sauce is to let the tomato paste fry in oil along with spices and other aromatic ingredients like onions and garlic. This would boost the flavor of the sauce in a huge way.
Finish the sauce by mixing in hot water and saffron. By adding hot water, the temperature of the dish remains the same, thus reducing the cooking time.
Add in okras. Bring to a gentle simmer. Lower heat to medium low and cook for about 30 minutes or until okras are tender. Do not overcook okra.
When stew is ready, add roast eggplant. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Adapted from Rachael's blog here

For the cake:

• 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/3 cup coconut milk (or rice milk)
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• juice from 1/2 of a lemon
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• zest of a whole lemon
• 1/2 cup raw cane sugar (or brown sugar)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

For the Frosting:

• 3 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2 tablespoon coconut milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 lemon, thinly sliced for top of cake
• 1/3 cup coconut (toasted for 5 minutes in the oven)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celcius.
2. Line a springform pan bottom with baking paper and then grease the pan with coconut oil.
3. In a bowl start by mixing all the ‘wet’ ingredients (coconut oil, coconut milk, vinegar, lemon juice, vanilla extract) with a hand or stand mixer.
4. To the mixing bowl add the sugar and beat again. Then mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt and mix again, then add in lemon zest and 1/4 cup shredded coconut and mix.
5. Spoon into springform pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow cake to cool completely before frosting it.
6. While the cake is cooling, line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and add remaining shredded coconut to the baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
7. To make the frosting cream together coconut oil and milk, then add in vanilla extract, and slowly add in the powdered sugar and mix until it is a smooth and thick frosting consistency.
8. Spread frosting on the top of the cake, then sprinkle toasted coconut around the edge of the cake, and layer thinly sliced lemons in the top centre of the cake.

Recipe adapted from: http://cookieandkate.com/2015/healthy-banana-bread-recipe/​ 
INGREDIENTS

• ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs (2 Tablespoons flaxseed + 4 Tablespoons water)
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2½ medium or 2 large bananas)
• ¼ cup milk of choice or water
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to swirl on top
• 1¾ cups regular whole wheat flour
• ½ cup desiccated coconut 
  
• Totally optional: ½ cup mix-ins like chopped walnuts or pecans, chocolate chips, raisins, chopped dried fruit, fresh banana slices...

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius and grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
3. Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, switch to a big spoon and stir in the flour and coconut, just until combined. Some lumps are ok! If you're adding any additional mix-ins, gently fold them in now.
4. Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. If you'd like a pretty swirled effect, run the tip of a knife across the batter in a zig-zag pattern.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (typically, if I haven't added any mix-ins, my bread is done at 55 minutes; if I have added mix-ins, it needs closer to 60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes before slicing