vegan chocolate chip banana bread

I haven't been here in a while!  I do, actually, reference my recipes here pretty often, so I guess it makes sense to add to it since I have a little time and some new recipes maybe.

My sister has recently slid into eating mostly a mostly plant based, vegan diet, so when I wanted to make a treat with some overripe bananas yesterday I decided to reach a little outside my comfort zone and make something she could eat as well.

I adjusted this recipe a little bit from the Vegan Chocolate Chip Banana Bread recipe on the Food Network site, mostly because of what I had available in the cabinets at home.

I think it turned out pretty well - not too dry at all, although it is a bit dense.  Still, I enjoyed it, I'd probably make it again.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup apple sauce (this is the binding agent - the original recipe said 1 tbsp ground flax and 3 tbsp water, but since I didn't have/couldn't find any of that in the closet, I went apple sauce instead.  It seemed fine to me)
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (I actually used whole wheat PASTY flour, not sure if that made much of a difference.  The recipe said whole wheat flour instead of spelt flour, but what was what I could find)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1/3 cup soy milk (the recipe said non-dairy milk, so I assume whatever you have on hand would be fine, but that's what I used)
• 1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp coconut sugar (to sprinkle on top)

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 375F
• Combine all dry ingredients in mixing bowl and whisk together (flours, salt, cinnamon, baking powder)
• Mash bananas in a separate bowl - I don't mind if the bananas aren't pureed as the original recipe specifies, I think a few small banana chunks in the bread adds character, but it's up to you.  Definitely get a good mash though.
• Add the apple sauce, vanilla, coconut oil, sugar, and soy milk to the bananas and mix well
• Add the wet to the dry mix and gently fold in, only until it's mixed
• Fold in the chocolate chips - just one or two folds, don't over mix
• Grease a bread pan with a little bit of coconut oil - I just smear it around the bottom and sides with my fingers generally
• Pour mixture into the bread pan (although to be honest mine was pretty thick, almost like a cookie dough, so it was more of a scooping than a pouring like most quick breads I'm used to) and even out, sprinkle with coconut sugar.  I also sprinkled some salt on the top, and I think next time I'll add even a little more than I did - I like that salty sweet combo
• Bake at 375F for 50 minutes

I don't even have any serving suggestions because I just ate it straight out of the oven.  I'm sure someone could share a fun vegan topping though!

Banana Bread

I can't believe I hadn't put this up yet!  Banana bread is one of my staples.

I'm kind of weird in that I only really like to eat bananas when they still have a bit of green at the ends, which makes for a pretty short window of time to actually eat them once I buy them.  Frequently they become too ripe for me to want to eat them before I get a chance.  It's not a big deal though! The best banana bread is made with bananas that are so black and gross that basically no one would eat them.  That's what makes it so moist and sweet and flavorful.

Okay, so here's the deal.

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, extremely ripe
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 egg beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup sugar
• 1.5 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch salt

Steps: 

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Mash the bananas in a mixing bowl
• Add the egg and vanilla to bananas, mix
• When the butter is melted but not hot, add it to the other wet ingredients (you don't want to cook the eggs) and mix
• Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl
• Combine wet and dry
• Pour mixture into one greased bread pan
• Bake at 350F for 55-65 minutes

That's it! Warm with butter is obviously the superior way to eat this. 

Vegetarian Chili

This recipe originated on the Whole Foods website, but my mom and I have modified it a bit through a few iterations so I think it's fair to chronicle here!

Growing up I was an extremely picky eater, something that was always a fairly large source of stress for me. I never, ever would have eaten anything so full of mysterious and dreaded vegetables as this.  Luckily my culinary tastes have grown up quite a bit in the last few years, and I'm happy to say that this is delicious and not difficult to make at all.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium-sized sweet onion, chopped
• 1 generous handful of baby carrots - about the size of one large carrot - chopped
• 1 stalk celery - chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 summer squash, chopped
• about 1 cup of frozen corn
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chipotles in adobo
• 1.5 tablespoons cumin
• 1.5 tablespoons chili powder
• 1.5 teaspoons salt
• 1 (28 ounces) can ground tomatoes (I've also used diced but ran them through the blender quickly before adding them - it's a personal preference)
• 1 (15 ounces) can red kidney beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounces) can black beans, drained

Steps:

• Clean and chop all the vegetables - set aside the zucchini and summer squash but everything else can go into a large pot with the oil
• Over medium heat, cook for 10-12 minutes, until vegetables are softened by not browned.
• Add chipotles, cumin, chili powder, and salt.  Stir to blend.
• Add tomatoes and 4 cups water.  Gently simmer over low heat, uncovered, for 45 minutes (this is the part where I added the corn in - it's already cooked, just frozen, so I figured it didn't need to be in the first part).
• Add beans and squash and simmer an additional 30 minutes.  

Then you're done!  That's it!  So easy.  I like to serve it over quinoa (or brown rice is nice) with mozzarella cheese and a little bit of green tabasco on top. 

World's Best Pumpkin Bread

This is a recipe which I jealously guard close to my heart, and which gained me lots of fame in high school as a baking magician. Only reluctantly am I sharing it now, but the fact that no one reads this blog at all makes it much easier.

If you are concerned about moderation or dieting or anything of the like, read no further. There is nothing healthy about this - but it is delicious beyond belief. TRUST.

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups flour
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground all spice
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs lightly beaten
• 2 cups pumpkin (read: one can of pumpkin pie filling)
• 2/3 cup water

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Combine all the dry ingredients in one large bowl, mix well
• Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, mix well
• Combine wet and dry ingredients in the larger of the two bowls - I always pour wet into dry for whatever reason
• Mix by hand so there aren't any dry spots
• Pour into two greased loaf pans
• Bake for approximately 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean - this always takes me longer than 75 minutes but I am always too scatterbrained to figure out precisely how long.

This is a favorite and never lasts long - enjoy. :)

Homemade Granola

Always on the hunt to make things myself so that they are exactly how I like them and not tainted with gross flavors of "artificialness," last night I tackled homemade granola a whim with the help of the blogosphere and only what I could find in my cabinets. That being said, this is easy and probably doable with no extra grocery trip. I was extremely pleased to find that it tastes exactly like Nature Valley Oats 'N Honey granola bars (or perhaps even better).

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oats (I believe you are supposed to use "old-fashioned" but all I had was quick - it came out just fine but next time I'll try the real deal)
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup shaved almonds (or you can use any nuts you like! But I would make sure they are in small pieces so they have a chance of being clumped in with the oats)
• 5 tablespoons maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons flavorless oil (I used vegetable)
• 1 tablespoon water

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275F.
• Measure oats, wheat germ, brown sugar, salt, and almonds into a large bowl - I used out 8 cup mixing bowl.
• Bring the maple syrup, water, and oil to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat.
• Drizzle the liquid mixture over your dry ingredients and then stir to coat evenly.
• Dump all the ingredients onto a greased 9x13 cookie sheet and then squeeze all the granola in small handfuls - this helps it to clump when it's cooking.
• When it's all spread out on the pan, bake it for 30 minutes at 275F.
• After 30 minutes, if you like raisins or other dried fruit in your granola, you could stir it in. Either way, give the granola a little stir and then bake for another 15 minutes.
• Once it is a beautiful crispy brown, take it out and let it cool. Then store it in an airtight container to keep the crunch.

Voilà! You can make homemade granola too! And then, it you're feeling really daring, scoop some greek yogurt into the bottom of a small bowl, layer it with some of your new granola, and slice some fresh strawberries on top.

Parfait! Mine was so good there was barely time to take pictures. :)

oatmeal molasses bread.

This is a beautiful golden, moist loaf of yeast bread that had my family sighing with contentment. The molasses flavor is reminiscent of brown bread - the kind you get in a can and eat with hot dogs and baked beans. Okay, maybe you don't, but my family does.

In any case, this bread is delicious. Kudos to Fannie Farmer for this one as well - she is my bread best friend apparently.

Try it out.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup instant oats
• 2 cups water
• 1 package dry yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon butter or vegetable oil (I used the oil)
• 5 1/2 cups white flour, approximately

Steps:

• Put the oats in a large bowl
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil, pour over the oats, and let stand for at least 15 minutes
• Stir the yeast into 1/4 cup warm water (remember, warm - not hot. Don't kill your yeast) and let it stand for 5 minutes to dissolve
• Feel the oats at the bottom of the bowl to be sure they're lukewarm (I got really impatient and had to put ice packs underneath the bowl to speed it up... seriously it takes a long time to get cooler when you start with boiling water)
• Add the molasses, salt, oil, and dissolved yeast
• Work in enough flour so that the dough is easy to handle (this is going to be kind of a lot. Do it one cup at a time but don't be discouraged if you've added three and it's still not something you want to try kneading)
• Turn it out onto a floured board (remember to flour your hands too... a lot)
• Knead for a minute or two, and let it rest for 10 minutes (I have no idea what this does but they always say to do it)
• Resume kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour as necessary (smooth is kind of relative, as this dough has oatmeal in it. Use your judgement - I actually really liked how this one felt when I was done)
• Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk (see the white bread recipe for thoughts on rising, and kneading for that matter, it's the same deal)
• Punch down and shape into two loaves
• Place in greased loaf pans, cover, and let rise again until double in bulk
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• Bake for 45 minutes
• Remove from the pans and cool on racks

Enjoy it, it's great - especially warm with butter. :)

white bread.

So apparently when I was two years old my mom would make bread with me every weekend. I don't really remember it, but I've seen the pictures and it looks like it was a really good time. Also, so cute? This potentially had an early influence on my love of baking, and recently I've decide to be brave and attempt to reconquer the art of yeast breads.

I started slow, and you can too. This is my recipe for white bread - originally from the Fannie Farmer cookbook with a few extra tips of my own. It's really really delicious, and based on how scary the bread section in this cookbook is, not that hard at all.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil (I used vegetable oil - shortening kind of grosses me out)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup hot milk
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 package dry yeast (if you buy it in bulk like we do, this equals about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 cup warm water (different than hot!)
• 6 cups white flour (or, if you're me/you're in the same kind of conditions as me as far as humidity, altitude, etc, probably more than that)

Steps:

• Mix the shortening (or oil), salt, and sugar in a large bowl
• Add the hot milk and hot water - mix it a little with a spoon - the sugar and salt will dissolve
• Let it cool to about lukewarm - if it's too hot when you add the yeast, the poor little fungi will die and then you'll have unleavened bread which is good for passover but otherwise no.
• Speaking of yeast, mix it with the warm water and let it stand for 5 minutes to dissolve
• Add the dissolved yeast and 3 cups of flour to the first mixture and beat until well blended
• Add 2 more cups of flour, mix, and turn out onto a lightly floured board - okay, but take it from me, if your dough looks super extra sticky, don't turn it out yet. Add some more flour. And flour that board heavily. And your hands. Sticky dough is kind of scary. Before you know it it's all over your hands and you're stuck there forever. Don't worry. Keep the flour at hand and be brave.
• Next, knead for a minute or two and then let sit for 10 minutes. Kneading 101: fold the dough in half towards your body, then push it away from you with the heel of your palm. Pick it up and turn it 90 degrees. Repeat.
• Adding just enough flour that the dough is not sticky (which in my experience has been a pretty significant amount), resume kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.
• Put the dough in a large, greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm spot until double in bulk (this will probably take about 2 hours in a moderately warm kitchen - but you could do it in the fridge if you needed more time and it would take longer. The important part about rising isn't the time, but how much the dough has risen. It will be different depending on the temperature in your house)
• Punch down and shape into two loaves (I pretty much just cut it in half and play with it for a bit so it's kind of resembling loaf shape)
• Place in greased loaf pans, cover, and let double in bulk again (this takes me about an hour)
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Bake bread for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 375 degrees, and bake for 30 minutes more.
• Remove from pans and cool on racks
• Slice and enjoy!

You can have cheesy bread like that if you add about 1 1/2 cups grated cheddar in with the last of the flour. :)