Simply THE BEST! Nutty Banana Loaf

by Pam Hadder

When I first considered going vegan, one of the things that concerned me was baking!  That likely seems a bit ridiculous, but I grew up with amazing home-baked goodness (thanks Mom!), and I wasn't convinced that I could enjoy vegan baking.  I was worried it would taste flat, or that I would miss some fav treats.  Well, not only have I been pleasantly surprised by how wonderful vegan baking can be, I actually have found it pretty easy to adapt many family recipes and have found the results to be equal or superior to the originals.

One of those recipes that is just way better a la vegan is my banana-nut bread. I have experimented with a number of good recipes, and have found the following proportions to yield consistently yummy results. The recipe that follows is not only easy, it requires no odd-ball ingredients.  Hope you will bake some this weekend and enjoy the wonderful aromas of toasted nuts and bananas and cinnamon - the best part, of course, is that fresh slice just out of the oven.  Only six points on Weight Watchers, and full of good nutrition - NO empty calories here :)

Pami's Vegan Banana-Nut Loaf

Ingredients:
2 tsp. vegan margarine (for buttering the loaf pan)
1/4 cup soy milk, with 2 tsp. of apple cider vinegar mixed in
3 ripe, medium-size bananas, mashed well (or puréed)
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup canola oil
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts (or pecans)

Method:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a pyrex loaf pan with the vegan margarine. Measure the soy milk into a small bowl and stir in the cider vinegar - let stand for 5-10 minutes, the mixture will curdle/thicken. Meanwhile, mash or purée the bananas in a medium-sized bowl, adding in the vanilla and canola oil.  In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugars, salt, soda, cinnamon and 1-1/4 cups of the nuts - save about 1/4 cup of the nuts to use as topping. Stir the soy milk mixture into the banana mix, then fold in all of the flour mixture until well-combined.  Use a spatula to get all of the batter in the prepared loaf pan.  Top with reserved nuts, pressing the nuts down with a clean spoon so that they are embedded in the batter.

Bake for one hour, and check for done-ness, by inserting a small sharp knife into the centre - it should come out clean and dry.  If the loaf is still moist, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake an additional 10 minutes - test again.  The baking time really does vary with the moistness of the fruit you use, humidity in your home etc. - worth a little fussing, honest!  Basically, you don't want to burn the exterior of the loaf, but you want the interior to be cooked!  You may need to bake the loaf an additional five minutes if it's still a bit damp inside at the second test - just turn off the oven, close the door, and let the residual heat finish the job, if this is the case.

Happy baking mmmm :)

The Chocolate Fix

By Pam Hadder

For those of us that LOVE chocolate, there is nothing quite like the aroma of pure cocoa goodness wafting through the house, married with fresh coffee brewing. 

Yes, every once in a while, this girl needs some chocolate-themed therapy! Of course, like all sensory moments, it's nicest when shared with a like-minded soul, but if you are flying solo, fear not - baking a decadent treat like this can blossom into a romantic, sensual moment without the commitment and emotional baggage - it's a sticky kiss that is guaranteed to make your heart sing, your lips smile and will leave your head reeling with dreamy thoughts ;)

Whenever you are craving some sweetness, this easy vegan  brownie recipe fills the order and I appreciate that it does not call for any hard-to-find ingredients.  I adapted this recipe from one found on the Vegan Recipes app for iPhone (yes, a fav resource!).

This brownie recipe was a big hit with visiting friends and family - which was a blessing  because the recipe makes a large cake pan (9 x 13) of  brownies!  So the next time I make them, I will likely make half the recipe and will also cut back on the fat by replacing half the oil with some apple sauce or prune purée (too much of a great thing, perhaps?).  Hope you will give this great recipe a whirl and let me know how it goes xox.

Pam's Easy Vegan Brownies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup canola oil (use half and add 1/3 cup apple sauce or prune purée)
1 cup soy milk (plain, vanilla or chocolate)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
2-3 bars Lindt chocolate (dairy free - silver wrapper)

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, and set aside.  (NOTE: if you are using a metal pan, you can increase the oven temp to 350.)

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nuts and baking powder in a medium-size bowl and set aside.  Mix the oil, soy milk and vanilla extract and stir into the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes - brownies are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to over-bake, as they should be moist inside - just not raw!

While the brownies are baking, unwrap the Lindt bars and break them into pieces.  As soon as the hot pan comes out of the oven, distribute the chocolate bar pieces over the top.  Once the chocolate pieces are softened (3-5 minutes), spread the chocolate with an icing or butter knife to form the frosting.  To speed the setting of the icing, loosely cover the pan with foil and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.  

The Chocolate Fix

By Pam Hadder

For those of us that LOVE chocolate, there is nothing quite like the aroma of pure cocoa goodness wafting through the house, married with fresh coffee brewing. 

Yes, every once in a while, this girl needs some chocolate-themed therapy! Of course, like all sensory moments, it's nicest when shared with a like-minded soul, but if you are flying solo, fear not - baking a decadent treat like this can blossom into a romantic, sensual moment without the commitment and emotional baggage - it's a sticky kiss that is guaranteed to make your heart sing, your lips smile and will leave your head reeling with dreamy thoughts ;)

Whenever you are craving some sweetness, this easy vegan  brownie recipe fills the order and I appreciate that it does not call for any hard-to-find ingredients.  I adapted this recipe from one found on the Vegan Recipes app for iPhone (yes, a fav resource!).

This brownie recipe was a big hit with visiting friends and family - which was a blessing  because the recipe makes a large cake pan (9 x 13) of  brownies!  So the next time I make them, I will likely make half the recipe and will also cut back on the fat by replacing half the oil with some apple sauce or prune purée (too much of a great thing, perhaps?).  Hope you will give this great recipe a whirl and let me know how it goes xox.

Pam's Easy Vegan Brownies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1- 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup canola oil (use half and add 1/3 cup apple sauce or prune purée)
1 cup soy milk (plain, vanilla or chocolate)
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 Tbsp. vegan margarine
2-3 bars Lindt chocolate (dairy free - silver wrapper)

Method:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with 1 Tbsp. vegan margarine, and set aside.  (NOTE: if you are using a metal pan, you can increase the oven temp to 350.)

Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon, nuts and baking powder in a medium-size bowl and set aside.  Mix the oil, soy milk and vanilla extract and stir into the dry ingredients to form a smooth batter. Bake for 35 - 45 minutes - brownies are done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take care not to over-bake, as they should be moist inside - just not raw!

While the brownies are baking, unwrap the Lindt bars and break them into pieces.  As soon as the hot pan comes out of the oven, distribute the chocolate bar pieces over the top.  Once the chocolate pieces are softened (3-5 minutes), spread the chocolate with an icing or butter knife to form the frosting.  To speed the setting of the icing, loosely cover the pan with foil and place in the fridge for 15 minutes.