Banana Bread

Delightful Banana Muffins

The Verdict

Delicious, moist, dense. All things I love (in a banana bread, at least). These are only slightly sweet which I’m fine with, but that’s probably because I used Sucanat instead of white and brown sugar.

I like making muffins instead of loaves for most quick breads because it feels a bit more substantial to me. I actually forgot to add the vinegar, but they turned out just fine.

As you’ll see, I messed with this recipe quite a bit for health reasons and personal preferences. And if you’re wondering why only half the muffins are in papers, that’s because I might give a couple away. Why waste when my kids are just going to grab the muffins with their grubby mitts?

If you’re wondering instead why there’s a muffin missing in the picture, well, that’s because I just couldn’t wait to try them! 🙂 Finally, if you’re wondering why my food pictures suck, it’s because I’m just a crappy photographer. Now, everyone satisfied? 🙂

The Recipe

From the Post Punk Kitchen

1/2 cup brown sugar (I used 1 c. Sucanat)
1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup margarine, at room temp (I used 1/4 c. coconut oil)
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well (I added 1 banana to make up for less fat)
2 cups flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (I used almond milk)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt

(I also added a dash of cayenne pepper)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 8×4 bread pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for an hour to an hour 10 minutes (20 minutes for muffins).

Today’s Tip

When you substitute liquid sweeteners in place of granulated ones, it’s important to reduce the cooking time and temperature to prevent burning. If I use agave nectar or honey (not vegan), I reduce the temperature by 25 degrees, and the time by 10-15%.

You may also need to watch the liquid; generally you’d subtract 1/4 c. water for every 1 c. honey or agave.

If you want an easier option but keep away from white sugar, use palm sugar (aka coconut sugar) or Sucanat cup for cup!

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Vegan Mish Mash (AKA Leftovers)

Photo Credit: DoTheGreenThing.com

I was tired today, and I had several bits of leftovers. There were three black bean burgers, about three cups of lentils with caramelized onions, some of the sweet bean burrito (something I’ll post on later), and two cups of cooked black beans.

All of those things mixed up in a bowl, spread in a 9×13″ pan, and covered with a few tortillas and the enchilada sauce in Veganomicon made for a tasty dinner.

The Verdict

The enchilada sauce was good (and the recipe actually included salt, wonder of wonders). I skipped the chilis and used cayenne pepper instead, but that’s just because I need to take a trip to the store.

On that note, this vegan cooking is a serious drain on my allium resources. I’m out of onions and garlic (just bought some three days ago), and I need mushrooms something fierce. Tomorrow’s meal is looking like seitan and grains with frozen veg because that’s about all I have left!

I still miss sour cream a bit, but I’m hoping that as I stay away from it, the craving will decrease. Everyone really liked this casserole/enchilada/whatev dish, and my son and I both had seconds.

Today’s Tip

I have a rule on Sundays that I don’t cook until any leftovers from the week get eaten. It’s one of the ways we keep the grocery budget low and the fridge cleaned out (win-win).

One of my kids doesn’t like leftovers, so I try to “repackage” them, like tonight’s dish. If we ate burgers, I’ll break them up and serve over greens for taco salad. If we have veg, I’ll toss them into a soup or roast them quickly.

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Olive Lentil Burgers with Stir-Fried Leafy Greens

Deeelicious and Meh

The Verdict

No, and Yeeeeeeeeeehaw!

I know that the burgers were the main dish and, as such, should be featured, but I just can’t stop thinking about the deliciousness of those stupid greens. The burgers were ok. They didn’t hold their shape well for me. I also had to double the recipe to get seven burgers for my family.  There are five of us who eat solids, and my 2- and 4-year olds are bottomless. Serious.

Hubs put Worcestershire sauce on his burger, and the kids followed suit. I didn’t, but they definitely could’ve used something to spice them up! If I were to brave them again, I’d add some cayenne.

The Holy Grail of Kale

These greens though, holy delicious (and wholly delicious, har har). I made a couple of changes, using rice wine vinegar instead of mirin, two teaspoons of agave nectar instead of sugar, and doubling the sesame oil. Next time I’ll probably add a bit of sriracha for some heat, but these greens were flat out amazing just as they were.

My husband asked how many pounds of kale I bought (two), wanting to know when I could make them again. I have visions of making polenta cakes and serving them over these greens, or maybe the pineapple-cashew quinoa stir-fry.

The Recipe

The olive lentil burger recipe comes from IsaChandra’s blog, the Post Punk Kitchen.

Olive oil (from 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons, your choice)
1 small yellow onion, diced medium
1/2 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Fresh black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives (really, use any pitted olive you like)
1 15 oz can cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (1 1/4 cups)
1 cup breadcrumbs, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Preheat a large, heavy bottomed pan non-stick (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. Saute onion for about 3 minutes with a pinch of salt. Add mushroom, garlic, black pepper, thyme and tarragon and saute for 7 to 10 minutes, until mushroom is cooked.

While mushroom is cooking, place olives in food processor and pulse until they are finely chopped (not pureed.) Remove from food processor and set aside. (No need to clean it out for the next step.)

When mushrooms have cooked, add mushroom mixture to the food processor. Add all other ingredients except for 1/2 a cup of the breadcrumbs. (Did you hear me? Reserve 1/2 cup of the breadcrumbs, this will give them better texture.) Pulse until mostly smooth, but there should still be a little texture. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 cup breadcrumbs to the burger mixture, along with the chopped olives, and thoroughly combine.

Divide burger mix into 6 equal pieces. An easy way to do this is divide it in half, then cut each half into 3 basically equal portions. You can do that right in the bowl if it’s large enough.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Form mixture into patties, spray with a little more cooking spray and bake for 15 minutes. Flip burgers and bake for 12 to 15 more minutes, until nicely browned.

Today’s Tip

Sometimes it’s hard to find the herb you need in the form a recipe requires. I have a hard time finding dried thyme, for example, but fresh is readily available. Never fear! It’s easy to convert, just remember T to t.

1 Tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs. Easy peasy!

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