Rise & Shine! Mango-Banana Smoothie

I recently bought some frozen, organic mangos from Trader Joe's and built this smoothie around those.  I wasn't in the mood for a traditional breakfast this morning so I decided to make this.  It was a delicious (and nutritious) alternative!  It's also quite filling.

Mango-Banana Smoothie

Ingredients

1/2 cup light coconut milk

1 cup frozen mangos

1 small banana

1 tbsp ground flaxseed

handful of almonds

Directions:
Place all ingredients in blender/food processor and blend until smooth.


*This will make a thick smoothie, so feel free to add 1/2 cup more liquid if you like it thinner.

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I recently came across this recipe while searching for bread recipes. Not quite the bread I originally had in mind to make, but my uncontrollable urge to satisfy my sweet tooth got the best of me. The title alone was enough to convince me to give it a try.  Imagine my excitement when I read the list of ingredients and realized it also contained chocolate chips! :-) I could already imagine just how good this was going to taste.

The original recipe contains refined sugar, which of course I wanted to replace.  I used maple syrup instead and was able to reduce the amount of overall sugar by 1/4 cup.  This is also oil free!

This recipe is adapted from Eggless Cooking:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup rice milk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cup organic pastry flour 

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup mashed banana (2 medium bananas)

1/3 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease an 8x4 inch loaf pan.  


In a small bowl, mix rice milk and cider vinegar and set aside so the mixture can curdle (about 5 minutes).


In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.


In a separate bowl, combine mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, curdled milk mixture and vanilla.


Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until combined.   Stir in the chocolate chips.


Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center.    Place on wire rack and cool for 15 minutes.

There was no one flavor that overpowered the bread, it was a nice blend of peanut butter, banana and chocolate.  It came out super moist and delicious!  My sister said, and I quote, "My favorite part was the chocolate chips!".  I couldn't have said it better myself! :-)  I actually made this about a week ago and she was wondering why I hadn't posted the recipe yet.  Well, here it is! 

My cat Sam was watching the whole process from his new favorite spot.  I wonder what he's thinking?

I bet he's thinking "that smells good!"


Meow! =^..^=

(No Bake) Banana-Berry "Ice Cream" Pie

This is one of my all time favorite desserts!  Yes, a dessert that does not contain chocolate is one of my favorites.  It's rare, but it happens.  :)  I've made it before and remember it being a big hit at a family gathering.  I suppose it's really a warmer weather type dessert, but I really don't discriminate when it comes to what type of weather is best to enjoy a frozen treat!  ;)  

This dessert is all-natural, easy to make and so delicious.  I know you will love it!  

This recipe is adapted straight from my Green Star Juicer Operation Manual.  (If you don't have a juicer, don't worry.  You can still make this using a food processor or blender.  See directions.)

(No Bake) Banana-Berry "Ice Cream" Pie

Ingredients

1 cup almonds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 cup cashews

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup dated, pits removed (roughly 6 dates)

1/2 cup pecans

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp Organic, Grade B maple syrup

6 frozen bananas

1 1/2 cups frozen mixed berries

*This recipe requires the "homogenizing blank" screen if using this particular juicer to grind the ingredients.*

Directions: 
For the Crust:

Grind almonds, sesame seeds, cashews, raisins, dates and pecans together. (Note: if using a food processor or blender, soak dates first for 10-15 minutes before processing).

Add vanilla and maple syrup; knead by hand to form dough.  Press dough into a 9 inch pie dish to form the crust.  Refrigerate the crust 3-4 hours (or place in food dehydrator for 45 minutes).


For the "Ice Cream":

Grind frozen bananas and frozen berries together to make "ice cream". (Note: if using a food processor or blender, you might want to add a touch of water, but only a touch!  You don't want the mixture to get too thin).

Place "ice cream" on  top of the crust and evenly distribute.   Slice and serve! 

Nuts, dates & raisin mixture

Making the pie crust...

Making the "Ice Cream"....

Ta-da!

You can freeze any leftovers, just take it out of the freezer for about 15 minutes before serving so it can soften up.  I suggest cutting it into slices and freezing it that way.  That way you can just pull out individual slices as you want them and you won't have to defrost the whole thing each time.


Enjoy!  I know you will!!  :)

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cookies

I am one happy baker today! I was finally able to successfully adapt a cookie recipe to my liking by making it healthier and having it actually turn out right. What you don't know is that for the past week or so, I've been trying out different cookie recipes using various substitutions for butter, sugar, oil and all-purpose flour.  For whatever reason, the combinations I put together did not yield the best results.

Part of what helped me succeed is a book called "The Complete Guide to Vegan Food Substitutions" by Celine Steen & Joni Marie Newman that I borrowed from my sister.   This book is a wealth of information that I highly recommend to anyone interested in vegan cooking/baking.  Not only are there suggestions for supermarket substitutions for milk, eggs, cheese, meat, animal by-products (honey & gelatin), gluten, sugar, soy & fat, but there are also recipes for how to make your own from scratch!  Each chapter contains one real, non-vegan recipe with suggestions on how to substitute with vegan ingredients.  They also provide you with lots of vegan recipes per chapter.   I especially appreciated the chapter that discussed the different types of flours and which kinds are best to use in what type of recipe.  In addition, they give excellent advice on how to adjust other dry and wet ingredients in a recipe when you want to use liquid sweeteners in place of refined sugar.  This is going on my "must buy" list!


On to the cookies... this recipe is adapted from Vegan Cookies Invade your Cookie Jar.

Banana Chocolate Walnut Cookies

(makes 24 cookies)

Ingredients

1 ripe banana (medium)

2/3 cup Organic, Grade B maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp quinoa flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Lightly grease two baking sheets (I used coconut oil). In large mixing bowl, mash banana.  Add maple syrup and vanilla and mix together. Add flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon to wet ingredients and mix until moistened.  Add oats, walnuts and chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Ingredients combined

Scoop out sections of dough slightly smaller than palm sized (I used an ice cream scooper).  Form dough into a ball, place on greased cookie sheet and flatten with your hand.   Place each ball 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned (mine took 11 minutes).  Cool for 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.

By using maple syrup in place of refined sugar, I was able to completely eliminate the need for oil in this recipe.  Double bonus (no refined sugar or oil)!  Also, quinoa flour adds additional nutrition as it's rich in protein, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and is also gluten free.  It makes for moist and tender baked goods, and has a nutty flavor, perfect for this type of cookie.  It can be found at most health food stores.


These cookies are moist, chewy and ooey, gooey delicious!


Oh, and someone was very interested in the Rice Milk.....

Don't worry, I didn't actually let him have any.  He just got close enough to think he was getting some.  Silly cat!  :)  

Banana Cream Pie - Oh my!

Since I have a major sweet tooth, I am always on the prowl for wholesome, dairy-free dessert recipes.  It's very hard to come by many recipes that don't include refined sugar or vegetable oil, so I was pleased to find this recipe for Banana Cream Pie with Almond-Coconut Crust from The Diva Dish.   It's rare for me to make dessert that doesn't include chocolate, but this one looked too good to pass by!  I used organic, Grade B maple syrup  in place of honey/agave for this recipe.    I don't care for the taste of honey, and here's my scoop on agave...

Contrary to popular belief, Agave Nectar is not "all natural".  In fact, it's a highly refined sweetener and "the end result [of its refining] contains as much as 90% fructose.  Keep in mind that high fructose corn syrup with all its documented ill effects attributable to its fructose content is only 55% fructose". See: When Natural Foods Aren't Natural: Agave Nectar  (This is not to imply that HFCS is any better for you!)  Research has shown that fructose causes high elevation in blood sugar levels resulting in weight gain and the potential for diabetes, among other health benefits detriments.   You can use it in the recipe if you choose, just wanted to share my 2 cents!


Okay, okay.... on to the recipe!

Banana Cream Pie with Almond-Coconut Crust

(Serves 6-8)

Ingredients for the crust:

 1/2 cup raw almonds, soaked for 2+ hours and drained

8 oz. raw, flaked coconut

1 heaping tbsp. maple syrup

2 heaping tbsp. coconut oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

generous pinch of salt

Ingredients for the filling:

2 cups raw cashews, soaked for 2+ hrs and drained

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

water

pinch of salt

2 bananas sliced

2 large bananas sliced for layering and garnish

Directions:

Place the almonds in a food processor and grind them. Add the coconut and process for a minute or so. Then add in the maple syrup, coconut oil, vanilla and salt. Process until everything is incorporated. Remove from bowl and press into the bottom and side of a 9 inch pie pan. Place in the freezer while you make the filling.

Next, place the cashews and about 1/4 cup water in the food processor. Blend well, then slowly add in the lemon juice, coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, bananas and salt. Add a little more water, if you need to (I did not need to).  Blend until very creamy. Remove the crust from the freezer and pour in about half of the filling. Scatter about half of the bananas on top, then the rest of the filling. Arrange the remaining bananas on top. Place in the freezer for a few hours, and leave at room temperature for at least an hour before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, up to a few days.

Wa-lah!

Oh my goodness, there are just no words to adequately describe how delicious this tastes!!  It's so creamy and decadent, and the almond crust is the perfect crunchy compliment to the smooth filling.  Deeelicious!!  :)