Vegan Banana Bread

vegan | wholefoods | egg-free | dairy-free

Many people love banana bread but I wonder how many people realise that the commercially made varieties can actually be rather unhealthy. Many contain a lot of butter, white flour and sugar.

My banana bread is healthier but tastes just as good, if not, even better than any banana bread I have ever tried. My version contains inexpensive ingredients, omits animal fats and instead contains healthy fats in the form of walnuts and olive oil. Having said that, we only need small amounts of good fats in our diet, so I am not advocating that you eat the whole loaf.

It also contains a lot of fibre from the bananas and a mixture of oats and whole-meal flour.  This is not only more nutritious, but will also help to keep you fuller for longer. It is also very low in added sugar. Ripe bananas are already naturally sweet as their sugar content increases the riper that they become. In fact, you can even use over-ripe bananas as a sweeter instead of sugar in your baking.

Give this recipe a go and let me know in the comments section what you thought.

Enjoy xx

Ingredients:

Dry Ingredients

- 1 cup of whole-wheat flour

- 1/2 cup of quick oats (slightly ground whole- oats)

-3/4 of a cup of natural walnuts, slightly crumbled

- 2 ^1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon

-2 teaspoons of ground nutmeg

- 1 teaspoon of bi-carb soda

- 1 teaspoon of baking powder

Wet Ingredients:

-414g (roughly) of overripe bananas, peeled, or approximately 3 large bananas (Use bananas that are brown and spotty- this is what gives the bread its texture and sweet taste.)

-1/2 cup of unsweetened rice milk (or any other vegan milk that does not have a strong taste)

- 1/4 cup of olive oil  

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence

- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar (this helps to make the bread rise by activating the bi-carb and baking soda)

- OPTIONAL: 2 teaspoons of maple syrup (real maple syrup, not the 'maple flavoured' high fructose corn syrup).

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180° Celsius.

2. Spray a loaf pan with cooking oil and line with baking paper. Make sure that you also give the baking paper a slight spray with oil.

3. Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.

4. In another bowl, mash the bananas before adding the rest of the wet ingredients. Mix until it forms a uniform, thick paste.

5. Pour the wet ingredients in to bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until well combined. The mixture should resemble a thick cake batter.

6. Pour the mixture in to the loaf pan and bake in the oven for approximately 40-50 minutes. Actual cooking times vary from oven to oven, so it is important to regularly check on the bread, so that it does not burn. You will know that the bread is ready when it has browned on top and a tooth pick inserted, comes out clean.

7. Remove the loaf from the oven and allow it cool down in the tin for at least 20 minutes before removing.

Tip: If your banana bread has browned on top before it has cooked through, cover it with foil for the remainder of the cooking time.

Storage: Once the banana bread has thoroughly cooled, place it in a sealed container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. As the recipe is very natural and contains a lot of bananas, it does not have a very long shelf life. Alternatively, you could slice the bread up, wrap it in foil and store it in the freezer for a month or so. 

Caramelised Banana Pancakes

dairy-free - refined sugar free - whole-foods - clean eating

These pancakes have a delicious, light and fluffy texture! Using a slightly over-ripe banana, diced finely, can counteract a less sweet batter, making it easy to reduce the amount of sweetener that you use. The whole batter contains just 3 teaspoons of maple syrup, yet it still tastes sweet.

Serves: Makes approximately 5 large pancakes

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup of wholemeal, unbleached flour

- 1/2 cup of coconut flour

- 1 tablespoon of maca powder (optional)

- 1.5 teaspoons of baking powder

- 1 teaspoon of mesquite powder (optional- this adds the caramel flavour)

Wet Ingredients:

- 1 organic egg

- 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

- 1/2 cup of rice milk or other non-dairy milk

- 3 teaspoons of melted extra virgin, unrefined, cold pressed coconut oil

- 3 teaspoons of maple syrup

- 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla essence

- extra water to adjust consistency of batter

- 1 large, over-ripe banana (spotty), diced finely

Method:

1. In a large bowl, add the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.

2. In another bowl, add the egg, rice milk, chia seeds, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla essence and whisk with a fork until well combined. Leave for a few minutes to allow the chia seeds to thicken.

3. Mix the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and stir until well combined and smooth.

4. Gradually add the extra water whilst mixing until a cake-batter like consistency is achieved (not too runny, not too thick).

5. Fold in the sliced banana.

6. Spray a medium sized, non-stick fry pan with olive oil and allow it to warm up on the hot plate (low to medium heat).

7. Once the pan has heated, add 1/3 of a cup of mixture to the pan. I usually lift the pan and gently shake it from side to side to allow the mixture to evenly disperse.

8. Cook on a low/medium heat, pushing the sides down with a spatula to prevent the edges from sticking or burning. Flip the pancake with a turner when bubbles start to appear on the surface, and the batter has become more solid. Once turned, cook for another 1 minute.

9. Serve with freshly sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup. Alternatively, avocado chocolate mousse also tastes delicious with these pancakes.

Intense Cacao and Hazelnut Protein Muffins

Vegan | Dairy-Free | Gluten-Free |Quick & Easy

Makes: approximately 12 cup-cake sized muffins

Ingredients:

- 1 cup hazelnut meal

- ½ cup gluten-free, plain, multipurpose flour

- ¼ cup brown rice protein powder

- ¼ cup raw cacao powder

- 2 teaspoons of gluten-free baking powder

- 60g of dairy free chocolate chips (I used Lindt 70% dark block, chopped which may contain traces of dairy.)

- ¾ cup nut milk (I used Almond Breeze ‘unsweetened almond coconut milk,’ which is calcium enriched.)

- ½ cup coconut sugar

- ¼ cup vegan butter, melted (I used Nuttelex ‘olive’ spread)

- 2 x chia-seed eggs (2 tablespoons of chia-seeds, mixed with 6 tablespoons of hot water, left to thicken for 15 minutes)

Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 170°C.
2. Line cup-cake trays with patty pans.
3. Prepare the chia-seed eggs.
4. Mix the hazelnut meal, flour, brown rice protein powder, raw cacao powder, baking powder and chocolate chips together in a large mixing bowl.
5. In a smaller bowl, mix together the nut milk, coconut sugar, vegan butter and chia seed eggs until well combined.
6. Add the wet ingredients in to the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
7. Spoon mixture in to cup-cake trays.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Remove from oven and leave in trays to cool and set.
10. Enjoy on their own or warm with a dash of vegan butter and melted raspberries.

Note: If you prefer a less intense cacao flavor, use diary-free milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.

Vegan Sticky-Date Cupcakes with Mesquite Caramel Frosting

Gluten-Free | Vegan | Dairy Free | Easy

Makes 12 Cupcakes

Cake Mixture Ingredients:

- 1 cup pitted dates

- 1 ¼ cup boiling water

- 2 flax-eggs (consists of 2 tablespoons of ground flax-seeds, mixed with 6 tablespoons of boiling water, set aside for 5 minutes to gelatinise)

- 1 cup multipurpose gluten-free plain flour

- 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate soda

- ¼ cup coconut sugar

- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla essence

- 2 tablespoons organic, extra virgin, unrefined coconut oil

- 1 tablespoon Nutellex Pulse (you could use any Nutellex spread or vegan margarine)

Mesquite Caramel Frosting Ingredients:

- ¼ cup Nutellex Pulse spread

- ¼ cup mesquite powder

- ½ tablespoon coconut sugar

- 1 teaspoon organic vanilla essence

- walnuts to decorate - optional

Cake Mixture Method:

1. Pre-heat oven to 180°C.

2. In a separate bowl, place the pitted dates and boiling water and set aside to soften.

3. To make the flax-eggs, mix together the ground flaxseeds and boiling water in a small bowl and set aside to gelatinise.

4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate soda and set aside.

5. In a food processor, cream together the coconut sugar, vanilla essence, coconut oil and Nutellex Pulse spread until creamy.

6. Add the flax eggs (which were set aside earlier) in to the food processor with the creamed sugar, oil and Nutellex mixture and blend until well combined.

7. Add the dates and water in which they were soaking in to the food processor and blend until evenly combined with the other ingredients.

8. Add the flour mixture in to the food processor and blend until smooth.

9. Spoon mixture evenly in to a lined, cup-cake tray.

10. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes (depending on the size of your cup cakes), or until a skewer comes out clean after being inserted in to the middle of a cupcake.  

11. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool. Allow to cool completely before icing.

*Please note that these cupcakes may not peel out of their cupcake cases properly until fully cooled.

Mesquite Caramel Frosting Method:

1. Place the Nutellex Pulse spread, mesquite powder, vanilla essence and coconut sugar in to a small food processor bowl and blend until combined and creamy.

2.  Using a butter knife, spread a teaspoon amount on to each cup-cake in a circular motion.

3. Decorate with walnuts (optional). 

Clean Watermelon Sorbet and Watermelon Ice-Blocks Recipe

Clean Watermelon Sorbet

- no added sugar - gluten free - vegan – whole foods -

Even though summer has left us, and we are now transitioning in to winter, the days can still be quite hot and so I still find myself craving cool, frozen summer treats. After the overzealous purchasing a 10kg watermelon last week, I decided to get creative in the kitchen so that the delicious fruit did not go to waste and formulated a very easy and simple watermelon sorbet recipe. This recipe does not require the addition of sugar syrups or ice-cream churning machines. All you need is a high powered blender or food processor and two simple, nutritious ingredients. This sorbet also serves as an interesting and tasty way of getting fussy children to up their intake of fruit.

Serves: 5

Ingredients:
- 4x cups of frozen, diced watermelon
- freshly squeezed juice from 2 oranges

Method:
1. Dice the fresh watermelon in to small squares (it is important that the watermelon is cut in to smaller cubes so that it is easier on your food processor’s motor).
2. Place the diced watermelon in to a container and place in the freezer until fully frozen. It is important that you only freeze the watermelon in single layers so that the pieces don’t freeze together in large clumps, thus undermining the whole point in dicing the fruit finely.
3. Meanwhile, squeeze the juice from the oranges and set aside.
4. Place the watermelon in a food processor or high powered blender, with a small amount of the orange juice and pulse until the melon has broken down slightly.
5. Add a little more juice and pulse again for another 30 seconds. Keep repeating this process until the watermelon has completely broken down and is thick and icy, just like sorbet! Depending on variables such as how frozen your watermelon is and how powerful your blender is, you may or may not need to use all the orange juice you have squeezed and this is why I suggest  you add it to the mixture in a gradual manner.

Please note:
- It is important that the watermelon is cut in to smaller cubes so that it is easier on your food processor’s motor.
- I find that initially using the pulse setting on my food processor is easier on my machine when first breaking down the frozen watermelon chunks.
- If you prefer a sweeter flavor you can experiment with different fruit juices. Pineapple juice would also work well.
- This watermelon sorbet also makes great ice-blocks (method below)!

Watermelon Sorbet Ice-Blocks 

- no added sugar - gluten free - vegan - whole foods - 

Ingredients: 
- mixture from watermelon sorbet recipe

Method:
1. Pour mixture in to ice block mould and insert the ice block sticks.
2. Gently and carefully, tap the moulds on the bench to remove any air bubbles in the mixture.
3. Place moulds in freezer, on a flat surface, over night or for at least 8 hours.
4. When you are sure that your ice blocks are fully frozen, gently run the moulds under warm water before gently easing them out of the moulds.

Jaffa Protein Balls

Egg Free - Nut Free - Gluten Free - Vegan

In this recipe, I used oats instead of nuts as they are not only cheaper, but also less kilo-joule dense.  This also means that the recipe can be replicated on a large scale for social events or gifts in an affordable manner!                                                                                                                             Finally, as this recipe is nut free, egg free and gluten free (if you use gluten free oats/oatmeal), it is also suitable for allergy sufferers.

Makes:  12

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the mixture: 

-         -  2 cups of pitted dates

-          - ¼ cup oats or oatmeal

-          - ¼ cup cocoa powder

-          - ¼ cup brown rice protein powder

-          - 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice (Navel orange)

-          - 1 tablespoon freshly grated orange rind (Navel orange)

For assembly and decoration:

-          1 tablespoon extra virgin, cold pressed coconut oil

-          the zest of 1 large navel orange

Method

1. Place the dates in a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water. Set aside to soak. This step is important because it softens the dates, ensuring that they are easy to process and thus should not burn out the motor in your food processor.

2. If using oats, place them in the food processor and blend until they have turned in to a powder. It does not have to be perfect, so do not worry if you still have a few residual oat flakes. If using oatmeal, skip this step and move to step 2.

3.  Add the cocoa powder and brown rice protein powder to the oatmeal/oats and blend for 2 seconds, until the powders are mixed.

4. Drain the dates using a colander. Allow them to sit for a few minutes so the excess water can drain away. You can do this whilst preparing the oranges.

5.  Add the dates along with the navel orange zest and juice to the food processor and blend until the mixture forms a ball. This is probably the trickiest part of the process because you do not want the mixture to be too dry or too wet. If the mixture is too dry (crumbly), add a few softened dates or a tablespoon of orange juice. If the mixture is too wet (sloppy), add some more oatmeal. If you need to correct the mixture, do so in a very gradual manner as it usually only takes a small amount of ingredients to bring the mixture back in to balance.

6. Place the mixture in the fridge for  10-15 minutes, until slightly chilled as this will make the mixture less sticky and more manageable.

7. Meanwhile, grate the rind of 1 large Navel orange and spread it out on to a chopping board or large plate. 

8. Rub a small amount of coconut oil on to your hands. This will prevent the mixture from sticking to your hands when rolling it in to balls.

9. Scoop, roughly 1 tablespoon sized amount of the mixture in to the palm of your hands and roll in to a ball shape.

10. Once you have rolled all the mixture, lightly roll each ball on to the orange rind.

11. Place in a sealed container and store in the fridge. Alternatively, you could also store them in the freezer if you prefer a firmer texture.

Hints

-          If the mixture is too dry, (crumbly) add a few softened dates or a tablespoon of orange juice. If the mixture is too wet (sloppy), add some more oatmeal. If you need to correct the mixture, do so in a very gradual manner as it usually only takes a small amount of ingredients to bring the mixture back in to balance.

-          If you do not enjoy a strong orange flavour, you could roll the balls in quick oats (oats which have been partially blended so that they are smaller and thus quicker to cook), or even regular oats, instead of the orange rind.

-          Protein balls also make great gifts for health-conscious loved ones! You could place them in a glass jar, with a ribbon tied around the lid and also add a tag with the recipe or a special note.  You could also make them as a gift for Valentine’s Day instead of buying chocolates.

*This is my own original recipe to which I own the rights. 

Hearty Zucchini Pasta with Basil Pesto

- vegetarian, gluten-free, grain-free and high in healthy fats –

Today, pressured by the vast amount of unused vegetables in my fridge (I tend to get a little too excited at the green grocer), I decided to experiment with my two favourites; zucchini and basil pesto. Whilst the finished product may look fancy and time consuming, I can assure you that this meal took me less than 20 minutes to whip together!  

Whilst this dish tastes great on its own as a main meal, it would also work well as a side to a piece of salmon or a chicken breast. Alternatively, you could also make it ahead of time and serve it cold as a salad at a dinner party.

Finally, you could easily turn this vegetarian dish in to a vegan dish by using cashew cheese instead of cottage cheese, or alternatively, you could omit the cheese all together.

Ingredients

Pesto:
- the leaves from 1 bunch of basil
- a handful of crushed walnuts
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- the juice of half a lemon
- roughly  1/8 of a cup of extra virgin olive oil
- Himalayan salt and black pepper to taste

Other Ingredients:
- 2  extra large zucchinis (about 3 cups worth)
- 2 teaspoon of olive oil
- 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese
- 1 small avocado, diced
- 4 tablespoons of crushed walnuts- to decorate

Method

To make the pesto:
1. Place the garlic, lemon juice, basil and a drizzle of the olive oil in a food processor and blend until well combined.
2. Add the walnuts and blend until the pesto reaches your desired consistency (I prefer mine slightly grainy).
3. Gradually drizzle in the rest of the olive oil and blend until the pesto is thick and sauce like, but not runny (you may require more or less than the 1/8 of a cup as specified in the ingredients list).
4. Scrape the pesto in to a jar and place aside for later.

To make the zucchini pasta:
1. Using a peeler, remove the skin from the zucchinis and then cut off the stalks with a knife.
2. Cut the zucchinis in to quarters, long ways.
3. One at a time, lay each quarter flat side down on to the chopping board and slice thinly. Your aim is to create long slithers, about double the size of fettuccini pasta, however, it’s not really a big deal if they turn out uneven and rough.
4. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a fry pan before sautéing the freshly sliced zucchini. The goal is to cook the zucchini until it is soft and more flexible, but not soggy.

To assemble the dish:
1. In a larger mixing bowl, place the zucchini pasta, 2 tablespoon of the cottage cheese and the pesto and mix with a spoon until well combined.
2. Share the pasta between two bowls and top each with ½  the avocado, ½ a tablespoon of cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons of crushed walnuts.
3. Enjoy!