Breakfast-worthy Banana Bread

Banana bread is a great way to keep over-ripe bananas from going to waste, and to keep bellies from being hungry on busy mornings. I've had several different kinds of banana breads--rich ones with butter and cream cheese, super-sweet ones with icing on top,  "healthy" ones that tasted like cardboard and that I'd never eat again. What I really wanted though, was a bread deserving of being part of the most important meal of the day: not too sweet and sugary, hearty and filling, vegan, but also tasty because who wants to start the day with something that tastes like cardboard?

I blended a few recipes to create this "happy medium,"  super-stable (meaning you can play with it and be fairly certain to get good results) banana bread. I've made  it a few different ways: with applesauce or canned pumpkin instead of oil, with and without the topping,  or with fewer bananas in a pinch, and it came out great each time, so feel free to make it your own.

I like to make these in the evening and store them covered on the counter so they're easy to grab for breakfast and snacking for the next few days. They'll keep covered at room temperature for up to four days (if they hang around that long!).

To make Breakfast-worthy Banana Bread you'll need:

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 T oats
• 1/2 cup dates or raisins 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
•  4-6 bananas

Optional crumb topping (really good, but not advised if you plan to eat these on-the-go in the car!):

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 T oats
• 1 T flax seeds, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

First, puree the dates or raisins, bananas, and oil. Then mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then, mix the pureed batter into the dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins. If you want to add the crumb topping, just mix together the oil, cinnamon, oats, flax, and sugar in a small bowl, and top each unbaked muffin with about little dab. Now pop them in the oven and bake at 350F until they spring back when pressed (about 12 minutes).

Golden-brown, hearty, and delicious.

Perfectly quick breakfast. And the best part is that there's no sugar!

 Bon appetit!

Lettuce Wraps

I love Oriental food more and more every time I cook it. It has such great flavor, even with only a few ingredients; it usually cooks up quickly, and it is super easy to Veganize it! 

I know I mentioned in a previous post that I wouldn't be including many tofu recipes on here, but here's another one. I had to be soy-free for a few months, and I started to miss this stuff! If you've never had tofu before, don't be scared of it. This dish is a good introduction to this healthy, versatile protein. I'll admit that it looks kind of funny when you take it out of the package, but when you cook it up, it looks like ground chicken or turkey, and it takes on the flavors you put it with. My husband and mother-in-law (carnivores and first time tofu-ers, mind you)  both enjoyed these wraps, tofu and all.

These lettuce wraps are delicious as an appetizer or light lunch, and they're super easy to throw together. Who says you can't have an appetizer just because it's a weeknight? Serve them with a noodle and veggie stir fry for a great Oriental meal. 

To make the lettuce wraps you'll need:

• 1 container of firm, hard, or extra firm/hard tofu (found in the produce section)
• about 1 1/2 cups of corn kernels (sorry, not pictured!)
• Romaine lettuce
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• ginger
• soy sauce
• sriracha sauce (pictured on the left here. It's found in the Asian section, near the soy sauce)
• chili powder

To start, drain the liquid from the tofu and place in a hot, nonstick skillet. Assuming you use a nonstick skillet, there's no need for oil because the tofu is plenty moist. Chop it with a spoon or spatula, then add the garlic. Next, peel the skin from about 1 inch of the ginger and use a fine grater to grate the ginger into the skillet. Give it a stir, and let it cook awhile until the tofu turns brown and the dish is fragrant.  

Starting to brown!

 Stir in the corn when the tofu is fairly brown.

When the corn is cooked and the tofu is even browner than before, reduce the heat to low and add about 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder, 1/4 of soy sauce, and a couple of squirts of sriracha (this stuff is really spicy, so go easy at first. You can add more later if you want an extra kick). Taste and adjust the spices.

After the spices and sauces are in, the whole thing takes on a lovely color and looks a lot like chicken.

 To serve, spoon the tofu/corn mixture onto romaine leaves and eat it like a Chinese taco. You can top it with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar to give it a little extra somethin'-somethin'.

Mmmm!

 Bon appetit!

What's for Breakfast?

Now that the school year is back in full swing, lots of us students and parents are back to rushing around in the morning trying to get everyone up, dressed, and equipped for the day, all while making the carpool on time. With all that bustle, it can be easy to forget about the most important meal of the day.

Breakfast is what kick-starts your metabolism and tells your body that there's not a famine, so it doesn't need to hang on to fat for the winter. Also, a healthy breakfast helps to keep you from craving those donuts at the office--if you start your day with plenty of micronutrients, fiber, and protein, you'll be a lot more likely to keep eating well for the rest of the day. I'd say it's worth making time for!

Here are a couple of ideas for quick, healthy breakfasts to keep everyone feeling full, fit, and ready to take on the day.

First up, one of my favorite breakfasts. Muesli! I can't believe I went 22 years without this. In case you don't know (I didn't until a few months ago), muesli is basically oats served cold in milk. I used to eat oatmeal hot, and I still do sometimes, but this is my new favorite. Maybe I'll go back to hot oats this winter, but for now, it's muesli for me! The best part is, you can mix up a whole bunch ahead of time and use it just like you would boxed cereal--but this is cheaper and better for you.

To make muesli you'll need:

• old fashioned, rolled oats (quick will get soggy)
• raisins
• nuts (cookie pieces)
• cinnamon
• nutmeg
• other options: dried cranberries or other dried fruits, ground flax seeds, brown sugar
• a container for storage if you don't want to mix each bowl individually. 

First, use your chosen container as a measure by filling 3/4 of it with oats. Now pour the oats into a large bowl. Pour in some raisins, nuts, seeds, or whatever you like, a generous amount of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. Give it a stir and transfer to your container for storage.

Oats, raisins, nuts, and cinnamon.

To serve, pour some of the mixture into a bowl, pour some of your favorite plant milk over it and let it soak for about ten minutes. 

 Allowing it to soak a bit lets the oats soften and get a little bit fluffy. I usually dish mine up, then go fix my hair. It's ready to eat when I'm finished.

See how it fluffs up?

                                        

Next, we've got a simple fruit smoothie, a banana and a little peanut butter.

 For this breakfast you'll need:

• frozen fruit
• your favorite plant milk (soy, almond, rice, coconut)
• natural peanut butter
• honey (optional)
• banana

It's so simple, I almost don't want to give instructions, but here it goes! I recommend an immersion blender (shown on the right in the above picture) for easier cleanup, but a regular blender will do just fine, too. 

Pour some of the frozen fruit into your blender or a large cup if you're using an immersion blender. Add some of your plant milk; you want it to cover about 1/3 of the fruit. Puree, then pour into a glass or a to-go cup if you're on the run. If you're serving your whole family, go ahead and make all the smoothies all at once; there's no need to make them one at a time.

I like to eat peanut butter in the mornings because it really keeps me full until lunchtime, so I'm not so tempted to indulge on processed food from the vending machine. Peanut butter is full of protein and healthy fats, but as with any fat, moderation is key. A serving size is 2 tablespoons, or about the size of a ping-pong ball. Just be sure check the label--the ingredients should be peanuts and maybe salt. No sugar, corn syrup, or hydrogenated oils. Some nut butters say "natural," but they have palm oil in them. Now, palm oil isn't bad in and of itself since it isn't hydrogenated or genetically modified like canola oil, but palm plantations for producing palm oil are responsible for the majority of the deforestation that is critically endangering orangutangs and other animals. So, let's avoid it!  

Anyway, about breakfast. Spoon out a serving of peanut butter, mix in a teaspoon of honey or two if you're so inclined, and enjoy it with your banana and smoothie. Here's a little tip: peel only half of the banana so you can put it on the table without using a plate. Fewer dishes to wash! 

The peanut butter can be mixed and dished the night before to save a little time.

Simple, filling, and delicious.

Good morning and bon appetit!