Cookie Butter Banana Bread {vegan}

Cookie Butter aka Speculoos aka Biscoff Spread is quite possibly the most amazing “butter” ever invented. Slathering some cookie butter on bananas is a scrumptious snack. Banana bread is the best quick bread as far as I’m concerned. So, cookie butter banana bread was an obvious choice for me. This is the.best.banana.bread.EVER! Not even kidding.

** Edited to add: It was brought to my attention by a reader that Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter is NOT vegan. However, Biscoff Spread IS vegan, I suggest using Biscoff for this and any other “cookie butter” recipe.**

Trader Joe’s also has a list of all their vegan products here.

Cookie Butter Banana Bread
Adapted from Better Banana Bread by neverhomemaker

Ingredients:

•  3 brown spotted bananas, medium
  
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 1/2 cup plain almond milk, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup cookie butter (I used Trader Joe’s Speculoos Cookie Butter)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup unbleached bread flour
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• Pinch salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a loaf pan and set aside.
2. Mash the bananas and set aside.
3. Mix together the flax meal with almond milk, set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, cookie butter, applesauce, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Add in the flax meal mixture and bananas.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add the dry ingredients to the wet using a spatula and mix until just combined. Do not over mix!
7. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.
8. Remove loaf from oven and check for doneness. If needed, return to oven for up to 15 minutes.
9. Let cool in loaf pan, then transfer to a wire rack to finish.
10. Slice and enjoy with a pat of vegan butter such as Earth Balance.

Have you tried cookie butter yet? What’s your favorite way to enjoy cookie butter? I like mine pretty much anyway I can get it, preferably right from the jar on a spoon into my mouth!

Magic Mushroom Soup and Gravy {vegan}

No, no, not that kind of magic mushroom!
I have made this soup numerous times, tweaking and adjusting each time, until I felt that I have finally found the perfect recipe. You will find that this soup is magical because it can also be used as a gravy, simply reduce the amount of liquid you add.

I’ve made this as a gravy and poured it over millet for a hearty winter-y meal, though any grain such as brown rice or quinoa would work wonderfully as well. This magical soup & gravy is a great vessel for greens too. I’ve used both kale and spinach successfully, you could use collards or chard, if that is your preference, simply add the greens in at the end of cooking.

Ingredients:
Adapted from New York in Green
Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1 small onion; chopped
• 1 (4 oz.) container of wild bunch mushrooms (shiitake, cremini, oyster), sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (8 oz.) container of button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/8-1/4 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (add amount based on your preferred saltiness)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary**, chopped
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups unsweetened plain almond milk
  

Method:

• Sauté the onions in a little oil until they are soft and translucent, I used coconut oil.
• Add in all of the mushroom slices. Cook them down for several minutes; then add the Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, rosemary, lemon pepper, and paprika.
• Once the mushrooms are cooked down,stir in your flour. Do this quickly and once it is in don’t delay, stir it to ensure to no clumps form, creating a mushroom paste.
• Add in the stock once you get your paste at an even consistency, about 1/2 cup at a time. Bring the mixture up to a simmer.
• Keep adding the stock,1/2 cup at a time, bringing to a simmer each. Follow the same procedure with the almond milk, adding 1/2 cup at a time. Be careful always to only bring to a simmer, never to a boil. If the soup boils, it will “break” – the flour will separate from the oil it has bonded to, and each will float at the surface of your soup in weird little bubble pods instead of infusing it and making it creamy.
• Once all four cups of liquid have been added, let the pot simmer (simmer not boil!) for ten to fifteen minutes.
• Turn off heat; let sit five to ten minutes before serving.
  

**If you have dried dill, I highly recommend you try using it instead of the rosemary. Both will work beautifully, but I prefer the dill to the rosemary.**

Are you a mushroom fan? I love mushrooms. I will eat them any way I can get them, but this soup has become a favorite.

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Maple Sunbutter Granola

I am a huge fan of granola, I eat it not only for breakfast, but as a snack, or lunch and sometimes even for dinner. I’ve also been known to eat it by the handful right out the jar!

The combination of ingredients is endless and you can combine your favorites to come up with millions of possibilities.

I used the Sunflower Seed Butter that I made last week for this particular granola. I am a big fan of Livvy from 86Lemons and I found her recipe for Maple Sunbutter Granola shortly after I made my sunflower seed butter. Seemed like fate to me!

In the past I’ve made the full version of recipes only to have a lot go to waste before I can eat it all, so I decided to only make a half batch of this granola. I had no trouble wolfing this down within a few days, so next time I will be sure to make the full four cups!

Ingredients:
Makes 2 cups

• 1 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/8 cup flaxseed seed meal
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
• 1/8 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/8 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/8 cup Sunflower Seed Butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life Brand)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with oil. In a large bowl, combine the oats, flax meal, salt, coconut flakes, and sunflower seeds, and mix well.
2. Place the maple syrup and Sunflower Seed Butter in a small microwaveable bowl (such as a glass Pyrex measuring cup with a pour spout) and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add in the vanilla and mix together thoroughly.
3. Pour the maple and Sunflower Seed Butter mixture over the oats and stir to combine.
4. Spread the granola onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until golden color, stirring halfway through cooking time.
5. If you decide to add dried fruit, you can stir this into the granola when it has cooled. This prevents the dried fruit from burning or drying out too much. Enjoy!

Have you ever made your own granola? What’s your favorite way to eat it? I like mine with almond milk.