No Sugar Banana Bread

I've been working on cutting out sugar this year, so my baking tools have been collecting dust. Until Friday, that is, when I saw some sad, over-ripe bananas sitting on the kitchen counter, asking to be made into banana bread. I'm not sure why they weren't asking to be frozen for smoothies, but they just weren't.

I'd been wanting to experiment a little with dates, so I figured that this was the perfect time. This recipe is adapted from the Post Punk Kitchen, and the whole family agreed that it turned out great!

No Sugar Banana Bread

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup pitted dates
1/2 cup Earth Balance
3 very ripe bananas (mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix the vinegar into the almond milk, and set aside.

3. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice and salt.

4. Combine almond milk mixture and dates in a blender, and process until smooth.

5. Cream the Earth Balance until smooth, then add the milk/date mixture, bananas and vanilla. Mix until well combined.

6. Add the dry ingredients into the wet, and mix well.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes.

Chocolate Chia Pudding

It seems that chia may be my new obsession - and I only tried it for the first time today. Actually, it was the second time, but I'm choosing to forget my first chia experience because it was terrible. (In my opinion, there are certain places that chia doesn't belong - and kombucha is definitely one of them.)

Putting that experience behind me, I decided to give chia another try after reading about chia breakfast porridge on my friend Gretchen's blog. I winged it with my own porridge recipe (coming soon!) this morning  but will be trying hers tomorrow for the kids.

Tonight, I still couldn't get chia off my mind, and I kept thinking that it would make a pretty good pudding. Turns out that it does! Keep in mind that I haven't had any traditional type of pudding in years, so my "pretty good" is coming from a different point of view. If your kids are used to Jello pudding, this one probably won't cut it. Mine thought it was great though, and I love that they're eating something healthy and thinking it's dessert!

Chocolate Chia Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup almond milk
3 tablespoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
4 fresh dates

Directions:
Mix together almond milk, chia seeds, vanilla extract and cocoa powder, and set aside to soak for at least 10 minutes (longer is fine). Pour chia mixture into a strong blender or food processor, add dates and process until very smooth. Served chilled.

Fun Food Friday - Little Sprout's Happy Birthday Hafla

Last year, when she turned four, Little Sprout didn't really want a birthday party and instead preferred to celebrate with a few close friends. I put together a spa party at the house (think pedicures, facial masks and cucumber slices on the eyes), and afterwards, we all went for tea. It was a wonderful day, and she loved every minute.

A year later, for her fifth birthday, she requested the same type of party but "at the spa, not at the house. And with massages." Cute, right? But of course the answer was "no" (although I've made a mental note of it as a possibility for one of my future birthdays)! As a second choice, we decided on a bellydance birthday - and it turned out great.

Apparently past her introverted stage, she invited all her friends to join her at the house for a class with her bellydance teacher, Miss Brooklynn. Twenty little girls shimmied around the house while the boys went on a spy mission to the playground, then everyone enjoyed snacks and cake.

I really enjoyed creating a vegan menu of kid-friendly food with a Middle Eastern feel, and of course, Little Sprout loved her magic carpet cake. Since I don't have any artistic talent whatsoever, I baked four giant rectangular cakes and whipped up some buttercream, then my mom transformed them into an awesome magic carpet. Our other challenge is that we don't use food dye, so I colored the frosting with turmeric to get the nice yellow hue and juiced blackberries, beets and spinach to giver her purple, red and green "paints" to decorate with.

Here's a peek at our menu.

Fresh Fruit Salad

Olive & Veggie Plate

Pita Triangles with Hummus

Moroccan Millet Salad

Cheesy Chickpea Salad

Cashew Cheese Logs with Crackers

PB&J Sandwich Triangles

Moroccan Mint Tea

Sparkling Fruit Punch

Magic Carpet Cake

Yikes! Did I really make that much food??? Surprisingly, we had almost no leftovers, except for the cake (I converted a cupcake recipe and made the equivalent of 9 dozen cupcakes!!!) I've promised the Moroccan Millet Salad recipe to a few people, so I'll be sharing that soon.

We all had an amazing time celebrating her birthday and although it entailed a lot of cooking, I'm happy that we pulled off kid-approved party food that fit both our theme and our dietary requirements.

Fun Food Friday - Sweet & Salty Snack Mixes

This is one of those recipes gone awry, but it still turned out pretty tasty! I'm always looking for ways to get more nuts and seeds into the Sprouts' diets, so last week, I roasted some seeds and slivered almonds with a little agave and sea salt. But instead of having a trail mix or granola type texture, it hardened together and I had to break it up into little chunks (still yummy!)

This week, I decided to go with the stickiness and try to make granola bars out of it. Well, wouldn't you know that I couldn't get it to stick together and it ended up with the trail mix/granola consistency I'd originally been aiming for? The Sprouts were a little bummed since I've been talking about making granola bars all week, but they absolutely loved the snack anyway.

Here are the recipes for both variations we tried.

Oatmeal Raisin Snack Mix

Ingredients:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw slivered almonds
1 cup quick oats
1 cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)
1/4 cup agave nectar

Preparation:
Combine all dry ingredients (through salt) and stir until well combined. Add agave, then stir again. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until almonds begin to brown. Sprinkle with a little extra salt (to taste), stir well and cool in pans or on wax paper.


Cacao-Coconut Snack Mix 

Ingredients:
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw slivered almonds
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raw cacao nibs
1/2 teaspoon salt (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top)1/4 cup agave nectar

Preparation:
Combine all dry ingredients (through salt) and stir until well combined. Add agave, then stir again. Spread mixture onto a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until almonds begin to brown. Let cool slightly, then sprinkle with a little extra salt (to taste). Add cacao nibs, and stir well. Cool in pans or on wax paper.

Sweet on Sunday: Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Where have I been the last few days? Not eating these gluten-free cupcakes, I assure you - they didn't last long enough. Although they had a distinctly different taste from a cupcake made with wheat flour, they really were delicious. I made them for a party on Wednesday and have been overwhelmed with busy days ever since. So just in time for Sweet on Sunday, here is the recipe.

Gluten-Free Vanilla Cupcakes

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup quinoa

1/2 cup brown rice

2 tablespoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet Ingredients:

1 cup almond milk

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup canola oil

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine almond milk and vinegar. 

2. Place quinoa and rice in Vitamix or other high-speed blender, and process until it has the consistency of flour. Transfer the flour to a large bowl, and whisk in remaining dry ingredients.

3. Add remaining wet ingredients to the milk/vinegar mixture, and beat with an electric mixer until frothy. 

4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix well with the electric mixer. 

5. Using a muffin tin lined with cupcake liners, fill each liner 2/3 full of batter. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until cupcakes are golden. When cooled, top with your favorite frosting (I used a simple chocolate ganache).

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Adventures in Gluten-Free Baking

Well, I thought my first attempt at gluten-free baking was going to be a total flop - literally, my cupcakes had fallen and were pretty sorry looking when I pulled them out of the oven. But apparently, there's nothing you can't fix with ganache.

A few coats of melted chocolate-y goodness and they look pretty respectable. I haven't sampled one, but Jim said they're delicious. Not bad considering I have no idea what I'm doing and decided to wing it rather than using a recipe. I ground up some brown rice and quinoa (which at the time, I thought was millet) in the Vitamix and used that as my flour. The full recipe will be coming this week for Sweet on Sunday.

Salad Dressing Recipe: Oil-Free Agave Mustard

I've been on quite a roll with salad dressings lately, which is a huge thing for me since historically, I've had more kitchen disasters with homemade dressings than any other type of food. I've tried a few agave mustard recipes in the past few months that have turned out to be delicious, but I just can't get over the quantity of oil required (1 cup for most recipes!) Since I've learned a few tricks about oil-free dressings lately, I decided to try own, and I'm happy with how it came out.


Oil-Free Agave Mustard Dressing

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup cashews
1/4 dijon mustard
1/4 agave
3 tablespoons vinegar

Preparation:
Soak cashews in water for a few hours (or soak them in warm water for about 10 minutes), then drain. Combine all ingredients in blender, and process until smooth. This definitely thickens as it sits, so if it's a little runny when you make it, it will be perfect after sitting in the fridge overnight!

Sprout Ratings:
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 4.5 sprouts

Sweet on Sunday - Iced Oatmeal Cookies

As far as vegan cooking goes, I've found baking to be by far the easiest - too easy, in fact. Don't get me wrong, it's all easy once to develop your repertoire of favorites, but the baking is, literally, a piece of cake. People are often astonished that it's possible to whip up moist, delicious baked goods without eggs or butter, but it's one area where I can guarantee you'll never feel like anything is missing.

That said, a vegan cookie is still a cookie . . . tasty and delicious, but something we try to save for special occasions. As hard as I may try, I will never figure out how to make one that's the nutritional equivalent of a salad . . . but these Iced Oatmeal Cookies from the February 2010 Vegetarian Times really are a step in the right direction.

Using oat flour and oats as the base, they contain no wheat flour and only 3/4 cup of sugar for the whole recipe. In addition, the applesauce reduces the fat, so the recipe only requires 2 tablespoons of vegan butter. The icing, of course, is another story . . . I just drizzle really lightly and try not to think about it.

Sweet on Sunday - Valentine's Treats

We typically go "underboard" for Valentine's day - homemade cards and time together rather than big boxes of chocolate or expensive gifts . . . but still, there are bound to be a few treats sprinkled in along the way. This year, we planned two baking projects - heart-shaped cookies for an afternoon tea with Grandma and strawberry shortcake cupcakes for our Odyssey team.

The cookies are based on the lemon cookies from Vegan with a Vengeance - I just left out the lemon zest. It's what I always use for my basic sugar cookie recipe, and they are delicious! Little Sprout helped me roll out the dough and cut out the hearts, and both Sprouts handled the decorating.

The cupcakes are the basic Vanilla Cupcake from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I squirted some raspberry preserves into each one, then spread each one with frosting. Little Sprout added the "heart-like" strawberry halves.

The frosting required a little improvisation . . . usually I use the basic buttercream from Vegan Cupcakes, but it calls for 1/2 cup of each Earth Balance and vegan shortening, and I had no shortening. Instead, I used 1 cup of Earth Balance, left out the vanilla and replaced the soy milk with 1/4 cup of pureed strawberries. It wasn't as fluffy as usual, so I decided to spread it on rather than pipe it on . . . and ended up with just enough for the cupcakes and all the cookies.

I'm not going to post Sprout Ratings because . . . hey, they're cookies and cupcakes. Five Sprouts all around!

Sweet on Sunday - Game Day Football Cookies

Okay, I'm starting this post with full disclosure . . . I couldn't care less about the Superbowl, football or for that matter, sports in general. I know this is a pretty unpopular viewpoint, but I just had to get it out there. For me, there is way too little time in life to pursue my own interests that I just can't bring myself to spend any amount of time watching others pursue theirs. Except when they're related to me, of course.

That said, Jim woke up this morning and said "Let's go watch the Superbowl tonight!", which came as a complete surprise to someone who didn't even know that the Superbowl was today. So we're going to my mom's, and I'm considering it a nice visit with my mom during which the TV just happens to be on. Oh, and I'm taking three loads of laundry to fold in the process.

My lack of enthusiasm, however, didn't stop me from using it as an excuse to bake . . . after all, we can't show up empty-handed (yes, I know that technically we could, but work with me here!) Actually, the thought hadn't even entered my mind until I stumbled across this adorable recipe for Game Day Football Cookies.

Although I'm usually pretty good at making food taste good, making it look good is another story. I'm not crafty and artistic in any way, but these were simple enough that I couldn't screw them up. Oh, and you can't see it in the picture, but they're actually dipped in chocolate on the bottom as well. They look adorable, taste delicious and certainly won't last through the night.

To all you sports fans out there, enjoy the game!

Kids in the Kitchen - Maple Pecan Cookies

Today I baked cookies. The cookbook was Vegan with a Vengeance in the cookie section. They're called Maple Walnut Cookies. We had most of the ingredients, and we only had two to buy - maple syrup and walnuts. And we also got a little extra pure vanilla extract.

Well this time I did it with no help, and my sister even tried to give it over 2000 sprouts. You mix all the ingredients together and then you put them on a cookie sheet with a tablespoon. Put them two inches away from each other and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

They were really good, and everybody loved them!

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Sweet on Sunday - Banana Split Sundaes

As I've mentioned, my kids certainly aren't kale-loving creatures by nature. We foster good habits through a healthy plant-based diet, but they definitely love treats from time to time (or as often as I'll allow). Fortunately, I've found many healthier ways to indulge their sweet tooth - although you'll probably get plenty of traditional treats in here as well.

It may not look it, but this is the healthier version of last week's Banana Splits - yes, really. The only sugar is in the chocolate sauce, and the kids loved these just as much. We had company that evening, so this recipe serves a lot. I'd half it if you're just serving one family.

Banana Split Sundaes

Ingredients
8 bananas (roughly chopped and frozen)
1 1/2 cups banana (sliced and fresh)
1 1/2 cups strawberries
5 oz. vegan chocolate (I used semi-sweet baking chocolate)
2 tablespoons almond milk (more if you don't have a high-speed blender)
1/2 cup peanuts, chopped

Preparation

1. First, prepare the "ice cream" by blending the frozen bananas. If you have a Vita-mix or other high-speed blender, you can use just bananas and push them into the blades with the tamper. In a regular blender, add just enough almond milk to turn the blades.

Note: The ice cream will come have a soft-serve consistently. If you like a firmer ice cream, make it ahead of time and freeze until it becomes more solid.

2. Next, prepare the chocolate sauce. Melt the chocolate and 2 tablespoons of almond milk in a saucepan, stirring frequently. This will make a smooth sauce that will stay soft when served. If you prefer the chocolate to solidify once you put it on the ice cream (Magic Shell style), omit the almond milk and use just the melted chocolate.

3. Put it all together! Split the ice cream between 8 bowls, then top each one evenly with bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce and peanuts.

Sprout Ratings


Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts
Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts
Daddy Sprout - Out for a boy's night and didn't get to try it

Sweet on Sunday - Banana Splits

As I've mentioned, my kids certainly aren't kale-loving creatures by nature. We foster good habits through a healthy plant-based diet, but they definitely love treats from time to time (or as often as I'll allow). Fortunately, I've found many healthier ways to indulge their sweet tooth - although you'll probably get plenty of traditional treats in here as well.

So I'm not sure how the kids know about banana splits, but they've been talking about them recently. And as I admitted to Jim tonight, I'm not sure I've ever had one, much less made one. But tonight I gave it a shot and they turned out great! We had leftovers, so I'm going to guess that it would easily serve six.

FYI, the healthier version of this recipe, the Banana Split Sundae, is coming next Sunday!

Banana Splits

Ingredients

1 recipe Strawberry Ice Cream

6 bananas

4 ounces vegan chocolate, melted (I used semi-sweet baking squares)

1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped

Preparation

Half bananas lengthwise, and place two halves in each bowl. Top with ice cream, melted chocolate and peanuts (divided equally between each dish). Enjoy!

Sprout Ratings

Big Sprout - 5 sprouts

Little Sprout - 5 sprouts

Mama Sprout - 5 sprouts

Daddy Sprout - 5 sprouts

Sweet on Sunday - Strawberry Ice Cream

As I've mentioned, my kids certainly aren't kale-loving creatures by nature. We foster good habits through a healthy plant-based diet, but they definitely love treats from time to time (or as often as I'll allow). Fortunately, I've found many healthier ways to indulge their sweet tooth - although you'll probably get plenty of traditional treats in here as well.

Okay, so this part of this week's dessert is not the healthiest . . . even vegan ice cream is still ice cream, after all. But, we try to strike a balance between sticking to a healthy everyday diet and still enjoying an occasional treat.

I haven't made ice cream in months and the kids have been asking for it, so I decided to make strawberry ice cream this week. It went perfectly with the dessert I had planned this week - Banana Splits - and we still have some left for the Sprouts to enjoy in the next few days.

Strawberry Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 can coconut milk

6 oz. firm silken tofu

1 cup frozen strawberries

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Preparation

Combine all ingredients in blender, then prepare according to your ice cream maker's directions.

If you don't have an ice cream maker, you can pour the blended ice cream mixture into a shallow dish and freeze for 1-2 hours until firm. That's actually what I ended up doing tonight since I didn't have the ice cream maker chilled and ready to use.

Both methods make a soft-serve style ice cream. If you want it firmer, just freeze until it reaches the desired consistency.

Whole Food Hot Chocolate

If your family is anything like ours, you totally overdid it on the sweets this holiday season. And somehow, going back to our "regular diet" seems like a drastic change and magnifies the post-holiday blues just a little bit. 

While I'm happy to be back to healthy eating, I think the rest of the family is in a small state of shock from going from sugary sweets to salad-y eats overnight. So last night I whipped up some hot chocolate to put us all back in the holiday mood - if only for a few minutes.

Here's our favorite dairy-free, sugar-free hot chocolate - and I promise that it's not "free" of taste. This works best with a Vitamix or other high-speed blender, but if you don't have one, I imagine you can blend it all in your blender, then heat it on the stove top.

Favorite Holiday Hot Chocolate 

Ingredients:  

3 cups almond milk (feel free to sub your favorite milk here)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

10 pitted dates (maybe a few more if you like it really sweet)

Dash of salt

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in blender, and process until steam comes out the top.

Yep, it's that easy. Have I mentioned how much I love my Vitamix??? This recipe makes enough for the four of us - two adults and two kids - so tweak as needed to suit your family.

Sprout Ratings
Big Sprout - 5 sprouts
Little Sprout - 5 sprouts