Special Blueberry Banana Bread

This banana bread was one of the two desserts I made for Mother's Day. I found it at Gluten Free Vegan Girl. My mom loved it and my sister and I agreed that it would be great for breakfast. Of course, the only one I shared the secret ingredient with was my mom. I have used tofu in vegan frosting before and it really does make for a nice texture (you can't taste it - promise). This bread is vegan, gluten-free and has no added sugar - the sweetness comes from the bananas and blueberries, but it's only mildly sweet. I doubled recipe (per below) and I think that was the perfect amount for a loaf pan and it still cut and served easily.

Special Blueberry Banana Bread

How I Did It:

4 ripe bananas

300 grams silken tofu

2 cups of rolled oats

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a bread pan with canola oil.

2. With a potato masher, mash together the bananas and tofu in a bowl.

3. In a food processor, grind the oats into oat flour. Pour into the banana/tofu mix along with the baking powder. Stir to combine.

4. Pour into prepared bread pan and spread out evenly. One at a time, push blueberries into the batter.

5. Bake for about an hour or until it doesn't jiggle when you shake the pan and it is cooked through (will remain very moist).

6. Store covered and refrigerated. 

Raspberry and (White, Dark, and Milk) Chocolate Cheesecake

Who doesn't like cheesecake? After not having it for awhile I often think I could take it or leave it...and then I have a bite and remember its creamy deliciousness. This was my first attempt at a real cheesecake and it turned out pretty well. For my first time I wasn't going to try to make something up myself and after much searching around to find what I wanted, I found this recipe from Sweet Anna's. I couldn't have hoped for a better first cheesecake. Or second....or third. It was excellent. Making the raspberry sauce proved to be much more of a pain than I was expecting and I think I would try to avoid that in the future. This definitely doesn't need the chocolate topping for either looks or taste, but it's a great addition.

Raspberry and Chocolate Cheesecake
How I Did It:

Raspberry Sauce
1 (10oz) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water

Chocolate Crust
25 Oreos, crushed
1/4 cup melted butter

Cheesecake filling
2 cups chopped good quality white chocolate
1/2 cup half & half
3 (8oz each) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Chocolate ganache topping
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips


1. In a saucepan on combine raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil, making sure to stir occasionally.

2. Pour through a fine strainer to remove the seeds (it's okay if there are some left) and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

3. Preheat the oven to 350. In a bowl, mix together butter and crushed Oreos until well combined. Press into the bottom of your Springform pan.

4. Bake crust for about 10 minutes, or until set. Remove and set aside.

5. Reduce heat to 325.

6. In a saucepan heat and just before it starts simmering remove from the heat and stir in the white chocolate until smooth. Set aside.

7. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. One at a time beat in the eggs, making sure each is well combined. Beat in the salt, vanilla, and the white chocolate mixture.

8. Wrap the outside of the Springform pan tightly with aluminum foil. Place a jellyroll pan (or roasting pan if you have it) in the oven and getting some water boiling on the stove (for you water bath).

9. Pour half of the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Sprinkle the milk chocolate chips evenly over the filling and then drizzle 5 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce on top of that. With the tip of a butter knife, swirl the sauce.

10. Pour the rest of the filling over the chocolate chips and raspberry sauce and then drizzle another 5 tablespoons of the raspberry sauce on top and swirl it again.

11. Place the uncooked cheesecake in the center or the jellyroll/roasting pan. Carefully pour the boiling water in the jelly roll or roasting pan. If using a jellyroll pan, fill to the top. Otherwise, fill with enough water to reach halfway up the Springform pan.

12. Bake the cheesecake for about an hour until the center looks set, but still jiggles a little if you shake the pan. Remove from the oven and let the cheesecake sit in the hot water for another half hour.

13. Continue to cool (still in the Springform pan) on a cooling rack. Once at room temperature, place in the refrigerator to continue to set and chill for at least 3 hours.

14. While the cheesecake is chilling, you can make the ganache. In a double boiler, combine the heavy cream and chocolate chips. Stir occasionally and remove from heat once smooth. Let cool, continuing to still occasionally to keep the smooth texture.

15. Pour the ganache over the top of the cooled cheesecake, letting some drip down the sides. Return to the refrigerator for another 3 hours or so to let the ganache set.

Remember to store any leftovers in the refrigerator.

Banana Berry Smoothie

What's better than a cold fresh fruit smoothie on a really hot day...or even on an unseasonably warm fall day? I have been playing with different variations and right now this is my favorite. It's so easy - there's really no excuse not to make it. Sometimes I put it right into a glass and sometimes I put it in a bowl and stick it in the freezer for a bit and pretend it's ice cream. Either way, it's delightful and satisfying to the point that I don't even care that I'm not eating dairy or chocolate. Yeah, I said it. If you are craving chocolate, try this banana chocolate ice cream.

Banana Berry Smoothie
How I Did It:

1 frozen banana
7 frozen strawberries
1/8 cup frozen blueberries
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ground flax seeds (optional)

1.  Break up frozen banana into a few chunk and grind up in the food processor. Add in strawberries and blueberries.

2.  Once the fruit is all finely chopped up, add in milk of choice, vanilla, and flax seeds and process until well combined and smooth.

3. Enjoy!

Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal with Nuts

I was really craving a tasty breakfast and the question was how to make a tasty breakfast somewhat healthy and keep me full for a decent amount of time. Well, I have grown quite attached to steel cut oatmeal for its hearty taste and ability to keep me satisfied through the morning. My only real plan was to add blueberries and the rest I just made up as I went along. It turned out so great I had to make record of it. Such great flavor and texture -wow. And one small serving was really filling - and more importantly kept me full!

Blueberry Steel Cut Oatmeal with Nuts
How I Did It

(serves one)

1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup steel cut oats
3/4 tsp flaxseed meal
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 tbsp milk/soy milk/almond milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp brown sugar
1/8 cup toasted slivered almonds
1/8 cup toasted chopped pecans

1. In a small sauce pot, bring water to a boil, reduce to medium heat and add oats and flaxseed meal. Wait about 5 minutes and then add the blueberries.

2. When water is almost absorbed add milk, spices and sugar and mix well.

3. When ready, turn off heat and stir in the toasted almonds and pecans.