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. 

Hearty Apple Pecan Cake

My favorite desserts (after those with chocolate) are apple desserts. From the simple apple sauce and caramelized apples to fritters, crisps, bars and pies...cooked apples just make everything better. I am the person who always replaces walnuts with pecans in recipes. Same crunch with better flavor (walnuts are just so borrring)! So you can see how when I saw this "breakfast cake" at Oh She Glows I had to try it out. 

I used more apple and apple sauce than she did and I would do the same if I made it again. Maybe I should say when I make it again. Since I'm not vegan, I used honey instead of maple syrup since I prefer that flavor (the extra apple sauce helped moisten up the batter enough). I had it for breakfast this morning and between the whole wheat flour and the pecans, it really kept me full and satisfied until I was ready to eat again (I had slightly more than shown below).

Hearty Apple Pecan Cake

How I Did It:

1 cup pecans, chopped

3 apples, peeled and chopped

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 buttery spread, melted and cooled

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 + 1/8 cup +1 tbsp honey (to make this vegan, use maple syrup)

2 single serving no sugar added apple sauce cups

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 8x8 casserole dish and then spread 1 tbsp of the honey along the bottom. You will really have to rub it around as it does not spread as well as maple syrup.

2. Cover the bottom of the dish with a full layer of the chopped apples and slightly under 1/2 cup of pecans. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. In a separate bowl mix together the spread, vanilla, remaining honey, and apple sauce.

5. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry. Spread half on top of the apples and pecans. Add another layer of apples and pecans on top, reserving some to sprinkle the top with. Spread the rest of the batter on top and then the remaining apples and pecans on top of that. Press down lightly on the apples and pecans. 

6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let sit until just warm before cutting. Store any remaining in the refrigerator.

Fruit and Nut Whole Wheat Bread

I am always drawn towards bread with fruit in it for some reason. Not for sandwiches of course, but it is so nice with breakfast or as a quick snack. I found this a recipe for healthy breakfast bread at Spoonful of Sugar Free and have been wanting to try it out for a while. I made a few modifications, but her idea was great and the bread is fantastic. Very hearty and healthy tasting and definitely quite filling! It was great right out of the oven, but since then I have been just slicing off pieces and eating them cold. Maybe I will try toasting a piece, but it definitely doesn't need butter/spread or honey. 

Fruit and Nut Whole Wheat Bread

How I did it:

2 apples, chopped and peeled
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup dried apricots, thickly chopped
1/4 cup dates, thickly chopped
1/4 cup dates, chopped into small pieces
1/8 cup dried apple slices, chopped
3/4 cup nuts, chopped (almonds and pecans)
1 1/8 cup water
topping:
1/4 cup rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a bread pan and set aside.

2. Pour 1/8 cup water in a medium frying pan and add in the chopped apples. Leave covered until apples begin to soften and then mash with a potato masher until it looks like fresh apple sauce (leave some apple chunks remaining). Take off the heat and set aside.

3. Pour 1 cup of rolled oats into a food processor until the oats turn into a fine powder. Transfer to a mixing bowl and combine with whole wheat flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and flaxseed meal. Once well combined, mix in 1 cup of water and the apple sauce. Stir in the dried fruit and nuts and make sure they are well distributed throughout.

4. Pour into prepared bread pan evenly. Sprinkle oats on top and lightly press down. Cook for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out (almost) clean.