Molasses Oatmeal Banana Bread - Vegan Recipe

Oh Banana Bread... how we love you!  Since the kids were babies, Banana Bread of all sorts has been not only a staple in our kitchen but also a vehicle to pump healthy ingredients into the kids without them really knowing it.

I've gone so far as to add spinach and avocado to recipes (with success I might add!), but we keep returning to an old favorite recipe (and spinach-free version...) - Oatmeal Banana Bread with Molasses.

Tender and flavorful, we easily removed the dairy when my son became intolerant, but would the old recipe stand up to becoming "veganized"?  Absolutely.

The banana and oatmeal bring a tender moistness while the walnuts add a touch of texture.  But I think it's the molasses that kicks this recipe over the top with a rich pop of flavor that leaves you simply wanting more.

Fabulous fresh from the oven, we've been known to demolish an entire loaf before the last slice cools.  However if you can save enough for breakfast the next morning, a toasted slice slathered with peanut butter and topped with sliced banana is pure heaven.

Whether serving to your plant-based friends or not, this recipe may rise to the top of your most used recipes once you give it a go.  

Cheers my friends, here's to banana love!

Kim

Banana Apple Spice Bread... Pure Comfort!

What are some of the words of wisdom that you've passed to your kids over the years??  Things like, "Make good choices" or "If you don't have anything nice to say don't say it" or "Don't settle for someone who doesn't treat you like a Princess"... etc. etc.  Or how about, "Choose your senior yearbook photo carefully because 30 years from now the committee may put it on a name tag at your reunion."

The last piece of advice I learned firsthand last weekend when I attended my 30th (gasp!  Yes... 30th) High School Reunion.

We were the Class of '83, a time when Swatch's were used to tell time not cell phones, when The Moonwalk was cooler than Twerking, and when no one knew who Anakin Skywalker was but we all wanted an Ewok for a pet.

1983 also brought a young Tom Cruise to the scene in Risky Business, an awesome Vacation with Clark Griswald, and a flood of tears when watching Aurora in Terms of Endearment.  And "What a Feeling" it was to see Jennifer Beals in Flash Dance (yes... I had a shirt just like hers!).  I also wanted one of those Vegemite Sandwiches from a land "Down Under", and I really wanted to know... who was Billy Jean?

In any case... we've all come a long way, and what it treat it was to see nearly half of my graduating high school class.  With 30 years passing, those name tags really did come in handy as we all tried to covertly peek (not so easy without putting on those reading glasses we didn't want anyone to know we use) so we didn't seem to have forgotten anyone.

The girls were gorgeous and the men handsome as ever, and for the most part friends picked up where they left off at the last reunion.  At this point in our lives most of us are comfortable in our own skin and just happy to see old friends.  Laughter could be heard the whole night through and many of us had a hard time saying goodnight.

All this is a testament to our incredible reunion committee.  Putting in months of work so the rest of us could fly in at the last minute to enjoy a wonderful evening, the committee put together an incredible event.

Friends for over 35 years...  Love you Suzanne!!

Arriving on my own and admittedly a little nervous (would anyone really remember me?), the first face I saw immediately put me at ease with a big smile and a welcoming hug.  Thank you, thank you to the committee for all the work you put into the evening and for immediately making me feel comfortable.  Thanks to the wonderful friends I hadn't seen in years, I enjoyed catching up with each and every one of you... I'm eagerly looking forward to our 40th! How lucky am I to be a part of such a wonderful group of people??

And comfortable is exactly how this bread will make you feel.  Bringing the soothing flavors of fall, this Banana Apple Spice Bread studded with soft chunks of cinnamony apple will leave you with a smile on your face and a friend in anyone you choose share it with.

Whole Grain Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread

Autumn may have quietly crept into our San Diego world as we slept a few nights ago, but looking behind me, I see a stretch of claw marks as I do my best to hold on to my beloved summer.  This summer in particular, while it may not be quite as popular with many of the locals, has been a personal favorite of mine with its above average number of hot and somewhat sultry days.

Living near the coastline, many of our local homes (ours included) do not include air conditioning, and as such, temps in the mid-80's with humidity to match have many people moaning about the "extreme" weather.  I, however, have been waking with a smile with no jacket required.  I love living the day in tank tops and skirts and then leaving for the evening knowing a chill is not going to set in before I arrive home.

That being said, I'm not opposed to a staple of fall and a family favorite - pumpkin.  Actually, my pantry is stocked year round with cans of Trader Joe's canned pumpkin, and we often enjoy Pumpkin Pancakes or even Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls as treats in mid-July or over Spring Break.

Luckily, though my stash of pumpkin may be dwindling, we had enough to get us through, and.., shopping at TJ's yesterday brought a most welcome sight:

I'm still not admitting to the arrival of autumn, but I will admit to becoming just a little addicted to our carpool treat last week - the esteemed Pumpkin Banana Bread.  Filled with generous flavors of cinnamon and pumpkin, the bread follows a somewhat traditional path.  Add in a couple of those over-ripe bananas sitting on your counter, and you have a moist, tender bread that would be perfect as a fall treat if one were considering greeting the season with a welcome.  As we are still celebrating summer though, I'm proclaiming this bread the perfect back to summer school treat, just perfect for the lunchbox.

Double Chocolate Quick Bread with Cream Cheese and Peanut Butter Spread

Food styling and presentation have never been a strong suit of mine.  The family was lucky to get dinner on one plate, and hopefully the ingredients somehow worked together.  Making it look pretty?  Who has time for that?

Passing Liv Life's two year anniversary just yesterday, I took a moment to look back at my early photos and posts and, well... I've gotten better.  New camera equipment most definitely makes a difference, but presentation is what it's all about.

Presentation need not be fancy to be pretty, nor does it need expensive props or serving dishes.  Simplicity works well for me, but now I take a moment before setting the plate on the table to perhaps add a sprig of cilantro, to slice the avocado and then fan it out on top of the salad, or spoon the mango salsa nicely on the pork tenderloin rather than just dumping a spoonful on the side.

Hence, I've become somewhat protective of my kitchen creations before they have been photographed for the blog.  The family is now accustomed to asking, "Can I have some of this or do you still need to take a picture?" before diving into a plate of brownies or cookies.  They even occasionally offer suggestions for styling, and Liv has become quite adept at placing the perfect dollop of whipped cream atop nearly anything sweet.

With my protectiveness, you can imagine my surprise upon entering the kitchen where Liv and her girlfriend were working on their broadcasting claymation project.  There, I found one of my perfectly shaped, freshly baked and most importantly, non photographed Chocolate Bread Loaves had been turned into nothing less than a volcano complete with a peanut butter cream cheese lava in the middle of a candy world.  A slight miscommunication of "use whatever you need" had them indeed, using whatever they needed.

While I was lucky to have 2 remaining loaves pristine and waiting for their moment in the spotlight, I do have to admit that this delectable chocolate bread inspired by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito's Double Chocolate version from their awe inspiring book, Baked Explorations, did indeed make an ideal volcano.

Chocolate at its best, we "heathified" our version with the addition of spelt flour and the replacement of some of the oil with a nice, tangy yogurt.  Intense without being too sweet, it was the peanut butter/cream cheese spread that had me gushing and reaching for another slice.  While the spread also made a beautiful lava flow on the girls' volcano, I prefer mine spread ever so lightly across a nice warm piece of the chocolate chunk studded bread.

Cranberry-Nut Mini Loaves with Flax

A healthier holiday treat that would make a beautiful loaf to share with neighbors.

While the holiday season is in full swing, our personal life also has Liv's dance season going strong.  A number of days each week I fill my SUV with athletic girls decked out in candy cane striped socks and Santa hats with heavy bags filled assorted dance shoes over their shoulders as I transport them from school to the dance studio where they will spend the next 4 to 5 hours in intense dance rehearsals and technique classes.

They don't always make the best choices... :)

Fueling these girls is always a challenge.  With the amount of energy they expend each day additional calories are needed to keep their muscles strong and their growing bones growing.  Challenging them to make healthy choices rather than grabbing packaged goods has me always on the lookout for homemade granola bars filled with protein rich nuts, fruit smoothies supplemented with vitamins and handfuls of spinach (though I don't always tell them I add the spinach) as well as other easy to grab yet healthy snacks.

Eating Well has once again come to our rescue with this low fat, grain and nut filled bread all put together with a holiday flair.  Those cranberries you stocked up on and stashed in your freezer find themselves featured in these mini loaves while orange juice and peel bring bright flavors to the whole wheat and spelt flours used to bind it all together.  Still high in sugar, the loaf was healthy enough after a balanced lunch to make me feel good about serving it to the girls and they had no problems polishing off the plate.

On a side note, not only the kids loved this bread.  My husband was just on his way to work as the bread came out of the oven and I sliced and wrapped a loaf up for him to take to "the office".  He texted shortly after he arrived that the loaf took nearly 84 seconds to disappear having some of the guys asking if he had indeed brought any more.

With happy girls and happy guys, I'd say this bread passed all tests and will happily remain in our snacking rotation.  Good thing my freezer has a cranberry section.