Vegan Pineapple Coconut Banana Bread

I've been jonesin' for some banana bread lately.  As luck would have it my mama had a whole bunch of brown bananas sitting on her counter that she was getting ready to toss.  Sweeping in to save them in my Apron Cape I gathered them up and took them home.

I had pineapple and coconut on the brain due to my indulgence this summer of piña coladas while pool side.  I put the three together and voilà Vegan Pineapple Coconut Banana Bread was born!

My first attempt at Vegan Banana Bread was a failure due to the honey.  Did you know honey is not considered vegan?  Why you ask?   

"Veganism is a way of living which excludes all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, the animal kingdom, and includes a reverence for life. It applies to the practice of living on the products of the plant kingdom to the exclusion of flesh, fish, fowl, eggs, honey, animal milk and its derivatives, and encourages the use of alternatives for all commodities derived wholly or in part from animals."

While I am no longer vegan due to the lure of bacon (did you know bacon is the gateway meat for a vegan?) I am all over this banana bread!  If you decide to make this banana bread you will smell the sweet sweet smell of vegan success and of course delicious banana bread!  

Vegan Pineapple Coconut Banana Bread
Yield one - 9x5-inch loaf

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Ingredients:

• 2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• generous pinch of ground ginger
• pinch of allspice
• 1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, pineapple, and oil and whisk briskly to incorporate.
3. Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in the coconut.
4. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar if you’d like.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Adapted from Joy the Baker

Almost Vegan Banana Bread

I've decided to open myself up to some new cooking/baking roads.  I just purchased a couple of Vegan and Vegetarian cookbooks!  We have been trying to cut red meat out of our diet as much as possible but we still eat chicken and fish.  But I have always been intrigued by the Vegetarian diet.  I have tried it a few times when I was much younger.  My friend Jennifer and I used to go through the Burger King drive thru and order a Whopper and have them replace the meat with onion rings.  Yeah, I completely think we invented that whole trend!  She stuck with it for about 10 years.  Not me....  I can really dig into a medium rare piece of steak like nobodies business.  But, then I feel like I have a big piece of meat in my belly and I don't like that feeling.  The hubby and I also don't react well to dairy.  I guess that's a sign of our getting old.  So, I'm going to be on a vegan/vegetarian kick for a while.  But first I have to use up all of my meat in my freezers.  Waste not want not!

The other day I made a banana bread and it was almost vegan.  My dear friend, Wendy over at Give Love Create Happiness checked out my recipe for me and gave me a little education on veganism.  This recipe calls for honey and honey is not vegan so you can substitute regular sugar or maple syrup for this recipe.

Banana Bread - Almost Vegan

by Deelicious Sweets

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Keywords: bake breakfast snack bread

6014940

Ingredients (serves 12)

• 3 very ripe bananas
• ½ cup honey - May be substituted with maple syrup or regular sugar for a true vegan
• 3 tablespoons expeller-pressed canola oil, plus a little more for oiling the loaf pan
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups whole-wheat pastry flour - I used organic
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans - I used walnuts but you don't have to use either.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350. Lightly oil a loaf pan.

Mash the bananas and mix with the honey, canola oil and vanilla extract.

Stir together the whole-wheat pastry flour, baking soda and salt. Add the nuts.

Blend the two mixtures and spoon into a lightly oiled loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, or until center is set.

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Servings: 1 slice

Calories:  200

Total Fat:  8.7 g

Cholesterol:  0 mg.

Sodium:  208.2 mg.

Protein:  2.5g.

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Adapted by Dr. Weil
~ Enjoy!

Where OH Where Has My Springtime Gone?

We woke up to a cold and gray day this morning.  I tried to stay in bed and avoid opening the blinds for as long as I could.  The strong winds blew in the cold front yesterday and it's here to stay for a while.  BOO HOO!  This cold gray day however didn't hinder me from continuing on with my spring menu that I had planned for the week.  Screw you Old Man Winter and your stubborn ways!

I smoked the house up again with the first recipe.  I also got blueberry bbq sauce all over the kitchen.  I am convinced that I am self sabotaging my spring cleaning that I did all day last Sunday.  Was it worth it?  It certainly was!

Grilled Pork Chops with Blueberry BBQ Sauce
Yield: 4 servings

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Ingredients for Blueberry BBQ Sauce:

• 1/2 minced shallots
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Ingredients for Pork Chops:

• 4 boneless pork chops

Instructions:

1. Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush grill grate with oil.
2. Saute shallots and jalapeno in oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat until soft, about 2 minutes. Add blueberries, vinegar, brown sugar, Dijon, garlic powder, and salt and simmer until sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes.
3. Transfer mixture to a blender (make sure you are really holding the lid down. Since it's hot, the lid will want to come off. Trust me!) or food processor; pulse until pureed. Return sauce to pan over medium-heat. Stir in lemon juice; simmer sauce 2 minutes more. Remove sauce from heat; set aside.
4. Grill pork, covered, until an instant-ready thermometer registers 155, about 6 minutes per side. Remove pork from grill and tent with foil; let rest 5 minutes. Serve pork with sauce on the side. If desired, brush some of the sauce over pork during final few minutes of grilling.

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Servings:  4

Calories:  352

Total Fat:  15 g

Cholesterol:  51 mg.

Sodium:  331 mg.

Protein:  21g.

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Coconut Corn Muffins

Coconut Corn Muffins

Yield: 8 muffins

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Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup lite-coconut milk
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375; coat a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
2. Combine cornmeal, four, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
3. Whisk coconut milk, egg white, and oil together in a small bowl. Pour wet ingredients into dry and add coconut and mix until just incorporated.
4. Scoop batter into 8 mini muffin cups and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 15 minutes.

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Servings: 8

Calories: 66

Total Fat:  4 g

Cholesterol:  0 mg.

Sodium:  131 mg.

Protein:  1g.

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Source: Cuisine Lite

~ Enjoy!

A New Year A New Idea - White Chili and Beer Bread

We decided to take it easy this year and stay in with the kids and celebrate the New Year here at home. That meant no hangovers for Mom and Dad this morning! Instead, I made dinner and we watched movies, which sounds absolutely delightful to me. So....you ask, what was for dinner? Let me share with you, and I'll share the recipe as well!