Healthy Pumpkin Bread!

Fall in Missouri is beautiful...changing leaves, clear blue skies, crisp breezes....and that means it's definitely that time of year again: time for pumpkin-y baked goods!! I modified this recipe from a Babycakes NYC recipe for banana bread, since I wanted to make a pumpkin bread that was free of refined sugars, refined oils, and refined flours. I think I succeeded--it tastes amazing! Especially slathered with homemade apple butter and/or almond butter!

I processed my own pumpkin that I got at the farmers' market (see how to do it yourself here!) but you can use canned pumpkin if you like...try to get organic if possible, though!Super Healthy Vegan Pumpkin Bread (gluten-free, soy-free, sugar-free)
Modified from Babycakes NYC recipe

2 1/2 cups gluten free all-purpose flour (or whole wheat pastry flour if you like)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp xantham gum (use tapioca or arrowroot if unavailable)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 c coconut oil, melted
2/3 cup agave nectar
2/3 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbs ground flaxseed + 2 Tbs warm water
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly oil a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour through cloves). Create a well in the center of the bowl and add in the wet ingredients. Whisk the wet ingredients together and incorporate into the dry ingredients, until completely mixed. Fold in the walnuts.
Pour into the oiled loaf pan; the batter is thick, so use a spoon to press the batter all the way down into the pan and ensure all air bubbles are pushed out. Smooth the top and sprinkle with extra cinnamon and walnuts if desired.
Bake for 30 minutes, rotate pan 180 degrees in the oven, and bake 20 more minutes, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean and the bread springs back slightly when touched.
Let cool in the pan at least 30 minutes before removing.

This Week in Sustainability...

Yesterday's Sustainability Sunday was a HUGE success! Dane and I both had tons of people come out to our supper clubs, and the KC Vegan Crawl made yet another mark on the midwest! Yay!

At my place for lunch, I made everyone's favorite: Brunch!!

My Lemon-Ginger Scones! A big, big hit! The recipe is here...I highly recommend it. I even got the lemons at the Farmers' Market!For the main event, I served up cakes 'n eggs, vegan-style!! Awesome Whole Grain Pancakes, Scrambled Tofu with Local Greens, and Local Homefries, featuring both yukon gold and sweet potatoes.

To mix it up a bit, I gave my guests a choice of different pancake toppings: Plain (Earth Balance and Maple Syrup), Homemade Pumpkin Butter, Cinnamon-Baked Apples, Chocolate Chips, or, for those with a savory tooth, Spicy Seitan Chorizo!

Here's my plate-- I topped mine with both the pumpkin butter and baked apples, being the little glutton I am. Did I mention ALL the produce and tofu used were local? Well, they were! The savory option: Pancakes topped with homemade Spicy Seitan Chorizo Crumbles, drizzled with agave nectar and sprinkled with sea salt. Holy moly this was one tasty plate o' food!!Then, for dinner at Dane's place: Gumbo and Rice! Food for the working folks, for sure!! Tons of okra, Anasazi beans, tomatoes, garlic and more in a delicious, spicy broth, topped with fluffy white rice. I think all the vegan Southerners would be proud!!And there was homemade bread: Whole Grain and French Baguettes!! BREAD!!And, since no meal is complete sans dessert: Depression Cake!! Dane found a recipe for cake from the Depression era, when things like eggs and milk were scarce...so it was already vegan and tasty and cheap to make! Yes!! He jazzed it up a bit with a Cranberry-Orange Glaze, and it was just too good!
Thanks to everyone who has been coming out to the Vegan Crawl!! Hopefully we'll just keep growing and growing! There will be more delish food to come, ya'll!

Zucchini Bread!! With local zucchini!!

Summer just wouldn't be complete without me whipping up some Zucchini Bread made with homegrown zucchini! Here's my favorite favorite favorite new recipe that I came up with earlier this week...it is even more perfect slathered with Earth Balance and drizzled with a little agave nectar! Makes a great breakfast with a big glass of soymilk and a mug of strong black coffee! I think you'll love it, too. Vegan Zucchini Bread (makes 1 loaf)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 Tbs baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Egg Replacer for 1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup applesauce, unsweetened
1/2 cup sugar
3 cups zucchini, shredded
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as almonds or walnuts
1/2 cup raisins, optional

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside.
In a large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Create a well in the center of the dry mix and add in the egg replacer, applesauce, oil, and sugar. Stir until just combined, being sure to not over mix the batter. Fold in shredded zucchini, nuts, and raisins, if using. Pour into prepared loaf pan and spread to make an even layer. Sprinkle the top with more chopped nuts. Bake for 1 hour, until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, and top has begun to brown. Remove from oven and let cool for another hour or two before transferring to a cooling rack. Serve!

I have to give a holla to my friend, Gabi, who gave me the homegrown zucchini for this loaf! Local zucchini is the best, folks! Cherish it while we still got it!

OPF(Other Peoples' Food): Banana Bread and Curry Chickpea Hummus

I have really been in the cooking and baking mood lately, which gets me really excited! Yesterday, I tried out two recipes that came from other peoples' recipe collections...and not just any two people, either! They are both very important!

First up, from Dreena Burton, I made the Curry Chickpea Hummus from her latest cookbook, Eat, Drink, and Be Vegan (aka ED&BV). Sometimes I just crave hummus nothing else will satisfy me! I usually don't use a recipe for hummus, rather, I just throw in however much seems right, but I was flipping through ED&BV and this caught my eye...try it if you haven't yet! This hummus is made with cashew butter instead of tahini and is laced with curry spices and raisins, too! I love, love, love it! I have been eating it non-stop since making it, both on its own and in wraps:

The other person who's recipe I made was my grandma, Bonnie. When she was alive, she was an avid cook and baker, and even owned her own restaurant! I guess it's in my blood to love food and cooking! Anyway, I made my first attempt to veganize her Banana Bread recipe yesterday...and it turned out wonderfully! So, so moist and dense in a good way, with a really nice banana flavor. Success!! This is dedicated to her!

Grandma Bonnies’s Banana Bread Redux (makes 1 loaf)
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1/2 cup canola oil or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce (for a low-fat version)
1 cup organic sugar
2 Tbs ground flaxseed whisked with ¼ cup warm water
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 very ripe bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a loaf pan and set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, cream together the applesauce and sugar. Add flax mixture and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add in the peeled bananas and mash well, incorporating them into the wet ingredients completely. Fold in the dry ingredients until just combined. If using walnuts, fold in ¾ cup of the nuts into the batter. Be careful not to over-mix this batter, or the bread will not have the proper lift or texture after baking. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and spread top to make an even surface. Evenly sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chopped walnuts on top of the batter. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

* Tip: If using bananas that are still slightly frozen, add an extra 5 minutes to your baking time!

Seitan Chik'n and Dumplins and Some Other Good Stuff!

I finally got around to making the next tester recipe for Bianca's Cookin' Crunk cookbook, which was the Seitan Chik'n and Dumplins! I had to wait til I went to the store to buy some more gluten, and I am so glad I did! This dish is absolutely perfect! It has all the elements of a great meal: comforting and warm, chewy dumplings, creamy base, tender vegetables, hearty seitan. Steven and I both thought this was a winner for sure, and it was even better the next day as leftovers! Score!

A few other random things I have put off posting, but should be mentioned:

The Garden Burrito from Main Squeeze here in Columbia (my place of work!)....

Whole wheat tortilla, brown rice, refried beans, avocado, lettuce, beets, carrots, sprouts, homemade organic salsa. Seems like a strange combination with the burrito stuff and the veggie stuff, but it totally works and is one of my favorite menu items! This burrito always leaves you full from all the fiber and protein, yet refreshed from the crunchy cool veggies. Perfection.

Breakfast at Ingredient, a new restaurant here in Columbia. The original location is in Lawrence, Kansas, so this isn't really a chain, just a second location of a local KS eatery. And they have breakfast, which is the best meal of the day...yay!

I had the Breakfast Burrito (always my favorite), and you get to choose your fillings, so mine had tofu, vegan mozzarella, housemade pico de gallo, and roasted red peppers in a spinach tortilla, served with a side of "skillet potatoes." This was pretty good...the potatoes were really paprika-y and delicious, and the burrito was not amazing, but tasty overall. I was a little skimped on the tofu, but I don't think they had made it that way before or something. Who knows. Either way, I would eat it again!
Steven had their Steel Cut Oatmeal Bowl (which was ENORMOUS!!). You get to choose your oatmeal fixings, so he picked fresh blueberries and bananas, toasted pecans, and brown sugar. It was really good!! Steel cut oats kick rolled oats' butt, btw. There is something special about the blueberry-banana combination that I don't understand, but it is just delicious.


On to my new discovery: Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter from Target's Archer Farms brand!!! I suppose you could call this the generic version of the PB&Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter, but there is nothing generic-tasting about this treat! It is so creamy and fudgy, and really tastes like a vegan version of Nutella, so I was in heaven when I had my first taste. It goes really well on toast (especially the local Kansas City bakery Farm to Market Grains Galore bread, which is just awesome and nutty. period.) with some raspberry jam. If you have a Target store near you, run...don't walk...to it and pick some of this up!!

Archer Farms Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter and Raspberry Fruit Spread, on Farm to Market Grains Galore Bread...mmmmmm....

I think that's all I have today. And p.s. if you aren't excited about Bianca's (of Vegan Crunk) upcoming cookbook full of Southern delights, then please do so! Every recipe I've tested so far has been mouthwatering and amazing...so get your bibs ready for drooling and your bellies ready for filling! :)

When Life Gives You Brown Bananas....

Make banana bread! In my cozy apartment without a/c, fruit ripens REALLY quickly...so I had a whole bunch of bananas that turned way brown before I had a chance to enjoy them all! Now, I'm a girl who likes her bananas a little brown and over-ripe, but this was a little past ripe even for me! Like a good vegan would, I pulled out my copy of Veganomicon and went to town: I hadn't tried the Lower-Fat Banana Bread yet, so I had to give it a shot!

Here she is hot and warm out of the oven...not much to look at, I suppose, but just wait!

And here she is sliced up and ready to be eaten (after being spread with a little Earth Balance, of course!)!

I modified the recipe by adding a cup of chopped walnuts...cuz I'm nutty like that!... and it was great! Isa and Terry were right: you can't tell it is a "low-fat" version at all! This was really moist, just banana-y enough, and had a really nice crust, which I always appreciate! I recommend trying this...maybe next time I will add some chocolate chips, cuz I can :)