Banana Bread for my Bambino

 

 

We go through bananas like crazy in my house.  My sons and I live 40 minutes away from where they go to school and I teach, and the promise of a banana for breakfast gets my 4-year-old out of bed at 5:30 in the morning (he actually just asked for a banana as I write this post . . . too funny).   In spite of living with a potassium junkie, I occasionally have overripe bananas stinkin' up the joint.  I made this version of grandma's bread using candied pecans I had left over from my Thanksgiving baking.  With or without the pecans, this is a hearty bread and reaches it's maximum yumminess a day after baking.  It also freezes well; I pre-slice and freeze so I have it handy for a quick breakfast.

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 large, overripe bananas, puréed

3 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups white flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 tablespoons vanilla extract

3/4  tablespoon maple extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/4  cups toasted walnuts, chopped
3/4 cup candied pecans, chopped fine
(toss about a cup of whole pecans with 2 tablespoons of honey.  Layer on waxed paper and toast in the oven at 200º until honey hardens up a bit.  Cool completely then process in a food processor until there are no large chunks)

 

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cream shortening and sugar with mixer. Add eggs and cream again. Add extracts and mix to combine. Add bananas a bit at a time.

3. In a separate bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients together. Slowly fold flour mixture into banana mixture. When all flour is wet, mix batter with hand mixer; don't overmix.  Gently fold in walnuts and pecans.

4.  Divide evenly into 2 greased bread pans (batter will be thick). Bake for about 1 hour at 350º. Reduce heat to 300º and bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

 

 

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Snappy Turtle Cookies (or, Saying "I Love You" with Vegan Cookies Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry for Salmonella Poisoning)

These are my favorite cookies . . . one of Grandma's recipes. I'm not sure what's "snappy" or "turtle-y" about these babies, but they've been called that for over 70 years, so who am I to buck family tradition? I love that these are simple and sweet (but not too sweet). These are more a tea-cake cookie, and are just perfect with a warm cup and good gossip from the gal next door.

The original recipe, from the 1940's, was probably pretty expensive to make during wartime; it called for 3 eggs and butter. As I look through family recipes like this to veganize, I'm always amazed that war brides didn't go ahead and veganize recipes themselves. Grandma had all sorts of ways to replace the dairy during rationing, but usually exchanged eggs with mayonnaise or butter with Oleo (which, by all accounts, sounds disgusting even if it was dairy-free). Too bad most people hadn't thought of flax meal. There were probably some pretty disgusting cookies shipped overseas during WWII!



½ cup Earth Balance
½ cup Florida Crystals brown sugar, packed
2 eggs' worth prepared flax meal (2 tablespoons of flax meal mixed with 6 tablespoons of water. Allow to sit for a few minutes so the mixture thickens)
1½ cups unbleached white flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
1 heaping tablespoon flax seeds (optional)
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon maple extract
2 cups chopped pecans (more or less as needed)
½ cup maple syrup (more or less as needed)
3½ ounces dark chocolate (72% cacao), melted



1. Preheat oven to 350º. Cream together Earth Balance and brown sugar. Add prepared flax meal, vanilla and maple flavoring, mixing well.
2. In another bowl, mix flour, soda, salt and flax seeds (if using), then slowly add to Earth Balance mixture until well blended.
3. Portion dough out with a tablespoon and roll into balls. Dip each ball into the maple syrup, then coat ball with pecans. Flatten each ball gently as pictured. Bake for 12 minutes, or until they start to firm up a little and begin to get darker (I bake mine exactly 12 minutes and they are heavenly). After they are cooled completely, drizzle with melted chocolate if desired. Makes about 1½ dozen cookies (or 1 serving for me!).

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