Never breakin' my b-bread promise!!

I almost forgot about my promise for the best banana bread EVER!!! Here you go! ;)

Makes 1 9"x5" loaf

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 sugar
3/4 t. baking soda
3/4 t. cinnamon (I probably used a lot more and also dash of nutmeg)
1/2 cup plain soy milk or almond milk
1/2 T. apple cider vinegar
2 cups mashed banana, from about 4 large very ripe bananas
1/4 cup canola oil
2 T. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla extract
Walnuts, vegan chocolate chips, ect (optional)

How to make this yumtastisc bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a 9"x5" loaf pan and set aside.

2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, sugars, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.

3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the soy milk and cider vinegar and let stand for 2 minutes. Add the mashed banana, canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, whisking until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until just combined (do not overmix, keep a little lumpy or your bread will be dense as hell). Fold in the walnuts/ chocolate chips ect if using and pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the center emerges clean. Allow the bread to cool on a wire cooling rack for 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I took out ingredients I thought were unnecessary like more sugar and added salt. Not sure where I got the original recipe but the way I made it was fantastic. The boys inhaled it and Nathaniel said it was the best. I am pretty proud since I used to make it all the time and I haven't since eating vegan.

The reason why I almost forgot about my b-bread promise is I was helping Nathaniel load up the '57 on to a trailer. I was a workin' woman helping with everything I could. My arms are probably going to kill me in the morning. The car was sitting about an hour away which makes it kind of hard to work on it. He swears we are leaving for California soon after Christmas. It's hard to believe but some how I have to keep my head up. All I want is a date so I can start planning/preparing. Happy banana bread eating! Peace out.

Turnin' frowns upside down with cookies

It is hard when you’re so used to helping others and haven’t done that in a long time. I haven’t worked in over a month, and that is sad. I hold doors or whatever for people, what I mean is real help. My husband’s mom is deaf. Her hearing has degenerated over the last 10+ years. She finally was able to go to a specialist who said she should be able to get surgery, so she can hear again. But they can’t afford the CT scan the doctor wants to do before surgery can even happen. This past week I have been helping her fill out forms online for disability and Medicaid.  She should have done this years sooner, she hasn’t worked in 5 years because of her hearing and lack of hearing aids that actually work. It felt good to help her fill out the forms. It sucked, it was boring, and I knitted half of a scarf today waiting for my slow ass internet connection; but we got it done and that’s what matters!

I baked again. That could mean I had a shitty night. I really don’t know what is wrong with my head. I am such a pessimist. I think if ONE thing would just go half as planned a weight could be lifted. I have a feeling something good might happen soon. I have seen this pattern before, if you have a bunch of bad nights and can’t fall asleep till 2:30am just about every night, then a kid pees your bed while climbing over you, to get to the bathroom, something good has a small possibility of happening soon, maybe.

On to the baking, I found this recipe on the Vegetarian and Vegan Families board on Babycenter.com. It’s super easy so the kids can help! P.S. There is no added sugar or fats. Just The good stuff!  

 Yum Banana Oatmeal Sponge Cookies

1 cup smashed ripe Banana

2 cups oatmeal

½ teaspoon vanilla

¼ Cup applesauce

1/3 C. raisins

 (I used the dried cranberry infused with blueberry; any dried fruit would be good for this)

½ teaspoon cinnamon (I used more 'cause I am obsessed with cinnamon!)

Heat oven to 350

Mix all ingredients until moist

Mixture might be gooey and sticky; that is normal

Flatten to desired thickness and shape; cookies will NOT spread while baking.

Bake @ 350 for 15mins

Remove to wire rack.

Eat. Dunk in chocolate almond milk. Yum.

World's Greatest Pancakes

Had an itch to write last night. It seriously would have been a depressing mind fuck.......I thinks it's about time to pull out the St. John's Wort. Or plead with mother nature to send some sun.

Instead the topic of the day is way better! We are talkin' the best pancakes I have ever made, ever! Making food for my family makes me happy. It's a perfect counter attack to a depressing night. Nathaniel has been asking for homemade pancakes for way too long. To his luck today was the day, vegan of coarse. To all my meat eaters if made the way I made them; these pancakes are cholesterol-free! Everything vegan is, pretty sweet huh? ;)

Vegan Pancakes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/4 cups water (I used Almond milk and turned it in to buttermilk)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• How ever many shakes of cinnamon and nutmeg you wish  

Directions

1. Make the buttermilk- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar OR lemon juice to every CUP of soy/almond milk let sit about 5 mins:
   
2.     Mix the flour, sugar, and baking powder and spice into a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the wet. Stir just until blended; mixture will be lumpy.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.  

I topped mine with  Almond butter and the blueberry preserves we got from our Michigan trip, Nathaniel went with 100% Real maple syrup. very hardy because of the whole wheat flour and so good!

Vegan Thanksgiving

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. A day where around 14 million turkeys will be slaughtered for gluttony. These turkeys are living in un-natural and dangerous conditions. I know my answer will never be answered but why is it not okay to abuse a dog or a cat, for example. But it is okay to let chickens, turkeys, cows, ect. to live in disgusting abusive conditions? Really, it boggles my mind. YES I said boggles!

Jake the turkey wants you to click him and watch the commercial.

 What am I eating tomorrow?
tofurkey w/ stuffing
brown rice and veggies with vegan mushroom gravy
vegan Pumpkin pie with soy whipped cream
Homemade cranberry sauce
~1 cup orange juice
~1 cup sugar
~1 tbs. orange peal 
~1 bag of cranberries
~1/2 cup crushed pecans 
In a pan over medium heat combine orange juice/sugar/peal when combined add washed cranberries cook for about 10 mins. or until cranberries are 'popped' pour sauce in a shallow container and top with crushed pecans.
silk egg nog
Yum.