Chocolate Banana Bread with White Chocolate Chips

We love to make different quick breads and muffins on a Sunday morning.  I was feeling adventurous this morning because my friend Lisa, from Lisasprojectvegan.com, had given my vegan white chocolate chips a few weeks ago.  I am not a huge fan of white chocolate, and so they sat on my counter for those few days.  Just waiting.  Cookies seemed obvious, and I wanted to use then in something a little more out of the box.
Since we were having breakfast and my nephews had spent the night, I thought something seemingly decadent was in order.  They didn't need to know that I made the bread with spelt flour, flax meal and a high fiber blend of oat bran, wheat germ and more flax.  Oh and 3 bananas to boot.  We barely waited for it to cool...it was moist and sweet and chocolate-y. The entire loaf was finished in just one sitting!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Use a 9x5 inch loaf pan lined with parchment paper.  Leave an inch on each side of the pan to use as handles to lift the loaf out after it is finished cooking.

In a medium bowl whisk together:
2 1/4 cups spelt flour
1/3 cup pure cocoa
2 tablespoons flax meal
2 tablespoons Bob's Red Mill High Fiber cereal (or just more flax meal)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder (you can use 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla instead, but in the liquids)

In another medium bowl whisk together:
1 cup non-dairy milk (I used oat)
1 tsp  apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup organic sugar
2 tablespoons canola oil
3 ripe bananas mashed very well

Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Add 2 tablespoons of warm water.
2/3 cup white chocolate chips (chocolate chips are fine too!)
Fold until just combined.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then lift it out by the parchment paper handles onto a wire rack.  Eat it or cool it!  Yum either way!

Porridge Breakfast Cookies

My very close friend, Lisa, has a wonderful vegan blog called LisasProjectVegan.com.  She writes recipes with the intent to take simple, healthful ingredients and create delicious meals without spending hours in the kitchen.  She recently posted a recipe for breakfast porridge with oats and apples. The porridge was such a yummy, warm way to start the day...I thought, I need to make a breakfast cookie out of that!  Here you get the same satisfying feeling, but in a hand held, on the go, kind of way.  My kids love to eat one walking to the school bus!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Makes 10-12 large cookies.
Begin by toasting the nuts you will be using at the end of this recipe.  I chose almonds and walnuts.  Use what you love!
To toast the nuts, chop them coarsely and sprinkle them on a parchment lined cooking sheet.  Place them in the 350 degree oven for about 5-8 minutes.  Watch them carefully!  When they are fragrant, they are perfectly done.

Whisk together in a bowl:
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla powder or 1 tsp. pure vanilla

In another medium bowl use a hand or stand mixer to combine:
1/4 cup Earth Balance non-dairy butter
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons oat milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, stirring to combine completely.
Fold in:
1/2 cup dried apple or fresh, cut into bite size pieces
1/2 cup your toasted nuts.

Use an ice cream scooper or just a tablespoon and roll the dough into a ball shape.  Place the dough on the cookie sheet, 2 inches apart, gently pressing it down into a large round shape. Bake for about 12 minutes until the cookies are a golden brown.  Cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
Grab one warm and get going to where you need to be, breakfast in hand!