The Best Damn Vegan Banana Walnut Bread

Homemade vegan sweet breads in pumpkin and banana walnut.

It was a great honor to bestow catering duties during last night's second opening at The B(A)LM (Black Artists Liberation Movement) Studio. For someone who has attended countless art receptions for years and years, an eclectic menu is as wonderful as viewing an artist's latest work. Originally, I planned to make cookies and a fig and walnut flatbread, but time and weather were not on the side of justice. Still, we had fruit, mulled cider in a Crock-Pot, crackers, Tortilla Chips, salsa, Cava's Caramelized Onion Hummus (the very best), and two fine baked vegan breads by yours truly.

I loved the glorious photographs of the Baking Fairy's beautiful banana bread and modeled Valentina's recipe with Equal Exchange bananas and copious amounts of cinnamon. Unfortunately, the high cinnamon usage was due to the accidental cumin. Thanks to the heavens and goddesses above and beyond, the cumin flavor disengaged itself from the banana bread-- a surprise hit for the night.
Banana Walnut Bread Ingredients and Preparation

4 medium ripe bananas
1/4 cup almond or soy milk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (or molasses/maple syrup)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup crushed walnuts
1 tablespoon vinegar

sliced banana for topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mash bananas in a medium bowl. Add in almond or soy milk, preferred sweeteners, and vanilla extract. Separately, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Blend wet and dry together-- include vinegar and walnuts.
Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

Before baking, added banana slices, extra walnut pieces, and cinnamon. Bake for 45 minutes. Cover with foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes or so-- until the fork is clean.

A generous slice-- moist and light.

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 25: Khobz

Baked khobz is perfect any time of the day. Best served warm. 

Morocco--primarily mountainous-- is definitely a place that I long to visit alongside the newly discovered Mauritius. Known for pleasant beaches and gorgeous weather, this large country hashweather similar to California. Official languages are Moroccan and Hassaniya Arabic, Berber, and some French. Majestic peaks include the Toubkal (the largest range in Northern Africa) and the High Atlas Mountains. Their arts and literature are celebrated. Louis Lumiere's Le Chevier Marocain has the earliest film created in Morocco from 1897.
Moroccan cuisine is limitless with influences from Moorish to Mediterranean. Mint, saffron, lemons, oranges, olives, couscous, and dates.
Most importantly, they have bread everyday and khobz is often the top bakery choice. It is a hard and crusty with a soft interior. The top is often coated in sesame seeds before baking in the oven. I found this recipe on Kevin Lee Jacob's A Garden for the House blog-- takes an hour and minutes to make and well worth the effort in the end.

Khobz Ingredients and Preparation

1/4 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoon yeast
3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
sesame seeds

Mix warm water and yeast together. Set aside for ten minutes.
Stir flour and salt.
Add warm water and yeast mixture.
Knead for ten to twelve minutes.
Transfer onto parchment paper that is laid out a baking sheet. Cut dough in half and flatten with palm. Cover and rest for ten minutes.
Once the dough has risen, pour and press in the sesame seeds.
Cover again and let dough rest for another hour.
Preheat oven to 425, use a knife to score steam vents on both breads, and bake for 25 minutes.

Fresh baked bread is one of the best kitchen smells.  In fact, this traveled all the way upstairs. 

Breakfast scene: warmed khobz, vegan butter, and cold almond milk. 

Vegan Mofo 2018 Post 20: Chapati

Chapati is perfect at any time of the day.

Burundi--one of the smallest countries in Africa-- is located in the eastern part of the continent. The Nile, Lake Victoria, and Lake Tanganyika are major water resources in a country of mostly agriculture and pastural. Arts and music are important, especially basket weaving and drums respectively. Oral storytelling, martial arts, and sports are also noted.
Their cuisine is simple-- sweet potatoes, corn, and peas are a usual meal. They don't eat meat as often as other countries. Close friends do, however, have communal impeke (beer) gatherings, passing around and drinking from the container that shows unity.
Chapati is a very popular fry bread almost similar to pancakes, but less sweet and a lot more prepping effort. This latest veganized recipe from Imma's African Bites website is absolutely delicious. I am thankful to have frequently visited a place that has helped shape some of the dishes over the course of my Vegan Mofo theme. The end results of making chapati for the first time were well worth the taste of crisp, "buttery" thin bread layered with the tantalizing burst of married cherries and dates.

Chapati Ingredients and Preparation

3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon coconut oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
coconut or olive oil for brushing and frying

In a large bowl, make a well from the flour. Add sugar, salt, oil, and water.
Knead until soft and sticky.
Transport onto a floured board and knead for 8-16 minutes longer.
Cut the dough into 6-8 circles.
Roll out each one, lightly adding oil to both sides.
Gently fold upward as if making a paper fan until it's one long strand. Coil the strand as if forming cinnamon buns.

Cover for 15 minutes to let dough rest. Afterwards, warm up the skillet and start rolling out coiled dough.

Sear each side for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.

A stack of "buttery" chapati.

Yum.

Smothered in cherry date goodness. 

Vegan Mofo Day #1: Pumpkin Walnut Bread

Ain't nothing like kicking November off with a delicious bang.

Happy World Vegan Day, my fellow readers and friends! I appreciate every last supportive vegan/vegan curious being that I've met via in person and/or online. Together we have a beautiful, strong presence making a wondrous impact on Mother Earth itself, especially beloved sentient animals and precious environment. Let's continue to grow, prosper, and spread wealthy knowledge.

As for the start of a new month, I'm participating in Vegan Mofo in unofficial capacity (didn't register in time) and utilizing the prompts. This first day is about my favorite food-- good ole fashioned pumpkin bread. Tis the season after all. I cannot get enough. Who can? Pumpkin bread is downright irresistible.
The blog's fifth shared version of tantalizing autumn pleasure is oil free, relying heavily on the natural moisture a whole small can of pure pumpkin puree can provide. Rich and spicy, thick slabs taste straight from heaven's gates.

Vegan Pumpkin Walnut Bread Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup almond milk
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup walnuts, crushed

Grease a bread loaf pan and preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar together.
Separately, whisk pumpkin puree, almond milk, pumpkin pie spice, and cinnamon.
Combine dry ingredients with wet. Stir in apple cider vinegar. Lastly, add in walnuts.
Pour into the bread loaf pan. Bake for 35-45 minutes.

Cool bread before slicing. Admire walnuts breaking out of soft, warm bread.

One slice. Two slice.

Sweeter than an over frosted cake, pumpkin bread satisfies anyone's craving indulgence.

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bread With Light Caramel Drizzle

Pumpkin pie bread is heaven with or without a light caramel drizzle composed of medjool dates.

Hello Vegan Linky Potluck #27 revelers!!! :) Sincere apologies for not coming to the parties as frequently as I would have liked. Will try to be as present as possible. Interesting bi-weekly possibilities. Our creative, cordial Annie of An Unrefined Vegan is a busy bee and has lent the reins to hostess sisters Poppy of Bunny Kitchen and Angela of Canned Time. I bring to you all a tantalizing treat that dreamily combines two favorite winter time desserts. Sweet pumpkin pie meets moist pumpkin bread in an incredibly decadent coupling that'll put a smile to anyone's face. 
I loved the Vegan Caramel Sauce created on The Law Student Wife's blog. She inspired the recipe. Instead of maple syrup and added sugar, medjool dates make for a fine syrup fix. After all, remember this amazing concoction made so long ago? Well, added vanilla, coconut oil, and almond milk to simmered recipe enhances an already rich authentic flavor. To make it thicker and less of an icing drizzle, drain more of the date water. 

Vegan Pumpkin Pie Bread With Light Caramel Drizzle Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tablespoon melted coconut oil
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Light Caramel Drizzle

3 medjool dates (soaked in 1 cup water for 3-4 hours or overnight)
2 tablespoon almond milk
2 tablespoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

To make light caramel, drain some of the medjool date water and puree in a blender.
In a saucepan, on medium heat pour in the date mixture and add almond milk. Whisk for five minutes. Take off heat. Add coconut oil, vanilla, and salt. Pour into a jar and let thicken at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a bread pan thoroughly well.
Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder,  and salt together.
Cream sugar, pumpkin puree, almond milk, and coconut oil together.  
Blend dry and wet ingredients, adding pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon. Apple cider vinegar last.
Pour into pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Let cool before scooping bread out.

Golden orange brown beautiful sweetness.

And Tazo's hot delicious Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea accompanies great!

Enticing close up.

Roasted Pecan Pumpkin Bread With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

Roasted pecans and pumpkin make this autumn sweet bread a hit.

Really enjoying the Canon. It's my first professional camera and the photos being captured are incredible. My critics are right. There's something about using a camera outside of its snap and shoot purpose, outside jurisdiction of cell phones and outdated photography tools. Now mine isn't the latest, newest thing on the market, but it's adequately sharp enough to get what I want. Color is more vivid, rich, and real, almost painter quality. No more unnecessary unfocused blurriness. I looked back on various old posts and was sadly shocked by past entries. Photos are the most important element of a vegan blog, for vegan food should look enticing, too beautiful to eat. It's a tough sell when the photos aren't up to par. So for now on, the standards will be met with concise precision and artistry.
Yesterday plentiful desserts passed around from caramel apple to sweet potato pie were not vegan. It was alright. I didn't have room at all for anything sweeter than a cup of R. D. Knudnsen Sparkling Cherry Beverage-- another family favorite tradition.
I'm more of a pumpkin fiend than sweet potato anyway.
For my favorite recipe-- pumpkin bread instead of walnuts, I made roasted pecans for the occasion. Moist and rich bread is then topped with incredibly sinful whipped pumpkin cream cheese icing and additional scrumptious pecans.Wonderful treat worth sharing.

Cinnamon Roasted Pecans

Pecan lovers rejoice.

2 cup pecan
1/2 cup cane sugar (or maple syrup or agave)
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and oil a baking sheet.
Hand mix pecans, sugar, and cinnamon.
On baking sheet, layer them evenly.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Roasted Pecan Pumpkin Bread With Pumpkin Cream Cheese Frosting

2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup almond milk
1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup roasted pecans

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Icing

8 oz vegan cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease either two bread loaf pans or
Mix flour, brown sugar, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, and salt together.
Whip almond milk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. (I pureed this in a blender)
Combine dry and wet, mixing evenly.
Add apple cider vinegar and roasted pecans. 
Pour into desired baking dishes and bake for 25-30 minutes.
While baking, blend cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin puree, vanilla, and cinnamon. Set aside.

Layer frosting on top of bread and add a few pretty pecans.

Sprinkle extra cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice for extra holiday pizazz.

No one would ever guess these babies were dairy and egg free.

Decadent sweet yumminess.

Enjoy one. Or two.

Post # 300: Homemade No Knead Sandwich Wheat Bread

My first attempt of homemade sandwich bread turned out very good.

Yippee!
It's finally happened! AfroVeganChick is at blog post number 300!!!! Took long enough. Celebrating this coveted milestone with bread. Yummy yummy fresh from the oven made from scratch bread. I know y'all were expecting cookies and cake, but bread, oh glorious bread, sounded appropriate.
I buy wheat bread once a week. It's reasonably priced at $2. However, it is often out. After all, my little Wayne Avenue Kroger is a small store and they're often out of the good stuff. 
Thanks to Mattie of Vegan Baking Dot Net, I found a simple bread recipe that requires no kneading at all. I was sooooo excited. Although it takes a little over 4 hours to prepare and bake (that intimated me at first), the results are above satisfying. The kitchen smells like heaven and when taken out, bread is all browned and beautiful. Didn't have oats or wheat germ, so I topped it off with cracked black pepper and Italian seasonings to give extra flavor. Goodbye $2 loaf. This saves serious dough. Heehee. So far ate peanut butter, grilled cheese, and chickpea "burger" sandwiches. The best part after using a sharp knife to cut up rustic loaf is eating it! Has a soft, moist texture and crusty top. Very good.

Homemade No Knead Sandwich Wheat Bread Ingredients and Preparation

2 cup warm water
2 tablespoon sugar (agave or maple syrup is fine too)
1 1/2 teaspoon dry active yeast
3 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasonings (optional)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (optional)
coconut oil (optional)

Whisk water, sugar and yeast together. Let sit for 10 minutes.
In a much larger bowl, mix flour and salt together.
Combine wet with dry ingredients, stirring in a circular motion for one minute. Cover with plastic and let rise for an hour and a half.
It will double in size. Now stir again and let rise again for another hour and a half.
After it has risen again, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir dough for one last time. Place it into an oiled loaf pan and cover with a plastic bag for 40 minutes, leaving room for its rising.
Uncover plastic bag and let dough rest for 10 minutes.

Rose a bit in the pan. Add black pepper and Italian seasonings if desired. Now place in the oven for 45 minutes- turning pan over at halfway mark so bread is evenly baked.

Let bread cool on the stove for about 20 minutes before removal. Use a knife at each side.

Yay! Fresh bread waiting to be cut.

Store in a plastic bag in a dark place or inside a freezer.

Easy Garlic Nooch Bread

Not your mama's garlic bread.

I am a sucker for garlic bread. It has all these great functions when paired alongside a pasta meal. Mainly to lap up tomato sauce. Yes. Garlic bread is great for dipping. And for a tomato and Beyond Meat's Beefless Crumble, the garlic bread had to be just right to be worthy of such.
Now without active yeast, this small loaf won't rise above the bread pan, but can be a great, generous portion in the manner you slice it. A much better option than grocer's freezer garlic rolls. Enticing garlic (feel free to use roast minced garlic) flavor is met with the "cheesy" taste of nutritional yeast- our good friend nooch. I recommend eating straight after cutting. It's hot and moist, bursting with deliciousness. Wheat flour makes it look rustic and sea salt crystals sparkle between bites. That is if your find yourself looking at garlic bread as an art like me! ;)

Easy Garlic Nooch Bread Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (aka nooch)
2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon Italian seasonings
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted (olive oil would be splendid too)
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Sift flour, baking soda, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, salt, and black pepper together.
Add coconut oil and water, mixing evenly.
Pour into a greased bread pan and bake for 50 minutes to an hour.

This perfect loaf comes out- hot and ready for immediate devouring.

Sliced.

Ready to be lapped up with "meaty" tomato sauce.

Cinnamon Bread With Cream Cheese Icing

Not your average bread.

I yearned for warm cinnamon goodness. Cinnamon rolls would have been perfect, but there wasn't any more active yeast packets on hand. Simply out of the question. Although I'm quite certain vegans have other ways to make cinnamon rolls rise without yeast right? I haven't even attempted yet.
Cinnamon doughnuts for today's food based holiday- National Doughnut Day would have also been a great dessert. But alas no.
Since I had my lovely new bread pan to have fun times with- a little loaf of cinnamon bread sounded amazing. No raisins. No shredded carrots or other terrific veggie pairings joined with my favorite spice. Just hot, warm cinnamon bread covered in a captivating cream cheese icing. Almost tasted like a cinnamon roll. Almost.
Moist and soft, every knife full is heaven.
Yum. Yum. Yum.
Pleasant treat alongside a mug of almond milk or hot green tea.

Cinnamon Bread With Cream Cheese Icing Ingredients and Preparation

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup water (or dairy free milk)
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Icing

1/2 cup vegan cream cheese (room temerature)
1 1/2- 2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla 

Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together.
Separately mix applesauce, coconut oil, lemon juice, and vanilla.
Combine wet ingredients with dry.
Add water and apple cider vinegar.
Pour into pan, sprinkle additional cinnamon on top (for a great baked in taste and aromatic kitchen scent) and bake for 40-55 minutes- stick a knife or fork in the center if need be.
Whisk together icing ingredients.

Freshly baked bread that slipped from the pan with ease!

Before being iced.

Afterward.

Three generous slices twice iced and cinnamonized.

Ready to eat.

AfroVeganChick Turns Two! Vegan Anniversary And Banana Walnut Star Shaped Bread

Start 2014 off right with banana walnut yum yums! Also called banana walnut bread.

Yippee! Happy New Year's Day! Every January 1, is a celebration for me, my vegan friends, and the animals of the world. I believe that 2014 will be one of great milestones. I feel it deep inside. It's a good good intuitive feeling. Two years have flown completely by. As always veganism has been an incredible learning experience.Not just in cooking. Not in clothing choices and environmental decisions. Life has been all about being more grounded. This year, I hope to be less materialistic and more organic. I am a blessed being. I get to breathe every single day. I want it to mean something. Not just to me. To others. To other people. To the animals. To the outside world. We take so much for granted. I personally have taken existence for granted. I'm ready to change. Put my good hands and feet forward.
As far as the afro part of the journey, Ma braided my hair yesterday in classic straight backs. I have had a hat obsession for years. Can't lie. I will hurdle over this mindset. Maybe this year?

The straight back.

Discovered that I'm not near the 140 pounds believed. Actually 119 pounds. However, I would love to get back to 136. Just really enjoyed that. But I'm monstrously toning for my spring break Florida vacation. Does this make sense?

Enough resolution talk. Let's get to the banana walnut muffins! They're star shaped!!!!
A few weeks ago, I purchased pretty red, white, and green miniature baking dishes from Michael's. They should be on clearance about now.  Though I can't knock getting them at 50 cents a piece. The recipe comes from wanting to do a banana walnut bread for ages and not having the "right" flour. Whole wheat flour isn't sold in smaller packaging like bleached white varieties. I was only going to be in Ohio for a short period of time. So when I Google'd my dilemma, Ambitious Kitchen popped up. She had a recipe for chocolate chip banana bread using the oat flour method- which I used partly in my first scones. I felt saved! I used her as a guide to creating these moist delicious breads. Perfect to wrap up and package to someone forgotten over the holidays. I enjoyed one with a hot enticing mug of hot chai tea.

Banana Walnut Star Shaped Bread

3 cup oats
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripened bananas
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare baking dishes with oil.
Grind the oats into a flour.
Sift the flour with baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In a blender or food processor, puree bananas, molasses, vanilla, almond milk, and applesauce together.
Combine wet mixture into dry. Stir eventually and add walnuts.
Pour batter into the baking dishes.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until fork is dry.
Let cool.

Cute bakeware right?

Eat with vegan butter, fruit jams, or peanut butter.

Or naked is just fine....

Virtual Vegan Potluck: Vegan Miniature Pumpkin Cheddar & Broccoli Pancakes

What? Pumpkin, cheddar, & broccoli underneath that maple syrup? Vegan? Get outta town!

Hello! Hello fellow vegans, animal lovers, enthusiasts, and curious revelers!

Welcome to another delicious edition of Virtual Vegan Potluck hosted by the awesome folks of Vegan Bloggers Unite! Don't plan on doing anything this fine Saturday. Just settle right in, kick back, and travel all around the world. Visit different blogs that are destined to entice eye and make taste buds water on a marvelous journey through appetizers, drinks, breads, entrees, desserts, and more.
Start right here and see all 140+ VVP Participants!
Today, I'm participating in the Breads category and have prepared these amazing scrumptious savory pumpkin laced mini pancakes.Yes. Yes. I know. It's the third pumpkin centric recipe in a row, but I do so love it. Here these itty bitty babies (only small to be guilt freer) is paired with mighty mild flavored cheddar and broccoli and tastes good with tempeh breakfast strips.

Vegan Pumpkin Cheddar & Broccoli Miniature Pancakes

1 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 non-dairy milk
1 cup flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup non-dairy milk
6 slices Daiya cheddar (yes, I used the sandwich style slices- cheating yes)
2 tablespoon maple syrup
1 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked
olive oil

Mix non-dairy milk and vinegar. Set aside and let curdle.

Stir together dry ingredients.

In a medium skillet blend other milk portion with cheddar slices and maple syrup.

Add broccoli & simmer.

Stir pumpkin into the curdle mixture and blend with dry.

Add cheesy broccoli mixture.

Place a few drops of olive oil onto a hot skillet and pour about 2-3 tablespoons of batter. Flip over when edges bubble.

Watch the goods stack up.

Cheesy pumpkin broccoli goodness supermodel closeup.

Syrup time?

Oh yes.....

Thank you so much for stopping by my little blog! Come back at any time.
Now on with the rest of the day's vegan food festivities!
To go back and experience Oh My Potluck's Bat Of Of Hell Beetloaf go here.
To move forward to Yup It's Vegan's Beet Rye Bread go here.