Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

I got a real hankerin for some warm & sweet comfort food during these cool December days. As luck would have it, I came across this recipe yesterday during one of my frequent recipe browsing jaunts: Vegan Banana Muffins

It seemed fairly simple, and I had the ingredients on hand. Of course, I tweaked the recipe :P

Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

4 ripe bananas

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. coconut oil

1 t. vanilla extract

1 t. cinnamon

3/4 t. cardamom powder

1/8 t. clove powder

3/4 t. salt

1 c. whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F

Grease or place liners in tin for 12 muffins.

Mash bananas in a bowl.

Add oil, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, & cardamon and mix.

Sift flours, baking powder, and baking soda together. Add to the banana mixture. Mix well.

Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips.

Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes until muffins are done and slightly browned on top.

In my opinion, they came out really nice. Soft, cake-like texture with the spices adding a zippy flavor. The nuts and choco chips gave it a satisfying crunch. YUM!!

Italian: Pasta w/ faux Alfredo Sauce

I am not a vegan although I do try to keep my consumption of dairy to a minimum. My sister, who is a vegan, recently raved about a vegan alfredo pasta sauce she had that was made with cauliflower. I googled "cauliflower pasta sauce" and found a simple recipe that I had to try.

Cauliflower Pasta Sauce Recipe courtesy of Josh Lerner at LinesofLight.net 1 head cauliflower, broken into large pieces 10 cloves garlic, minced 1 large onion, chopped 1 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. black pepper 1-2 cups vegetable stock 1-2 T. ghee or butter or vegan margarine 1-2 T. olive oil freshly grated parmesan cheese 1/4 c. chopped parsley 1/4 c. breadcrumbs Steam the cauliflower pieces for 10 minutes, or until soft. Heat the oil and ghee in a frying pan and saute the onion for 2 min. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the salt and pepper, stir, and saute for another minute. Remove from the heat. Blend the cauliflower, onion and garlic mixture, and 1 cup vegetable stock in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add more vegetable stock and continue blending until the sauce is the desired consistency. Serve over Italian pasta - highly textured pasta with lots of nooks and crannies works best, to catch the sauce. Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and fresh parsley. ************************************************************ I, of course, added sauteed veggies (spinach, crimini mushrooms, & red bell pepper) to this dish as well. It was super delish!!