Author: Chef Kim

Natural sweeteners

Substitute refined sugar to stay healthy!

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                                                            This post includes affiliate links.

Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar! Cookies, cakes, crisps, custard, candy, pies, puddings, fudge and frozen delights surround us and beg for our attention this time of year. If we substitute the sugar in the desserts we make, that choice can help us stay healthy.

Between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, there’s always an excuse for “just one more” cookie or piece of pie. Desserts are abundant during this 5 week time frame. And oh so hard to turn down. Refined sugar is a major culprit in knocking down your body’s natural immune response. In this year of C-virus, everyone should be trying to ramp up their immune response, not sabotage it. So how can you enjoy some baked goodness during the holidays and keep your immune system working for your benefit?

Choose to use alternative sweeteners in your desserts. Substituting the refined sugar called for in recipes with sweeteners that are whole foods (dates, dried fruits) or offer some beneficial nutrients (yacon, molasses, coconut sugar, maple syrup, honey) is helpful for retaining immune response. Choosing sweeteners that are sugar alcohols (xylitol or  erythritol) or plant extracts (stevia and monk fruit*) can also help to decrease sugar consumption. Making the choice to use these sweeteners over granulated sugar can improve your chances of staying healthy this holiday season.

Using whole food sweeteners

Dates and dried fruit can be softened by warming or soaking and then blended to make a paste or syrup that can be used in recipes. Mashed bananas can also be used, but will definitely affect the flavor of the recipe. When using a paste or liquid sweetener in place of granulated sugar, some adjustment is necessary with the dry ingredients. Usually adding a little more flour.

Using natural alternative sweeteners

Honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar and molasses offer sweetness but also have some benefits because of the mineral and amino acid content. These sweeteners are a better choice than refined sugar but they will slow down the immune response if consumed in large quantity because they are composed of simple carbohydrates. Yacon, on the other hand, is low in simple carbs so it will not affect the immune system adversely, but it is also less sweet and more expensive. It is a great option for diabetics. Using liquid sweeteners requires adjustments to dry ingredients when baking. Coconut sugar can be substituted one to one for sugar in recipes and gives a bit of a toffee flavor.

Using sugar alcohols and plant extracts

Xylitol and erythritol have very low calorie count and do not affect blood sugar or immune response adversely. They come in granulated form and can typically substitute 1 for 1 with sugar in recipes.  I think it’s best to use in moderation and be aware that they can cause bowel irritation with high consumption. [Xylitol is poisonous for dogs, so keep pooch away from any sweets you make using xylitol.]

The stevia plant leaves can be dried and ground or placed in alcohol to make an extract. The whole leaf stevia and liquid extracts*are the best forms of stevia. Monk fruit is another sweet plant extract usually found in combination with erythritol or dextrose, but also a pure extract* and then only a small amount is necessary for recipes.

The average American eats 150 pounds of sugar a year, consuming it mostly through processed foods and sodas. Being intentional about the choices we make and choosing whole foods, water, and minimally processed foods will take the health of our nation to another level and healthcare into the reasonable range. Multiple studies show that eating more whole fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes reverse and prevent diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer risk. But life can be sweet by choosing healthier sweeteners in your dessert making.

For a couple desserts that use the sweeteners mentioned here, take a look at caramel apple stack, pecan fingers, mocha love bites and pumpkin mousse.    

*amazon affiliate links

 

Apple snacks

Tahini Caramel Dip is Perfect for Fall Snackin’

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The leaves on the trees have turned and all the sweet and tart apples are in season. What’s your favorite kind of apple? This time of year I think tahini caramel dip and apples make the perfect snack. Sweet, crunchy and satisfying.

Tahini caramel dip can also be used swirled into a brownie recipe, thinned and drizzled over banana nice cream or even added to a cup of joe or chai. Give it a try, I think you’ll agree it’s a recipe that delivers on taste without all the sugar found in traditional caramel.

 

Print Recipe

Tahini Caramel Dip

Perfect sweet and gooey caramel
Prep Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: coconut, dates, tahini
Servings: 8
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 8 oz (bag) shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 1 cup dates pitted and soft
  • 2-4 tbsp tahini
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

Instructions

  • Pour shredded coconut into a food processor, cover and turn on. Process the coconut until it starts to get creamy. This will take about 3-4 minutes.
  • When the coconut begins to come together into coconut butter, add the dates, vanilla and salt. Process again until the dates break down completely and the mixture starts looking like thick caramel.
  • Stop and scrape the sides of the container. Add 2 tablespoons of tahini and blend until completely incorporated. Stop and taste. If cloyingly sweet or not quite creamy enough, add 2 more tablespoons of the tahini.
  • Store in a sealed glass dish or jar. Can be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks. Longer in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature or warm under running hot water to make it dip ready.

Notes

This dip can be thinned with water or plant milk and whisked to make a sauce or drizzle.

 

 

Pumpkin mousse shots

Pumpkin Mousse Shots Are Scary Good!

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Do you need a Halloween dessert? These Pumpkin Mousse Shots are scary good! You don’t have to save this recipe for Halloween, though. The mousse is perfect poured into a crust and served as pumpkin pie, or cut into pumpkin bars or try freezing it for a pumpkin ice cream, have you ever tried that?

Did you know that pumpkins were first called “pumpions” after the French “pompon”, referencing their round shape, according to the history.com, and were first cultivated in 5500 B.C. in Central America. They were taken back to Europe by explorers of the New World and incorporated into European pastries and pies. The Pilgrims would have been familiar with pumpkins and it is probable that pumpkins made an appearance in some form at the first Thanksgiving. They were most likely cooked in layers with apples and herbs. It is surprising to me, that it wasn’t until after the Civil War that pumpkin pie reached its national acclaim. In 1929, Libby began canning pumpkins which replaced the need for roasting and straining one’s own pumpkin and that lead to pumpkin pie becoming a family tradition.

This pumpkin mousse is a no-bake recipe if you use canned pumpkin. If you roast your own pumpkin and purée it, I recommend allowing the purée to sit over a strainer lined with a coffee filter or paper towel to remove some of the moisture.

You can also make this with raw pumpkin or squash. Peel and chop the raw pumpkin and place it in a blender. Blend on high to purée for about a minute. Scrape the sides of the container and blend again until smooth. Let this purée sit over a strainer to remove some of the moisture before continuing with the recipe.

Let me know how you like this, it’s easier than baking a pumpkin pie. I think it will become a family favorite.

Pumpkin mousse shots
Print Recipe

Pumpkin Mousse

Creamy Pumpkin flavor in every bite!
Prep Time20 minutes
Chill time4 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: dessert, mousse, pumpkin
Servings: 6
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • blender

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree cooked or raw
  • 1/2 cup date paste dates packed and blended smooth with a little water
  • 1/2 cup nut or oat milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar grind into a fine powder or Substitute 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 2 teaspoons of pumpkin spice mix 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp clove
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil melted

Instructions

  • In a blender, combine the date paste, nut milk, vanilla and sweetener. Blend until smooth and completely combined. If you don’t have premade date paste, make that first in the blender, adding 1/2 cup packed, pitted dates and 2 tablespoons of water. Blend. Then add other ingredients.
  • Add in the pumpkin puree and spices, blend again to combine. Scrape down container sides and add the coconut oil. Blend until oil is incorporated and mixture is smooth, about 35 seconds.
  • Pour into serving dishes or into a prepared crust or tart shell and chill for 4 hours. This makes great shot glass desserts. Just portion into glasses and chill. Enjoy!

Notes

Pictured, are pumpkin mousse shots, with chocolate daggers. To make the chocolate daggers for garnish, melt 1/2 cup dairy free chocolate chips And spread out onto a sheet of wax paper or parchment. Roll and stick in the freezer to chill. When you unroll, the chocolate will break into shards. Garnish mousse.
Pumpkin granola w/ yogurt

Pumpkin Granola – Not Just For Breakfast!

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This is the time of year pumpkin and pumpkin spice are found everywhere. This pumpkin granola hits all the marks when it comes to tasty healthy breakfast, snacking or other uses.

It’s perfect for breakfast. Most mornings, I  grab a bowl of granola and yogurt along with a cup of chai in the morning. The warming spices hit the spot on these cool fall mornings. But it’s definitely great for more than just breakfast. I will, on occasion, add granola to my lunch salad, and also keep a baggie of granola with additional dried fruit added in the car for when I find myself hungry while doing errands. I also use the granola in cookies or raw power balls and definitely on top of banana nice cream, yum!

The bulk of this pumpkin granola can be oats with nuts, seeds and dried fruit or the oats can be omitted if you don’t want the grains. Remember though that oats are a great source of protein, vitamins and minerals, so if you tolerate them, find gluten free organic oats to add to this recipe.

The nut and seeds can really be any combination you like. I typically add sunflower, sesame, and pumpkin seeds and then walnuts, almonds and pecans. I like crunchy granola and adding variety increases the nutrient diversity. But you can certainly trim down the additions and stick with just seeds, or just nuts or one or two of your favorites.

Dried fruit can vary also, but with the pumpkin flavors in this granola I like dried cranberries- it just makes it all the more fall inspired.

The pumpkin binder in this granola is a combination of pumpkin purée, honey, maple syrup, molasses, pumpkin spice and a little oil. You cook this for a bit and then stir it into the oats, seeds & nuts.

 

Pumpkin granola w/ yogurt
Print Recipe

Pumpkin Granola

Fall flavors with a lot of crunch
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Keyword: almonds, oats, pecans, pumpkin, pumpkin seeds, sunflower, walnuts
Servings: 12
Author: Chef Kim

Ingredients

  • 4 cups gluten free oats
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 1/2 cup almond chopped
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tbs molasses
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 Tbs coconut oil grape seed or mild olive oil
  • 2 tsp pumpkin spice combine cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2-1 cup dried cranberries substitute dried fruit of choice

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
    Combine the oats, nuts and seeds in a large mixing bowl. You can use whatever combination of nuts and seeds, more or less, or omitting the oats and adjusting them to the overall for a total of 6.5 cups.
  • In a small saucepan, combine the honey, maple syrup, pumpkin puree, molasses, water and oil. Bring to a simmer, stirring to combine. Let simmer for five minutes. It will foam up, so keep an eye on it and stir so that it doesn’t boil over.
  • Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla, spice and salt.
  • Pour this over the oat & nut mixture and use a spatula or wooden spoon to stir to coat everything well.
  • Transfer the mixture onto two sheet pans. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and bake for another 15 minutes, rotating the sheet pans on the shelves.
    The granola may be done at this point, if it’s golden brown. If not bake for an additional 15 minutes, remove and let cool. The granola crisps up as it cools.
  • When the granola has cooled, add the desired dried fruit.
    Store in an airtight container for up to a month.

 

Banana nice cream with granola

Eat Frozen Banana Nice Cream & Be Nice to Yourself!

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When you need a frozen creamy dessert, blend up this frozen banana nice cream and enjoy! You’ll feel like your indulging, but there’s everything right about this dessert and nothing to be ashamed of. Frozen banana nice cream to the rescue!

You need to plan ahead so that you have frozen bananas in the freezer ready to go. The coconut milk can be substituted with almond or oat milk, but coconut is quite a bit creamier if you use the canned full fat coconut milk. Then all you need is a little vanilla and you are set!

By the way this does work with other frozen fruit and vegetables.  Try adding frozen cauliflower to bump the nutrients or even frozen spinach and add a little mint. One of my favorites besides banana Is frozen cherries. So give this recipe a try and You’ll never go back to dairy ice cream. Finish it off with a crunchy granola topping.

Print Recipe

Coconut Banana Nice Cream

Creamy delicious and hits the spot!
Prep Time15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Keyword: banana, coconut milk
Servings: 4
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • blender or food processor

Ingredients

  • 3 cups frozen banan chunks can substitute other frozen fruit
  • 1/4 cup coconut milk substitute almond or oat
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla or 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped

Instructions

  • A day ahead of making this dessert, peel and freeze a bunch of bananas, breaking them into chunks.
  • When you’re ready to have dessert, place three cups of the frozen banana chunks into a blender or food processor.
  • Add the coconut milk (almond or oat) and vanilla.
  • If using a blender, start on low speed and increase up to high speed, stopping and scraping the container sides and blending again to incorporate.
  • If using a food processor, begin by pulsing the mixture to break the bananas down and then blend constantly until it becomes creamy. You may have to stop and scrape the sides.
  • If the mixture is having a hard time blending, add more milk a tablespoon at a time until a thick soft serve consistency is reached..
  • Portion out into serving bowls. Top with granola, chopped nuts, cacao powder or nibs.
  • Serve and enjoy. This is also delicious served with your favorite cake, brownie or between cookies.

 

 

Lemon-berry tart

This Lemon Berry Tart Won’t Disappoint!

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With it’s refreshing lemon flavor and fresh bright berries, this plant-based lemon-berry tart won’t disappoint! Delicious, yet dairy free, refined sugar free and gluten free, so it’s practically appropriate for anyone. This beautiful tart is perfect for a special occasion, but easy enough to make as a treat for a weekday meal.

I make it with a raw crust, but if you have a favorite pastry crust, you can use it, just be sure to bake it before filling. You can also try using different milks for the filling, just keep in mind that the full fat coconut milk makes it’s really creamy.

For the berries, you can use fresh cut berries like the strawberries pictured, or any other berry or even cherries. Another variation  is spreading a layer of Berry Chia Jam on the crust, then cover with the cooked milk filling.

So go ahead and treat yourself to this refreshing lemon tart.

Lemon-berry tart
Print Recipe

Lemon-Berry Tart

Delicious And creamy plant-based Lemon tart.
Prep Time1 hour
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: almond, berries, coconut milk, lemon, oats, raw crust
Servings: 8
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • blender
  • Small sauce pan
  • 8” Tart pan or springform pan

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1 cup oats
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • Pinch Salt
  • 2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
  • 2 Tbsp Coconut oil melted
  • 1-2 Tbsp water

Lemon Cream Filling

  • 1 can full fat coconut milk
  • 3 Tbsp maple syrup
  • 1/2 cup oat or almond milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 1 Tbsp lemon zest
  • 2 Tbsp corn starch or arrowroot powder
  • 1 tsp agar agar
  • 1 cup fresh berries or 1/2 cup berry jam

Instructions

For the crust:

  • Add the oats, almond flour and salt to a food processor or blender and pulse to reach a flour texture.
  • Add the sweetener and oil and pulse to combine.
  • Add 1 Tbsp. of water and pulse, adding another only if the crust mixture does not stick together when pinched.
  • Press into the bottom of a tart pan and up the sides slightly. Place in the freezer, while you make the filling.

For the filling:

  • In a small saucepan, gently warm the coconut milk and maple syrup, stir in a pinch of salt.
  • In a blender, combine the oat milk, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, cornstarch and agar agar and blend until smooth.
  • Bring coconut milk to a simmer and then add the mixture from the blender while you whisk.
  • Bring to a boil for 3 minutes, continue to whisk. Remove from the heat and let cool to room temp.
  • Remove crust from freezer and add sliced berries or spread the crust with jam.
  • When the filling has cooled, pour over the berries and crust and refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight.
  • Garnish with fresh berries on top or drizzle with thinned jam.

Notes

To make individual tarts, line cupcake tin or ramekins with parchment paper or paper liners and press crust into the paper. 
Try different berries to vary the flavor or I think cherries or a fruit coulee would also be delicious. 
Meal bowl

Build Wellness Meal Bowls That Stretch Your Budget

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Wellness bowls are a quick way to build a nutrient dense and delicious meal in a bowl.  If you plan leftover ingredients, building wellness bowls are easy and budget friendly. So save any leftover shredded greens, grilled vegetables, cooked grains and sauces and you’ll have what it takes to build a wellness bowl. Think of wellness bowls as composed meals in a bowl, made in the same fashion you would build a salad at a salad bar. It’s totally up to you how many options you put out to choose from. Consider ingredients based on a theme or flavor profile. Before shopping, take into consideration the seasonality and availability of ingredients, and of course, pick items you like. Remember, the freshest and most nutrient dense foods will be in-season and locally grown. 

To get you started, choose and ingredient from each category below and experiment with different dressings and sauces.

Plant proteins: beans, lentils, split peas, nuts, mung bean sprouts, seeds, tofu, tempeh

Grains & Starchy Vegetables: amaranth, faro, buckwheat, bulgur, millet, quinoa, rice, winter squash, sweet potato, potato, whole grain and rice pasta

Greens: sprouts, micro-greens, arugula, lettuce variety, cabbage, kale, bok choy, chard, collards, spinach, watercress

Non-starchy Vegetables: artichokes, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, celery, fennel, jicama, mushrooms, onions, radish, snow peas, snap peas

Non-sweet fruits: avocado, bell pepper, cucumbers, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini

Fresh Herbs, Spices, Toppings:  basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, mint, chives, garlic, ginger, ground flax, nutritional yeast, toasted nuts & seeds, spice blends

Condiments & Dressings: chutney, pesto, pickles, raw kraut, salsa, tapenade, creamy or vinegar based dressing, Braggs aminos, citrus, hot sauce, tamari, balsamic vinegar, tahini dressing

To prepare each ingredient, you decide how simple or involved you want to get. For example, the protein can be as easy as opening a can of cooked garbanzo beans or as involved as boiling, marinating and pan sauteing tempeh. Greens can be raw, shredded, sauteed or even roasted or grilled. Vegetables and non-sweet fruits can also be raw, shredded or spiraled or cooked by steaming, roasting, sauteing or grilling. Adding herbs and toppings bring a bright freshness and pop of flavor to the dish. The condiments and dressings will pull the flavors together for a deliciously composed meal.

Finally, I’ll share one of my favorite Wellness Bowl combinations. First, I place a cup of arugula in the bottom of a bowl and add a scoop of quinoa that is cooked in coconut milk in the middle.  Then around the quinoa, I place scoops of sliced crimini mushrooms that I marinate in coconut aminos, sprouted mung beans or lentils and steamed broccoli and bok choy.  I top it off with cilantro and mango chutney. Yum!
Try your own combination and let me know how you like it!

Veg patty and Brussels Sprouts

Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts

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Crunchy with a bit of sweetness is the BEST way to eat Brussels sprouts! These Maple Glazed Brussels Sprouts are a favorite and easy to make your own.

  • You need a pound of Brussels sprouts
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 or fire up the grill.  Rinse the sprouts under running water and pull off any loose outer leaves. Trim the stem if it has dried out or turned brown, and cut each sprout in half through the stem end.

Place the sprouts in a bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of maple syrup. Toss to coat the sprouts and pour onto a baking sheet turning them so the cut side is down. Place the sheet pan in the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes until they get a little brown and crispy. If grilling, pour onto a sheet of foil and wrap the foil loosely and pinch edges to seal it and place it on a hot grill for 13-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!

 

Overnight oats

Easy Raspberry Orange Overnight Oats

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If you like oatmeal, you have to give this recipe a try. Raspberry Orange Overnight Oats is easy to prepare the night or two before you want it.  It satisfies the desire for something a little sweet, because of the berries and orange juice. It not only fills your tummy, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals for a nutrient dense breakfast to start you day off right.

Overnight oats can be made with steel cut oats or rolled oats. The steel cut will be chewier than rolled oats.  Steel cut oats will be chewier and can be pulsed in the blender or food processor if you want it smoother. I like to open a capsule of probiotics and add it to the oats to help start the breakdown process, by slightly fermenting the mixture. Probiotics help to ease digesting the grains.

In this recipe, I add tahini. I like the flavor and the fact that it is a good calcium source, but you can substitute any nut or seed butter you have on hand.  Substituting different berries, nut butter and liquid can switch up the flavors and keep you from getting bored with the same old thing, even though it’s delicious.  For liquid variety try flavored plant milks, coconut water or milk, tea, even coffee works.

Overnight oats
Print Recipe

Orange raspberry overnight oats.

Prepare your breakfast tonight for tomorrow. Creamy fruity oats.
Prep Time15 minutes
Resting time8 hours
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: berries, oats, probiotics
Servings: 1
Author: Chef Kim

Ingredients

  • 1/2 c oats rolled or steal cut
  • Handful of frozen raspberries
  • 2 T dried fruit (goji, apricot, fig, berries) chopped if needed
  • 1 T tahini
  • 1-2 tsp maple syrup or 3 drops stevia optional
  • 2 T yogurt or open a probiotic capsule
  • 3/4 c orange juice substitute plant milk

Instructions

  • In a jar or bowl, combine the ingredients.
  • Stir, cover, refrigerate overnight.
  • Enjoy in the morning

Notes

The recipe can be made in bulk, so breakfast is ready for several days. Double or triple the recipe.
If using steel cut oats, overnight soaking is necessary, whereas rolled oats can be eaten after only a couple hours. 
For variation, substitute nut or seed butters for the tahini. Try different berries or dried fruit. Change up the liquids used to alter flavor. 
baked gluten free banana bread

The BEST gluten free and vegan Banana Bread

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There are affiliate links in this post. If you follow links, I may receive a small percentage of sale at no extra cost to you.

I love banana bread and have enjoyed more than my share of banana bread over the years – traditional, vegan and gluten free banana bread. Gluten free bread typically needs more eggs than I like, in order to hold the grain together. Vegan breads typically are not gluten free, because the the gluten is needed to hold things together. This recipe hit the mark. It is an adaptation of a vegan recipe, in which I altered the nut butter, flour and sugar,  And to date, it really is the BEST gluten free banana bread.

 I usually blend my own flour with a combination of oats, brown rice and almond flours. But in this case, I had some 1:1 gluten free flour blend by King Arthur. I picked this blend because it has the greatest amount of whole grains compared  to Bob’s and Pamela’s brands. Tapioca and potato starches are often the first ingredients listed is gluten free flour blends, but in this blend, rice, whole grain brown rice and sorghum flour are listed first. 

The potato and tapioca flour/starches used in gluten free flours are simple starches and go into the bloodstream like sugar, quickly raising the blood sugar. Whole grain flours have more fiber and slow that process down so the spike is not as rapid. So I encourage using whole grain flours above processed flours and starches. Many gluten free products are made with high starch concentration resulting in greater impact on blood sugar regulation. So take caution when eating gluten free as it can increase insulin resistance if the majority of products eaten are made with high starch content flours.

The sweeteners in this bread are bananas and just a little maple syrup. The maple syrup can be substituted with honey or another liquid sweetener. Try making a date syrup by blending dates and water.

Tahini is my favorite butter to use in this recipe, but cashew butter is mild as well. Other seed and nut butters can be used, just be mindful of the flavor that comes with it. Peanut butter and almond butter have strong flavors. 

The stir ins can be anything you fancy – any nut, seeds, dried fruit or chocolate chunks. Some combinations to consider are: cranberry-walnut, raspberry-white chocolate, chocolate chip-coconut, apricot-coconut, cherry-pumpkin seed and mixed berry-pecan.

baked gluten free banana bread
Print Recipe

The BEST (gluten free and vegan) Banana Bread

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: banana, bread, gluten free,, vegan
Servings: 8 pieces
Author: Chef Kim

Equipment

  • mixing bowl
  • 4X8 bread pan

Ingredients

  • 3 bananas brown
  • 1/3 cup tahini or cashew butter almond or peanut butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup honey or date syrup
  • 2 tablespoons flax meal
  • 2 tablespoons plant milk almond, oat, coconut
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour
  • 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup coconut flakes
  • 1/2 cup walnuts chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a mixing bowl. mash the bananas.
  • To the bananas, add the wet ingredients and flax meal, mix well.
  • In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add this to the banana mixture and stir.
  • Fold in the walnuts and coconut flakes.
  • Transfer to an oiled bread pan and smooth the top.
  • Bake for 60 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Notes

The tahini can be replaced with any other seed or nut butter, just keep in mind the flavor will transfer. Tahini and cashew butter are very mild compared to others.
The coconut flakes and walnuts can be substituted with your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruit or chocolate chips