Tuesdays With Dorie: Classic Banana Bundt Cake August 4, 2009

This weeks Tuesdays With Dorie was brought to you by Mary of The Food Librarian.  She chose Dorie’s Classic Banana Bundt Cake which is located on page 190 in Baking: From My Home to Yours.  I LOVE banana bread.  If you knew me back in college you more than likely saw me eating homemade banana-walnut bread with butter spread on one side and Duncan Hines Homestyle Vanilla Frosting on the other side

Yes, I am that weird and it tasted SOOOOO GOOD!!!

So, I was a little excited about this weeks recipe and it being a pretty straight forward and easy recipe added to the excitement.  In the same day, I also made the Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie for a dinner party, which is the recipe for the end of the month.  I guess you could say I was busy baking a bunch of crap yesterday.  Well, not crap, but you know.  I also made Jell-O Shots using my friend Animals super secret recipe

The flavor of the cake reminded me exactly of my banana bread sans walnuts  but the bundt cake was actually a lot moister.  I would definetly make this recipe again, very tastey.

Vegan Adventure #27: Banana Rabanada (Brazilian French Toast) July 22, 2009

This post has been postponed for long enough

When I found out that Isa was coming out with Vegan Brunch, I was VERY excited.  I couldn’t wait until it came in the mail, and when it finally did the first thing I made was the Banana Rabanada.  It was very simple to make and it tasted fantastic.  The only thing that I might add to the recipe is 2 tbsp of sugar to the batter or when you eat the French toast just dump maple syrup on top of it.  Either way, it just needed a little bit more sweetness to it.  Perhaps my bananas could have been a little bit more ripe

Also, when sprinkling cocoa powder and cinnamon on the French Toast be very careful to dust the toast and not dump it on one side like I did.  There is nothing like a strong blow on the toast to dislodge the excess cocoa powder and cinnamon, and in turn blow it all over the counter.

Banana Rabanada (Brazilian French Toast)

Source: Vegan Brunch by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

2 very ripe bananas

1 1/2 cups almond milk (or your favorite nondairy milk)

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stale baguette, sliced diagonally in 1-inch pieces

Cooking Spray

Slice strawberries and bananas for garnish

Blend bananas, milk, cornstarch, and vanilla in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Spread out baguette sliced in a single layer on a baking pan.  Pour banana mixture onto the bread and flip sliced to coat.  Let sit for 10 minutes, then flip over and let soak for 10 minutes more.

Preheat a large, nonstick skillet (cast iron preferred) over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray and cook about half of the soaked bread for 5 to 7 minutes on one side and about 3 minutes on the other.  When ready, the toast should be golden to medium brown and flecked with darker spots.  Keep warm on a plate covered with tinfoil while you cook the second batch.

If not serving immediately, cover the toast with tinfoil and place in a 200°F oven for up to an hour.

When ready to serve, mix together cocoa powder and cinnamon and use a small sifter to sprinkle generoudly over each serving.  Serve Rabanada with vegan butter and maple syrup, and topped with fresh fruit.

Tuesdays With Dorie: Banana Creme Pie April 7, 2009

This weeks Tuesdays with Dorie was chosen by Amy of Sing for Your Supper.  She chose Dorie’s Banana Creme Pie which is located on pages 342-343 of Baking: From My Home to Yours.  I was very happy that this recipe was chosen because I have been eating bananas like crazy lately. Consequently, I have actually been craving banana creme pie and haven’t had one in awhile.

My little Monkey turned 4 :) November 19, 2008

Theoden when he was 9 wks old

It was my first child’s birthday on Monday.  He turned four years old.  I can’t believe it has been four years.  I remember the day when I was talking to one of my friends and she mentioned that she was going to breed her first Miniature Schnauzer Sadie.  Right then I told her that if she did I would want one of the puppies   Theoden was in her first litter and she hasn’t stopped breeding beautiful Miniature Schnauzers.  I ended up getting my second child from her almost two years later.

Theoden was the sweetest baby ever.  I remember putting him in my jacket and walking around campus with him.  He is the only Miniature Schnauzer that I have ever had that loves everyone, and doesn’t bark (very much).  He started to bark a little once I got his brother, Eomer.  Eomer is very vocal and a trouble maker, but a huge cuddle monster.

Theoden now

If you are a nerd like me you have noticed that my children are named after Lord of the Rings characters.  I also have two other Miniature Schnauzer that are with my parents and they are named after the Hobbits Mery and Pippin.  I lay claim to Pippin or Peregrin Took IV as the AKC likes to call him.  I guess I haven’t been the only LOTR fan that has registered her pups with the AKC

Back to Theoden’s Birthday.  I decided that I would try to make him another treat  out of You Bake’em Dog Biscuits Cookbook by Janine Adams.  I ended up deciding on the Peanut Butter Banana Muffins.  I made the muffins in mini form since my pups are small.  The recipe ended up making 36 mini muffins. The muffins were a hit and the pups just munch them down.

Peanut Butter Banana Muffins

Source: You Bake’em Dog Biscuits Cookbook by Janine Adams

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 tbsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

1 egg

3/4 cup milk

1 banana

3 tbsp oil

1/4 cup honey or molasses

Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Line the cups of a mini-mufin tin with papper cups or spray them with oil.

In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients and set aside.  Blend the peanut butter, egg, and milk together in a food processor.  Add the banana and the oil and molasses.  Mix until well blended.  Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients using a spoon or spatula.  Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated.  Spoon the mixture into the muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 full.  Bake for 15 minutes or until the tops are brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to three days.

Vegan Adventure #8 September 4, 2008

I have been looking for a way to use the two bananas that are left it my apartment which I had to put in the fridge the other day so that they wouldn’t go bad. They were almost completely black…opps I didn’t want to go to the grocery store and I didn’t necessarily want to make cupcakes, but I have been starring at this recipe for days now and have been wanting to make it. I actually have all the ingredients, so I finally gave in and made the damn things.

Tuesday’s with Dorie: Black and White Banana Loaf August 5, 2008

This weeks TWD recipe was chosen by Ashlee of A Year In The Kitchen and she picked the Black and White Banana Loaf in Baking: From My Home to Yours. You can either visit Ashlee’s site or if you have the book flip to page 232 to find the recipe and get your baking on.

I noticed that a lot of the TWD bakers were having problems with this recipe and it not cooking all the way through. I decided that I would make some modifications to the recipe based on my favorite banana nut bread recipe that I always make. Because of my recent purchase of Dutch Proceessed Coca Powder from Penzey’s I decided to use cocoa powder instead of bittersweet chocolate. I ended up using the following conversion factor: 1 oz chocolate = 3 Tbsp cocoa + 1 Tbsp butter. I used 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder + 3 Tbsp melted butter for the 3 oz of chocolate called for in the recipe.