Banana Bread

When I was little I always looked forward to bananas getting past their prime because that meant my mother would make banana bread. I still love the way it smells when it bakes and the way it tastes when still warm from the oven; this is a comfort food! Although I couldn't find her recipe to adapt, I did manage to create one of my own and the resulting banana bread is possibly the best I've ever had.

1 cup Earth Balance or other dairy-free margarine
2 cups sugar (can be partly brown sugar)
1 package firm Japanese style silken tofu (Mori Nu)
4 cups flour (1 can be whole wheat)
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
5 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 10-oz package of dairy-free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life work well)
2 cups chopped walnuts
cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar. Mash the tofu then mix thoroughly into the creamed mixture. In another bowl of a measuring cup, stir together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda; add this to the large bowl and mix until lumps are gone. Stir in the bananas (you may have to use a hand to do this) and then the chocolate chips followed by the walnuts. Distribute this batter into 2 glass loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray or greased with margarine. If you prefer, bake as muffins in lined muffin pans. Bake at 325 degrees until the top is golden brown and the center is cooked, about 1 hour to 75 minutes.

Vanilla Pumpkin Custard Pie **

For the pie crust you can use any type of 9" pie crust you like. Make one from scratch, buy a graham cracker crust, or buy a frozen pie shell; as long as the pie shell is baked before you make the filling it will be fine! Unless you have a very large pie shell there will probably be some extra filling which can be cooled in a dish and eaten like pudding.


pictured with Soyatoo brand rice whip. made with almondmilk and Wholly Wholesome brand gluten free crust

Vanilla Pumpkin Custard Pie

½ cup corn starch
¾ cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground clove
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups plain soymilk or almondmilk (some can be substituted with vegan creamer for a creamier pie filling)
1 cup pumpkin
9” pie crust, pre-baked

Combine in a large saucepan the corn starch, sugar, and spices. Whisk in the soymilk and vanilla. Continue whisking gently over medium heat until it begins to thicken and then add the pumpkin. Whisk thoroughly to mix in the pumpkin, remove from heat, and quickly pour into the pie crust. Allow to cool then refrigerate until set.

Lentil Stew *

This stew is mild but flavorful and goes well with homemade mashed potatoes, rice, or slices of sourdough bread.

Lentil Stew

3/4 cup dry lentils
2 cups water
3 sundried tomatoes (not the kind packed in oil)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp nutritional yeast
A pinch of salt

Rinse the lentils and chop the tomatoes. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring it to a boil, and then turn down heat and cover. Simmer the stew covered for 30 minutes then uncovered 15. The stew is ready when the lentils are tender.

Creamy Peanut Sauce *

Unlike the sesame peanut pasta which I make in large batches to use as leftovers, this sauce should be made in small enough amounts to be used right away. It has a more delicate texture and flavor that goes very well with rice noodles.

Ingredients:
2 TBSP sesame oil
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
¾ cup plain soymilk
¼ tsp ginger

Put the sesame oil in the bottom of a small saucepan and add the peanut butter and soymilk. Heat the mixture over medium low while whisking the ingredients together with a small whisk. Once the sauce reaches a smooth, creamy consistency add the ginger and stir well with whisk.

Makes enough sauce for 2 – 3 cups cooked rice noodles. To keep the noodles from sticking together, toss with a tsp of sesame oil before adding the peanut sauce.

Lazy Stuffed Peppers

Although the words "stuffed peppers" bring to mind an endless list of possible stuffings, this recipe is the lazy version and contains only 5 ingredients (including water used during cooking). It doesn't even require the use of an oven or stove because all the cooking happens in the microwave. The recipe makes just enough for two if served with some sides.

Ingredients:

1 large bell pepper
2 to 3 button mushrooms
about 3/4 cup of vegan soy "meatballs"
vegan grated topping (soy Parmesan)***
water


Thaw the "meatballs" & crumble them into a bowl; chop mushrooms & add to the bowl. Cut the pepper in half lengthwise & remove seeds. Place pepper halves in glass baking dish and stuff with mixture from bowl then top generously with soy Parmesan. Pour 1/4 inch water into baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, & microwave until pepper is cooked (about 8 minutes in mine).

*** I like Galaxy Foods vegan grated topping best

Raspberry Sauce *

I remember when I was little making a cake with raspberry sauce at a friend's house. She gave me the recipe but I managed to lose it and when I wanted to make the sauce again (years later) I had to recreate the sauce through trial and error and finally got it just right. It's a delicious topping for any number of desserts, including chocolate cake, but should either be made just before it will be used or distributed onto the dessert almost immediately after being made even if it will not be served until later.

Raspberry Sauce

½ c. sugar
2 Tbsp. corn starch or tapioca starch
1 bag frozen raspberries
Water

Thaw raspberries and drain juice into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1 cup. In medium saucepan, stir together sugar and corn starch, then whisk in the liquid and add the berries. Heat over medium, whisking constantly, until the mixture boils and begins to look translucent instead of cloudy. Strain to remove seeds and pulp.

Basic Vegetable Soup **

I like to make many different kinds of soup, especially during the cooler months, and this recipe is for a basic vegetable soup. It's nothing fancy, but most of the ingredients can be stored for a long time and pulled out when you don't know what else to make or didn't make it to the grocery store. You'll need a really large pot to make this soup and several large containers for leftovers (as well as refrigerator space).

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
3 or 4 cartons of vegetable broth *
1/2 cup pearled barley***
1 bag frozen mixed vegetables
1 can of beans (other than chickpeas)
1 bag frozen lima beans **
1 can diced tomatoes
dried dill weed to taste (I like to use a lot)
dried parsley to taste (plenty of this also)

Combine the onion, broth, and barley in a very large pot over high heat. Add the vegetables, beans, limas, and tomatoes. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium or medium-low. Add the dill and parsley and stir. The soup will need to be stirred periodically; putting a lid on will retain more liquid. Once the barley is soft (but still a bit chewy) the soup is ready.

* If you like a lot of broth, use 4 cartons. If you like less broth, use only 3. If you want to make the soup cheaper, you can substitute water for part of the broth; each carton is 32 oz so just replace a carton of broth with 32 oz of water.

** I like lot's of lima beans in my soup but if you do not, just use a second can of beans instead.

*** For gluten-free soup, skip the barley and use one or two large potatoes cut into 1" pieces.