Banana Oat Cookie Sandwichs

Photo courtesy of Jessica Murnane

Lately I've been experimenting with my diet to omit milk and dairy as I believe they might be upsetting little EJ's stomach.  And I remembered these cookie sandwiches that my sister (a newly transitioned vegan from vegetarian) shared with me at her last visit.  Being vegan, they naturally don't contain any dairy and since I've been running out of foods to eat (or at least, ideas), I gave this recipe a try.  -- and doubled it straight off the bat.  Luckily it doubles easily which made 15 sandwiches.

At first I thought they would take so much time and effort to put together, but after reading the recipe, they are just like Vegan Muffins, with one extra step: assembling the sandwiches.  The frosting is thick, so I recommend using a knife to scoop and spread it (instead of a spoon, like I first tried).

I had a tablespoon or two of filling left over so I would say be generous when frosting the first cookie.  They taste so much better with lots of that cocoa flavor, too :)

Here's the recipe.  Let me know if you try it and how you like them!

First Homemade Granola

Loose granola has been on my DIY list ever since I discovered how much I like it with yogurt.  Especially greek yogurt.  Now, I can finally say I made some!

I used this recipe as a base for my jumping off point.

In a large bowl, I mixed together:
3c rolled oats (because I didn't have old fashion)
1/2c unsalted peanuts
1/2c unsalted almonds
2 Tbs flax seeds (mine are whole, but most recipes call for ground flax)

In a separate measuring cup, I used the microwave to assist melting together:
1/4c applesauce (mine is homemade, so I know it is only apples & a dash of water)
1/4c peanut butter

Then stirred in:
1 1/2 Tbs honey
**I wanted to include 1-2 tsp vanilla extract but I forgot to add it.

I poured the melted mixture over the dry ingredients and mixed until fully coated.

Spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  The thinner the better.  It will roast a little quicker, especially at the edges so be sure to "stir" or disturb it so as to work the edge pieces toward the middle and vice versa.

Bake at 300-350*F, setting the timer for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, give it a good stir and bake another 10 minutes.  My first batch was thicker so I baked it for 10+10+5 (25 minutes).  The second batch was much thinner, baking for 10+10 (20 minutes).

Allow to cool (I only had enough parchment for one baking sheet so I cooled the first batch in a glass bowl) and mix in:
1/2 - 3/4c dried cherries

After roasting and allowing the granola to cool, I can definitely tell it is missing some flavor.  I stirred in the dried cherries while it cooled which helped add a little zip to it, but I think 2 tsp or 1 Tbs vanilla extract would really help bring out some more flavor in this granola.

Now I'm off to try a cup of homemade yogurt with some of this new granola.  :)

Today's Baked Goods: Banana Breads

Yay for another successful baking day!

Last week I whipped up 2 loaves of Pumpkin Bread and a batch of Vegan Banana Muffins for Daniel's co-workers.

Today I wasn't quite feeling the excitement to bake, but all those delicious goodies were already eaten up & I was craving another slice. (1 loaf for us, 1 loaf to our neighbor; muffins to work and the rest to my vegan sister while she was visiting from Chicago).

So, with only 3 eggs left in the fridge, I decided Banana Bread & more Vegan Banana Muffins would stretch those eggs and use up what was left of the frozen bananas.  Plus who doesn't love having healthy snacks on hand?

Baibak Banana Bread
1/2 c butter (1 stick), softened
1/3 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 c mashed banana
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2c milk

Cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in eggs & mashed banana.  In a separate bowl sift flour and add baking soda and salt.  Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, alternating with milk.  Pour into a greased (I like to use butter) loaf pan and bake at 350*F for 50-60 minutes.  Test with toothpick for doneness.  Turn out and cool on a cooling rack.  Wrap and store in foil.
Makes approximately 12 slices, about 170 calories each.

Vegan Banana Muffins
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c rolled or quick oats
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c sugar
3 large, very ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 c applesauce
1 Tbs flax seed + 3 Tbs water
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.  Fill lined or greased muffin tins 3/4 full and bake at 375*F for 10-15 minutes.  Test with toothpick for doneness.
Makes 12 muffins.  Approx. 110 calories each.


Freezing Bananas - Purchase at rock-bottom price (i.e. reduced for quick sale because they are already ripe).  Peel, leaving banana whole, and drop into a gallon size, freezer-safe bag.  Label, and store in the freezer, ideally on its side until bananas are frozen.  As bananas go on sale, you can continually add to the contents.
When you are ready to use a banana for a recipe, simply take out the number needed and place into a mixing bowl to thaw, or you can warm them up in the microwave for 30 seconds on high.

Please let me know if you try a recipe & how you like it.  =)