Spiced Rhubarb Bread

July 22, 2017 Kathleen Henry

This lightly scented rhubarb bread is a wonderful alternative to rhubarb pie or crisp. It’s absolutely divine for breakfast with a cup of coffee, as a midday treat, or topped with vegan vanilla ice cream for a scrummy dessert. However you have it, this sweet and tart dessert bread is incredibly easy and sure to please even rhubarb snubbers. Made with olive oil and banana, it’s a little healthier than other recipes as well.

Spiced Rhubarb Bread - Produce On Parade - This lightly scented rhubarb bread is a wonderful alternative to rhubarb pie or crisp. It’s absolutely divine for breakfast with a cup of coffee, as a midday treat, or topped with vegan vanilla ice cream fo…

I really love rhubarb. I know it's not super popular with everyone. However, it's ubiquitous up here in Alaska; almost every house has a giant, lumbering rhubarb plant (or two, or three) loitering outside like sentinels. In the spring, our local paper ran an a story about the blushing stalks; that even though many houses have rhubarb plants, most are inherited when the house was bought. That rhubarb, nowadays, is on the out! It's tart, it's banal, and it's just not that tasty.

To me, that's blasphemous. I adore rhubarb. I love how hardy and stubborn it is; how it'll grow anywhere and be the first plant the shine it's smiling face, welcoming in spring. I love it's giant leaves and remembering my Grandma Nancy showing me how to wear one as a hat when I was a little girl. I love it's sour and pungent aroma, and how it's flavor it makes my lips pucker with delight. I love that it can be savory or sweet and how it's wonderful in pretty much everything from muffins to stewed, on top of ice cream. It's versatile and resilient. Just like Alaskans.

I am lucky enough to have a unique Russian variety, whose leaves are shaped slightly different than the common variety. This makes me feel especially domestic, in a homesteady type of way. It's silly and frivolous, but it makes me happy in a small and odd way.

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Spiced Rhubarb Bread

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 07/03/2017

Ingredients

1 cup unsweetened, plain soymilk
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup brown sugar, divided
⅔ cup olive oil
1 medium very ripe banana
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp chai spice or pumpkin pie spice
2 cups rhubarb, chopped small
1 tbsp vegan butter
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325°F and coat two 9x5 inch loaf pans with a nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the soymilk, lemon juice, and vanilla extract; let sit for 5 minutes.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup of brown sugar, olive oil, and the banana until very smooth. Whisk in the soymilk mixture.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, and chai spice. Stir in the rhubarb until coated. Slowly stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined. Divide batter between both the loaf pans. (Can be made into 16 muffins, reduce baking time to about 25 minutes)
Melt the butter in a small bowl in the microwave, about 10 seconds. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Drizzle/scoop the mixture evenly on the top of each loaf.
Bake for about 40 minutes, until slightly browned on top and springs back when gently poked. Allow to cool completely in the pan on a wire cooling rack before serving.

Yield: 2 loaves / 16 servings

Anouk loves rhubarb almost as much as Todd and I :)

Vegan Banana Muffins

April 5, 2017 Kathleen Henry

This is my go-to, super easy, and quick recipe for vegan banana muffins. These are scrumptious enough to be a treat, but healthy enough to snack on. I like to use a combination of flours such a spelt and sorghum, and toss in chocolate chips and dried cranberries; but feel free to add in whatever you like. This recipe is very adaptable. I freeze leftovers for breakfast during the week!

Produce On Parade - Vegan Banana Muffins - This is my go-to, super easy, and quick recipe for vegan banana muffins. These are scrumptious enough to be a treat, but healthy enough to snack on. I like to use a combination of flours such a spelt and so…

With a wee little two month man in the house, our world pretty much revolves around him. When he eats, when he sleeps, the diaper changes, and his play time, all dictate when I eat, sleep, shower, and have my own play time. With regards to the adults in the house eating, the quicker the better.

Often, there is no time to make dinner when we are hungry and snacks are definitely in order. Our house went from no snacks around to lots of snacks! I bake muffins and breads when I find the time and refrigerate them or freeze them for when our tummies can't wait until we are able to make a proper meal. They've been a real lifesaver! I imagine they could be in yours too; for any business that delays dinner or when you need a snack and you need it now. You know those moments; these muffins are perfect.

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Vegan Banana Muffins

By Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Published 04/04/2017

Ingredients

1 ½ cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or whatever combination of flours you like)
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp kosher salt
3 large, ripe bananas
½ cup firm silken tofu
¼ cup agave nectar
1 ½ tsp egg replacer powder (optional)
2 tbsp vegan milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
¼ cup vegan semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a blender, add the remaining ingredients except for the cranberries and chocolate chips. Blend on high until smooth.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, along with the cranberries and chocolate chips, with a wooden spoon until just combined.
Preheat the oven to 350 F and coat a muffin pan with a nonstick cooking spray. Divide the batter evenly into the pan and bake for about 20 minutes, until the muffins are golden brown on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely, then store any leftovers in a ziplock bag in the fridge or freezer.

Yield: 12

Oil-Free Protein Blueberry Muffins

May 2, 2016 Kathleen Henry

These scrumptious, colorful muffins are studded with wild blueberries and spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. Thanks to avocado and tofu, they are oil-free, egg-free, and vegan! With less than 170 calories and a whopping 5g of protein per muffin, you can feel good about eating these cruelty-free beauties. Adapted from Gimme Some Oven.

Produce On Parade - Oil-Free Protein Blueberry Muffins - These scrumptious, colorful muffins are studded with wild blueberries and spiced with cinnamon and cardamom. Thanks to avocado and tofu, they are oil-free, egg-free, and vegan! With less than …

“You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside. ”

— Wayne Dyer

Oh, friends. These muffins are soooo delicious. I honestly didn't even think I'd be able to post them in fear that they would be rather dense and need tweaking. Yet, alas they were as soft and creamy as could be and just basically freakin' amazing. They're super easy and pretty healthy too. Let me know if you make them and what you think!

I made them this weekend as part of my procrastination plan. Now that our house building has ceased and it's spring, Todd and I should be delving into the maze of confusion and terror that is landscaping. Mission: LAWN! As currently, we just have... dirt #newhouseproblems I can't wait to plant some flowering crabapple and lilac trees, a ton of yummy veggies, and berry bushes. Alas, I'm trying not to be overwhelmed by it all. I like to say, I inherited the great love of all things plant related from my family... but not the green thumb or necessary know-how to actually do anything besides keep my house plants alive and a few potted herbs, kale, and tomatoes.

So, to pacify the rather harsh critic that is myself, I've decided just to do not much of anything except drown myself in books. It's an avoidance thing. Why do anything when I don't even know where to start!? This whole story brings me to my actual point: I'm almost finished with a new all-time ever favorite book. It's called Every Heart a Doorway and no, it's not a romance in the least. Check it out and let me know if you do read it or have read it and what you thought! Keep up with what I am reading by taking a peek at my Goodreads account on the right sidebar. Okay, now onto muffins! Which, coincidentally go great with a cup of coffee and a great book :)

Their tie-dye coloring is the most fun thing ever and for some reason made me uncommonly happy. It's the little things I guess!

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FYI, when using silken tofu I really like this brand (I'm not affiliated). It doesn't have a strong tofu taste at all!

Oil-Free Protein Blueberry Muffins

By Kathleen Henry @ Produce On Parade

Published 05/02/2016

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground cardamom
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted and skin discarded
1 12oz package of silken firm tofu (must be silken!)
¾ cup vegan granulated sugar + extra for sprinkling
1 ½ tbsp ground flaxseed
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ cups frozen blueberries

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin liners. Whisk together the flour through the cardamom in a medium bowl and set aside.
With the whisk attachment beat the avocado, tofu, and, sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until very well combined; about 2 minutes. Beat in the flaxseed and vanilla extract to combine. Remove the bowl from the machine and set aside.
Stir the frozen blueberries into the dry mixture to coat them. Stir the dry mixture slowly into the wet mixture with a wooden spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
Evenly distribute the batter into the 12 muffin liners (they will be filled above the top a little bit) and sprinkle the top of each with a dusting of granulated sugar if you like. Bake for 30 minutes until slightly golden brown around the edges.
Remove and allow to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan before placing the muffins on a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 12