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 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!

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.

Vegan Banana Muffins

By Kathleen @ Produce On Parade

Published 04/04/2017

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!

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

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. In a blender, add the remaining ingredients except for the cranberries and chocolate chips. Blend on high until smooth.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, along with the cranberries and chocolate chips, with a wooden spoon until just combined.
4. 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

Bare Crunchy Coconut Chips

If I'm being totally honest, which I always am, (I'm seriously horrendous at lying) I'm not much into snack food or snacks in general. They're usually quite processed and often laden with added sugars and/or fat. I'd much rather munch on a few dried figs (maybe with chocolate), assorted berries, or just hummus and some veggies. 

However, when I was contacted to see if I wanted to sample Bare Crunchy Coconut Chips, I was super excited. I've actually been wanting to buy them and even looked for chips in our local grocery store, but I couldn't find them. Is it weird to have a Pinterest board full of food you want to try? Well, these were on there. Check.

If you live in a small town like I do, or a state that doesn't have Whole Foods or Trader Joe's (seriously get on up here already, WF and TJ), or if the closest "healthy" food store is 50 miles away, Bare has a store locator on their website so you can partake in these scrumptious little guys. They also can be purchased on Amazon. Huzzah! 

Now, it's important to note that not all their flavors are vegan. The Simply Toasted and Sweet n' Heat, however, are! 

Details

• They're baked, so a bit healthier than your average fried snack.
• No preservatives.
• No cholesterol.
• No trans fats.
• Gluten Free.
• 3 grams of fiber per serving.
• Kosher.
• Non-GMO certified. 
• No wheat or nuts involved in the process of making the chips.
• They are "lactose-free"...but that doesn't exactly mean milk-derived-free (damn you coffee creamers).
• Made in small batches. 
• Each 1/2 cup serving has about 150 calories.
• Versatile snack eaten plain, or an addition to trail mix or salads. 

Taste

I loved the clean, coconutty flavor and crunchiness of the Simply Toasted version. It would be akin to eating the bulk bin coconut flakes from the store, but much more crunchy and chip-like, and about three bajillion times more delicious. 

The Sweet n' Heat version may have been my favorite, if only because I am a sucker for any "sweet and spicy" food. I was thinking they would be great as a sort of "crouton" atop an asian salad...as I shoveled them into my mouth. 

I just devoured these chippies plain, by hand, and utterly without shame. Also, they weren't so spicy that it slowed down the devouring process...just to let you know. If you're a wimp when it comes to spicy (I actually am), you'll be fine with these. They had the perfect amount of heat. 

Todd, however, wasn't impressed with these chips. As he says, "I'm not much into coconut." His judgements cannot be trusted though...the man doesn't like pesto. Who on Earth doesn't like pesto?! It's preposterous!

Price

On Amazon, they'll run you about $2.50 a package, which has 1 1/4 cups of chips, which is a serving and a half. I can't tell you what they cost in local stores, because I haven't been able to find them. 

It would take me about 45 seconds to eat an entire package, so that's a quick $2.50. To be fair though, a $4 latte isn't that far of a stretch from this. Unless you're literally addicted to caffeine...like me. Suffering from a wicked caffeine headache, I'd pay any amount to make it go away. 

However, these are made from coconuts. While admittedly I haven't bought a coconut lately (I'm much too lazy and ignorant with regards to cracking one open), I'm sure they aren't running as cheap as the dodgy corn used for tortilla chips. 

Pros

• Delicious.
• A natural, whole food. 
• Light in weight.
• Can be savory or sweet.
• You'll be getting 3 grams of fiber per serving.

Cons

• Can be a tad on the sugary side, depending on the flavor 
• High price.
• Lack of availability for some (like me).
• A bit calorie dense for the amount.
• The package is quite big for it's contents (this always disturbs me).

Would I buy them again? Not as a regular item, mostly because they're addictive, calorie-dense, and kind of pricy. But for a treat or an airport snack, I would most definitely be all over these. 

*DISCLAIMER*  PRODUCE ON PARADE IS A PERSONAL BLOG WRITTEN AND EDITED BY MYSELF ONLY, UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED. MY REVIEWS ARE COMPLETELY BASED ON MY OWN OPINION OF THE PRODUCT REVIEWED. I AM NOT PAID TO WRITE POSTS. THESE PRODUCTS WERE SUPPLIED TO ME AS GIFTS FROM THE COMPANY TO TEST AND REVIEW. OTHERWISE, IF I MENTION A COMPANY BY NAME AND THERE IS NO DISCLAIMER AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST, I AM MERELY WRITING ABOUT SOMETHING I LIKE, PURCHASE AND/OR USE. THE FACT THAT I DO RECEIVE A PRODUCT AS A GIFT TO TEST AND REVIEW, WILL NEVER POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THE CONTENT MADE IN THIS POST.