Showing posts with label banana. Show all posts
Showing posts with label banana. Show all posts

Aug 24, 2014

"vegan chocolate" cookbook giveaway



First and foremost, "Vegan Chocolate - Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts" by Fran Costigan is amazingly all about chocolate. Vegan. From the Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Pudding (above - we'll get to that later), to the Opera Cake below and anything in between, be it a drink, a frozen dessert or a candy, Fran has got it covered.

When I first received the book, I was stunned (though shouldn't have been) by the photography by the very talented Kate Lewis, who does complete justice to each of Fran's recipes that is lucky enough to have been photographed - and plenty there are, in this book. This is a cookbook of chocolates that Julia Child would be proud of!



A small sampling of the offerings are:

~a complete chapter on Truffles!
~Brownie Pudding Cakelettes (page 79)
~Brooklyn Blackout Cake (page 94)
~White and Dark Chocolate Cheesecake (page 97)
~Intensely Chocolate Trifle (page 110)
~Buche de Noel (page 116)
~Gluten-Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies (page 144)
~Raspberry Chocolate Silk Tart (page 164)
~Chocolate Panna Cotta (page 176)
~Chocolate Jello Shots (!!) (page 193)
~Chocolate Espresso Gelato (page 198)
~Chocolate Dulce de Leche (page 234)
~Hot Chocolate Mexican-Style (page 245)
~Chocolate White Russin (another, yes!) (page 258)

.... you get the picture. If you want to make anything chocolate related, this is the book you want.

Some of the recipes are easy as pie (such as the above Bread Pudding), while some are showstoppers, such as the Opera Cake below.


Beyond the scope of the recipes and the subject itself (chocolate!), Fran writes effortlessly and the recipes are clear and precise. For the more intricate recipes, such as the cake above, she even provides a game plan that makes a traditionally complex dessert seem like a walk in the park, complete with a time table and how long each component of the recipes will keep. This makes holiday baking and dessert making a breeze!

And that is just one chapter in the book! The other chapters contain recipes that range from super easy and quick to intermediate. This book is not just for the novice baker/cook, but also for someone who wants to put something extra special on the table - a truly versatile and long-reaching cookbook.

I chose to make the Bread Budding because my children had been asking me to make one, as they had seen many non-vegan renditions on TV shows and were wondering what all the hype was. Then this book fell in my lap, including a bread pudding recipe. May all our desires be answered so easily!

The recipe was completely delicious and addictive! I really am not one for sweets, but I kept going back for another bite of this. I couldn't resist! Make it yourself and see!

Who wants this book?

I am giving away a copy to one lucky winner (US residents only, please).

Leave a comment and follow me via Twitter, a reader or Facebook. Make sure to leave me a clear way to get in touch with you. Contest ends September 1 (first day of Vegan MoFo - have you signed up yet?)

Without further delay, here is the recipe by Fran Costigan and the photo by Kate Lewis of that scrumptious Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Pudding. It may be summer time, but one bite and you'll see that heating up the oven is all worth it.


Photo by Kate Lewis




Chocolate Chunk Banana Bread Pudding

The humble origin of bread pudding dates back to thirteenth century England when a “poor man’s pudding” was assembled from stale leftover bread, bits of fruit, and spices moistened with sweetened water. Contrast that lean and thrifty pudding with contemporary recipes often served in expensive restaurants, which are made with egg-rich breads, such as brioche or challah, baked in custards made with three or more eggs, heavy cream or whole milk, and sweetened with sugar. There’s a lot to like about the technique and texture of these modern bread puddings, but clearly a recipe renovation is needed. In my version, cashew cream, coconut milk, and starch make the creamy custard, and a healthy dose of chocolate provides the wow factor. I use protein-rich, easy-to-digest sprouted bread, but any bread you like will do. Serve the pudding warm right out of the baking dish, or make it ahead and warm before serving. If you want to spice up brunch with Ms. or Mr. Sweetie, try the heart-shaped variation at the end.


Makes 8 Servings

Ingredients
      6 slices sprouted wheat bread, or another bread
      1/2 cup raw whole cashews, rinsed and soaked
in boiling water to cover for 1 hour
      1/2 of a 13.5 to 14-ounce can unsweetened full-fat coconut milk,
 well-stirred (do not use light)
      1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons organic granulated sugar
      2 tablespoons pure maple syrup (Grade B or dark amber) or agave syrup
      2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
      1 tablespoon tapioca starch or organic cornstarch
      1 ripe medium-size banana
      3 1/2 ounces dark chocolate (any percentage), chopped into chunks

Preparation
1.    Cut the bread into roughly 1-inch chunks. Put the chunks into a large bowl and set aside until needed.
2.    Drain the cashews and put them into a blender. Add the coconut milk, sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend, starting on low and increasing the speed to high for 1 minute or until the liquid is perfectly smooth. (If you have a high-speed blender, this will take about 1 minute. If using a standard blender, blend the ingredients in 2 or 3 batches until perfectly smooth.)
3.    Add the tapioca or cornstarch to the blender and blend for 1 minute. Pour the liquid into a 2-cup measure and add enough water or nondairy milk to equal 1 1/3 cups.
4.    Pour the liquid over the bread and set aside to soak about 15 minutes, stirring gently with a silicone spatula a couple of times, until the bread is soft and has absorbed most of the liquid.
5.    While the bread soaks, position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375˚F. Oil the sides and bottom of an 8 x 8-inch baking pan.
6.    Spoon the bread mixture into the prepared pan. Coarsely chop the banana and mix into the soaked bread. Sprinkle the chocolate chunks over the top. Press some of the chocolate into the bread mixture.
7.    Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven. Immediately reduce the heat to 350˚F. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly puffed and firm to the touch. Let cool slightly before serving.


Serving
Serve warm or refrigerate until cold. Reheat in the oven.

Keeping
The bread pudding is best eaten the same day but may be refrigerated in a covered container overnight.

Variation
Bread Pudding Hearts: After the pudding has baked and cooled, refrigerate it until firm. About 30 minutes before you are ready to eat, remove the pudding from the refrigerator and cut small heart-shaped portions, or one large heart to share. Place on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Set the table while the pudding hearts heat in the oven back to melty, chocolaty goodness, about 15 to 20 minutes.



Recipe reprinted with permission from Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy-Free Desserts, © 2013 by Fran Costigan, Running Press. Photo credit: Kate Lewis

Sep 30, 2013

food truck finale! chocolate hazelnut crepes

Christian, Danielle and Matthew

I'm "ending" the Month of Vegan Food with the Crepes Bonaparte food truck. This is a French-inspired truck, the brainchild of Christian Murcia, based out of Orange County, another one located in in2insight's backyard. This truck evolved from a business project at University of Southern California - incidentally one of the schools my son is interested in attending.




The truck features a prominent mustache on the front and is nick-named Gaston -- because it is a French gas-guzzler. Now, that is original! The team had true French crepe makers imported and they serve everything on crepes, sweet or savory. 



For my final food truck make-over, I decided on their signature dish - HazzelBerryAnna, hazelnut-chocolate butter, strawberries, bananas and whip cream. I totally zonked the berries, so they don't show up in my crepes, but the rest is acutely represented.

The food truck uses Nutella as the spread, but there are vegan options in health food stores now, and, whether they use hazelnuts or almonds, they are just as delicious. 

As an aside, if you enjoy nuts - hazel, almond, peanut, walnut, pecan, whatever! - don't miss Robin Robertson's new Nut Butter Universe cookbook. I tested for this book and I went totally nuts with amazement. No hazelnut-chocolate spread in the book, but the Too-Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge will make you forget you ever even wanted it. 

Check it out and then check out my recipe for the crepes at the bottom of the post. 
I promise it'll show up eventually.









That's it for the wrap-up of MoFo 2013 from Zsu's Vegan Pantry. If you've been counting along, you will have realized that I failed miserably. I did not just miss the goal of 20 posts, but I missed it by more than half. 

Excuses I am full of'; let me count the ways: (1) we wound up moving this month, right on the heels of moving from Chicago in June. After making the transition from a small apartment to a bigger house, (2) our internet was unavailable for another week. Quickly on the trails of the move and lack of web-service, we found out (3) our neighbors were tenting their house, just a mere three feet from our new abode, for a termite infestation. This meant that the strong breezes of California would waft the toxic fumes over to our open windows. Californians have a distinct disdain for installing air-conditioning in homes, so the open window was not just essential, but for the three days of being tented also poisonous. So, we decided to get out of Dodge. 

As soon as we got back and settled, I was all set to continue with my outlined MoFo food tuck list - only to realize that there were (4) only three more days left in September! Oy vey! Three days, thirteen food trucks. Ahhh, no! Wasn't going to happen. 

So, you see, that as they say, is that. 

I will now go and catch-up on all the MoFo wonderfulness I've missed and find out if the missing GiGi has been located, yet. Hope so!  

Happy MoFo 2013 everyone!






Dec 20, 2010

banana chocolate chip muffin

Brunch

Making one kind of muffin would not be enough for lunch, so I made not only this delectable Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin, but also Vegan Appetite.com 's Tami's Apple Oat Muffins. They looked so good during MoFo that I couldn't pass them up. These happen to be the only oatmeal muffins my kids went for. Not to say they don't like oatmeal, but combining them with something that shouldn't be healthy throws them off a bit, I guess.

The Banana Muffins are Kate's favorite ones and they, too, disappeared with just a few crumbs left. Easy to make, with just a few bananas, flour and sugar and you are good to go. The sugar in this recipe is very adaptable, so you can make it using 1c or just 1/4 c to make 12 muffins.



Cost Breakdown

flour: $2
sugar: $.50
maple syrup: $1
banana: $2
chocolate chips: $1.50
baking powder and soda: $.25
Total to make 24 muffins:
$7.25


Banana Chocolate Chip

Apple Oat Muffin



Sep 17, 2010

banana bread

Catriona made banana bread today! NO EGGS REQUIRED, people. Bananas are naturally binding, so eggs are superfluous, no matter how you spin it.

These were delicious, not too sweet and not too banana-y. Man, we have a lot of different taste buds to satisfy in this house! 

These were spot on and now Cat knows how to make a darn fine banana bread. Kate wants to add chocolate chips to them when she makes them and I think Mikel wants to make them into muffins. They both sound great and I am looking forward to what these kids will come up.

Cost Breakdown:
banana: $.75
whole wheat flour: $.50
maple syrup, sugar: $.50
baking powder, almond milk: $1
Total for 8 servings:
  $2.75




Aug 28, 2010

banana french toast

The family has loved the 'Fronch Toast' recipe out of Vegan With a Vengeance, so when I saw 'Banana Rabanada' in Vegan Brunch, we had to give it a try. It is French Toast with bananas and cocoa. Now those two are a match made in heaven, so this recipe was bound to be great.

It was. Very simple to make. The only problem I had was with my cast-iron griddle - I should have used a little more fat to keep them from sticking. The sugar in the bananas were caramelizing the toast and making them stick too much.

Cost Breakdown
bread: $3
almond milk: $1
bananas: $1
cocoa: $.25
maple syrup:  $2
Total to feed a family of 5:
$7.25