The basic banana bread ingredients are the bananas, eggs, butter, flour, and milk. However, for the vegan chocolate banana bread version, we shall substitute the non-vegan ingredients and add a little twist to make it even more delicious and nutritious. Ideally, the difference between this bread and the ordinary vegan banana bread is the addition of chocolate. Let’s bake!

Preheat your oven to 350F (180 C)

The Ingredients

• 1-cup gluten-free plain flour
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup of vegan dark chocolate chips (for extra oomph)
• 1 vanilla pod (or your favorite flavor like strawberry or cinnamon)
• Mixed nuts (to add some coarse texture)
• ¼ cup agave nectar (although not necessarily because ripe bananas add some natural sweetness)
• 2 ripe bananas (very ripe ones work best)
• 1/2-cup milk (non-dairy) or just water (almond milk works fine for me)

The Procedure

Grease your baking tray with a tablespoon of coconut oil. Alternatively, just line it with a greaseproof baking paper to prevent the vegan chocolate banana bread from sticking.

In a wide bowl, mash the ripe bananas until smooth. You can leave them chunky for more texture but not very big chunks.

Add the rest of the wet ingredients and mix evenly.

Now sift in your dry ingredients and using a wooden spoon, fold them in until evenly distributed.

The folding process is vital for moist banana bread.

Bake the bread for 30-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.

To serve, garnish the bread with berries and dust with a little icing sugar.

The Twist

You can add as much vegan chocolate as you like. However, the surest method is to stick with the cocoa powder measurements and instead add melted dark chocolate. Similarly, you can substitute the dark chocolate chips with the white ones. However, the bread won’t have that deep-dark chocolate color.

The reason I used vegan chocolate chips instead of a roughly chopped dark chocolate bar is that the chips maintain a uniform profile while baking and once you bite into the bread, the chocolate melts in your mouth.

The nuts are optional. They just add a little texture to the cake and add air spaces to make the cake spongy. Unlike vegan cupcakes, banana bread can be quite dense. I use coarsely chopped (or whole) nuts to add air spaces while baking, which makes the bread lighter.

Again, if you will garnish with icing sugar, go easy on the sweetener, unless you have a very sweet tooth.

Finally, this can be your everyday type of bread, even if you’re on a diet. However, it only keeps fresh for a few days (less than a week), whether refrigerated or at room temperature. Please do not be tempted to keep it longer.

Is Chocolate Healthy?

As we wait for the bread to bake, let me fill you in on the nutritional value.

There are several categories of vegan chocolate: the original dark chocolate and the different versions of processed chocolate. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants. It also contains significant amounts of iron, zinc, manganese, fiber, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, copper, and selenium.

All these are important minerals in our bodies (not metals). When you feel a deep craving for chocolate, it is because your body has discovered that some of the minerals you lack can be obtained from chocolate. However, the type you crave for depends on you.

Is your vegan chocolate banana bread ready? Enjoy!

Crepes are quick yet delicious additions to breakfasts and desserts. In this article, I will share 3 variations for your vegan Crepes. You can decide to have them all in one serving or alternate these variations for a different taste each day. Without a doubt, you and your friends will be begging for more.

But first, let’s go over a quick and easy to follow recipe for making your very own vegan crepes.

Basic Vegan Crepes Recipe

• 1-cup whole-wheat flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 cup of soymilk
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil
• A dash of vanilla extract (optional)

Procedure

Sift the flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to form a thin batter. The secret with crepes is in the consistency. The thinner the batter the thinner and crispier your crepes will be. If you make thick batter, you will struggle to spread the batter and hence you end up making thick pancakes.

In a hot nonstick skillet, add just enough batter to cover the pan. Quickly swirl the pan and allow your batter to flow evenly and coat all sides of the pan.

Let the crepe cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side depending on how thick your batter is. The end results should be a golden brown crepe that tears apart easily.

To serve them, we will use 4 variations.

#1 Blueberry Vegan Cream Cheese Crepes

• Use the cooked crepes from the recipe above
• Spread a vegan cream cheese mixture (either homemade or store bought).
• Add ½ cup of blueberries or more if you like.
• Then finish off with mint leaf as garnish.

#2 Chocolate Banana Cream Cheese Crepes

Who doesn’t love bananas and chocolate? Here are the ingredients:

• Use the cooked crepes from the recipe above
• Add a layer of vegan cream cheese.
• Chop up one medium-sized banana and layer over the cream cheese.
• Fold crepe in half
• Sprinkle dark chocolate and serve.

#3 Blood Orange vegan crepes

• Slice up one blood orange into 8 slices. Set those aside.
• In a large nonstick skillet on medium heat add the following:
• 1 tsp. of oil or vegan butter
• 1/8 cup of brown sugar

Stir this mixture for a minute or two until the sugar melts.

• Next, add crepes to the pan, making sure the crepes absorb this mixture.
• Next top up the crepe with 2-3 pieces of blood orange
• Cover with lid and cook for 2 minutes.

They’re ready to serve.

#4 Vegan crepe served with vegan béchamel

This vegan crepe recipe is a crowd favorite. It works well with almost any toppings you can think of.

To make the vegan white sauce:

• Melt coconut oil, cook with almond flour, and your choice of spices.
• Add nutritional yeast and enough water to form a thick sauce.

Your vegan white sauce is ready to devour.

In addition to vegan cream cheese, sautéed spinach and any berries in season are my favorite toppings to serve with this crepe.

In Conclusion

Vegan crepes can be cooked in so many different ways. You can also substitute wheat flour with the healthier flour alternatives available. Which is your favorite recipe?

It’s that time of the year when oranges are finally in season. Today, I will share with you a very simple vegan orange cake recipe with a twist. I will also let you in on a simplified version of a chocolate mirror glaze that is popular with wedding cakes and in high-end hotels. Are you excited? Let’s get started.

The Vegan Orange Cake Recipe

Ingredients

• 200 g wheat flour – You can also use the gluten-free varieties
• 3 tablespoons maple syrup (adjust per your liking)
• 60 ml soymilk or almond milk
• 75 ml coconut oil (or any other liquid oil available)
• 1/2 tbsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3 tbsp. orange juice
• Orange zest (1 orange)
• Lemon zest (1/2 lemon) – optional. Lemon gives the cake a tangy taste to balance out the sweetness of the orange juice.
• A pinch of salt

Procedure

Preheat your oven to 180ºC (356 F)

Then start by juicing fresh oranges. Measure out the required amount in a large bowl. Now grate just one of the juiced orange rinds and half a lemon rind, and add to the bowl.

Add all the other wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder, and salt). Gently fold using a wooden spatula until well mixed. It’s OK to have a few lumps so don’t over mix.

Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is well cooked. 

Let it chill in the fridge as you prepare the glaze.           

For the Chocolate Mirror Glaze

The secret to this recipe is using a thermometer. When tempering chocolate, noting the temperature is very important.

Ingredients

• 10g Agar agar – Non-vegans use gelatin for the mirror effect. We shall use agar agar. Some retail stores have this labeled as “vegan gelatin”. However, this ingredient can be left out if you don’t need your glazing looking shiny.
• 125ml water
• 225g granulated sugar
• 150g good quality dark vegan chocolate
• 30g sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
• 60g coconut cream

Procedure

Mix the agar agar with 4 tablespoons of orange juice (you can use the freshly squeezed orange juice or store bought, or just plain water).

In a shallow pan, bring the water and sugar to a boil with the kitchen thermometer inserted. Add the agar agar just before boiling. Remove this mixture from the heat at exactly 104 ºC (220 F). Add the dark chocolate bars add stir with a whisk until they melt. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix well.

Now add the coconut cream, and mix well. Sieve this liquid to get rid of any lumps. If you’re still not happy with the consistency, use a hand blender and sieve again. The finer the liquid the smoother the glaze will be.

To Serve our Vegan Orange Cake

Remove your cake from the fridge and swirl the chocolate glaze whichever way you like. You can also cover the entire cake in the glaze. Then let it chill until the glaze is firm enough before you place the final garnish elements. I used mint leaves and berries just before serving my vegan orange cake. Enjoy!