My wonderful friend Bronwyn was here visiting this week and we were inspired to make some vegan yumminess….Well, not too inspired I guess since we never got around to actually making anything. But I did go out and buy about 5 lbs. of bananas, and I did salivate over the fantastic recipe for vegan banana bread from the awesome folks over at Post Punk Kitchen. Then I was looking at the Joe Beef cookbook my husband got (yes, funny, I know — a vegetarian reading a cookbook with “beef” in the title) and came across a slobber-inducing recipe for Cardamom Banana Bread. I decided to play with both recipes, adding my own twist.
Garam Masala is a classic Indian spice mixture of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, star anise, and peppercorns. I know it might sound strange to put something with cumin and pepper in a sweet baked good, but the subtle savoriness adds something really unique and delicious to the flavor profile and is balanced nicely by the sweetness of the brown sugar and the coconut milk. Coconut and banana are natural partners, but you could certainly omit the shaved coconut and swap the milk for soy or almond if you’re not a fan. This recipe is vegan.
Garam Masala Coconut-Banana Bread
Ingredients:
– 4 very ripe bananas
– 1/2 c. butter or margarine
– 1 c. packed light brown sugar
– 1 tsp. vanilla extract
– 1/3 c. coconut milk, with 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar mixed in
– 2 c. flour
– 1 tsp. baking soda
– 1 tsp. salt
– 2 tsp. garam masala
– 1/2 c. shaved unsweetened coconut (I used a full cup here and I think it was too much — it made the bread super crumbly)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Peel bananas, place in a bowl and mash well. Set aside. *Do not mash until they liquefy or baking time will be altered
3. In a large bowl cream together butter (substitute) and sugar. Beat until light and fluffy
4. Add bananas, vanilla, and coconut milk to sugar. Mix well.
5. Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to wet ingredients. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in shaved coconut.
7. Pour batter into a greased 9×5 bread tin. *You can make muffins if you prefer — just reduce baking time to 30 minutes
8. Bake at 350F for 75 minutes, or until a skewer or knife inserted into the center comes out clean
9. Allow to cool 10 minutes in tin, and then transfer to a rack or towel to finish cooling
10. Enjoy!
And about 30 seconds later….
theindiehomemaker 