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With the loss of yogurt (soy is weird… coconut is waaaaay too expensive) and the death of my blender (it was junk anyhow), I thought I would never make a good smoothie again.  I was wrong. I constantly snack on my dairy-free smoothies. Derek even begs me to make them for him when he’s finished working in the yard.

Smoothie Base

• Frozen Bananas (or Homemade Coconut Ice Cream for a more dessert like creation)
• Honey to taste
• Almond milk

Directions

1. Whir the bananas in your food processor
2. Add almond milk until it’s either a drinkable or spoonable smoothie (your choice)
3. Add honey as desired for sweetness

Variations

• Peanut Butter Banana (my personal favorite afternoon pick-me-up): Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter.
• Chocolate Peanut Butter: Add a heaping spoonful of peanut butter and a good shake of cocoa powder
• Berry: Add a heaping hand full of your favorite berries.
• Tropical: Add a heaping hand full of Dole’s Frozen Mixed Fruit avoiding all strawberries
• Mango Blueberry: Omit the banana.  Add frozen Blueberries and Mango.  Go heavier on the mango than the blueberries.
• Mango: Add some Mango.
• Green Machine: Add an Avocado

I’m sure you can come up with tons of your own variations.  Enjoy!

I make muffins a lot.  They are a fantastic snack and a great use for all my vegan chocolate chips 😉  Here are two of my favorite recipes, both are modified from a coffee cake or a quick bread recipe so each makes over a dozen muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins

Ingredients:

• 1 C oil
• 1 15 oz can pumpkin
• 1 C brown Sugar
• 1 1/2 C sugar
• 3 egg, beaten
• 2 1/2 C flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 (I think… I forgot to mark this down but that’s what I do for the other recipe)
2. Mix oil, sugars, eggs, pumpkin and vanilla in a large bowl
3. Mix flour, spices, salt, and soda in a medium bowl
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until smooth
5. Bake 12-17 minutes until a tester inserted in a muffin comes out clean.

All Purpose Muffin Recipe
This one is adapted from a recipe for the Blueberry Buckle Coffeecake  in King Arthur Flour’s Whole Grain Baking Book.  The muffin recipe isn’t super sweet because the recipe for the coffee cake has one of those super duper sweet streusels that go on top which I never make. 

Ingredients

•  2 1/2 C white whole wheat flour (or a combination of whole wheat and white flour)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbs Earth Balance Buttery Sticks (you may be able to substitute just oil but I haven’t tried)
• 1 C sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 C milk (I use almond)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Cups additional ingredients: blueberries, chocolate chips, nuts, craisins, frozen diced peaches, strawberries (let your imagination run wild)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Whisk flours, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cream together Earth Balance and sugar in a large mixing bown until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in the eggs.
5. Stir in half the dry ingredients, then the milk and vanilla.
6. Sir in remaining dry ingredients.
7. Gradually fold in any additional ingredients.
8. Bake 12-17 minutes until a tester comes clean.