Vegan/ Gluten Free Banana Blue Berry Bread

So my friend just got back from studying abroad in Chile. the reason I'm bringing this up is that she has a gluten allergy and because of that, I've decided to try more gluten free recipes.Also with it being a new year and a lot of people's new years resolutions being eating healthy, I'm one of them, I'm trying more healthy recipes and also more vegan/ vegetarian recipes. So that is why this recipe is perfect! It has the option of being gluten free. I chose to use make it gluten free so that my friend could have breakfast!

I found this recipe on the best website ever! haha! Pinterest! The person who posted it on pinterest was from the blog TreeHugger. I haven't had a chance to look at this blog too much but if all of her recipes are like this one then I think I should!

Ingredients:
3 large over-ripe bananas
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 cup of your choice of soymilk, almond milk, or apple sauce (I used almond milk)
1/2 cup agave nectar
2 cups whole wheat flour or gluten free flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups blueberries (frozen works fine too)


1. Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a light layer of cooking oil.
2. If using soy or almond milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it and let it stand until it curdles. About 1 minute. Skip this step if using apple sauce.
 3. In a large bowl, mash up the bananas until smooth (but don't be afraid to leave some chunks -- these make a sweet surprise in a slice of bread). Add lemon juice, the curdled milk substitute or apple sauce, and agave nectar. Stir to combine.
4. In another bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until combined and everything is moistened.
6. Toss in your blueberries and gently stir until evenly mixed.

7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before transferring to a plate.
8. Enjoy!

Note: Whenever I bake I usually skip the whole dry and wet ingredients thing. When I learned how to bake it was always slowly add everything in and not to separate.

Sorry I only took one picture. It still looks pretty though! Anyway, My roommate and I couldn't wait for this to get out of the oven! Our apartment smelt to amazing and our mouths were hard-core watering. I ended up doubling the recipe. I had a few bananas that I managed to not eat fast enough. I thought the first bite tasted weird but as i continued to eat I realized that it was just because I haven't really eaten anything gluten free before and I ended up really enjoying it! My boyfriend and his roommates were the same way but ended up eating a whole loaf in one sitting so I was happy about them liking it!

Ta Ta for now,
Lil' Char

Black Bean Tacos!!!

Oh my gosh guys this recipe is so yummy! I again found this one on pinterest. When I saw it I wasn't very sure that I'd like it but oh my gosh its amazing. This post was originally on is Cornerstone Cooking! I haven't actually looked at it as much as I have done with the others but from this recipe I will be sure to keep looking! This recipe will definitely be in my keeper pile!

Ingredients

• 2 C. black beans, cooked
• ½ C. red onion, minced
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
• 4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 avocado, sliced
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 8 corn tortillas
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Salsa
• Sour cream

 

Instructions

1.  In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.
2.  In a large, non-stick skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.
3.  Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. I tested it with my hand. All you have to do it touch the surface of the tortilla and make sure its warm. Then add about 1/4 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a sprinkle of grated cheese.
4.  Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.
5.  As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once. (we could only get 2 in at a time but it was worth it)
6.  Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.
7.  When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.
8.  Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados, and sour cream. My friend and I added ranch. She is obsessed with ranch! haha.

Note: Corn tortillas are resilient to heat. Don’t worry about burning them. They are very flexible. Just be sure to cook them on each side long enough to get them really crispy. this is important! I didn't see it the first round of tacos and they didn't get as crunchy as I wanted, but still good!

 As I said before this recipe is amazing! I loved it and I can see me making it again and again! I loved the kick of cilantro when you bit in. My roommate on the other hand didn't like it because of the cilantro. I think that if I make it again I might add a little bit of taco seasoning and no cilantro so she could eat it, but I absolutely loved it! I can't wait to try variations! Oh we didn't slice the avocado we mashed it. It just didn't want to come out of the skin but it was still good. Oh and sorry about the pictures this time. My camera just wouldn't work so i had to use my phone. Sorry guys! I hope you try this and please post pictures and leave comments! 

Lil' Char