The Healthy Life's Banana Bread

There's nothing quite like a slice warm banana bread on a weekend morning... I even like to toast mine and add a little vegan butter on top! But between the sugar, fat, cholesterol and other stuff, that one slice of banana bread can wreak havoc on your system and start your day of in a not-so-healthy kind of way. So, using an old family recipe (one of my favorites growing up), I set out to make a healthier version with the same great flavor...
and it was so much easier than I thought! In just two attempts, I bring you

The Healthy Life's Banana Bread!

The Healthy Life's Banana Bread:

makes 10 slices

2 cups organic whole grain oat flour 

2 tsp organic baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp organic baking soda

1/4 cup organic cane sugar

1/3 cup organic unsweetened applesauce

1 neategg

2 cups mashed ripe organic bananas (4-5 bananas)

1 tsp organic vegan butter (to grease pan with) 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease bread pan.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and set aside. 

Mash the bananas, measure out 2 cups, then set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and applesauce together well. Prepare the neategg according to direction (combine 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp of neategg mixture, and mix well), add to the sugar and applesauce and mix together completely. 

Add about 1/3 of the dry mixture to the large mixing bowl with applesauce mixture and combine. Then add about 1/3 of the bananas to the large mixing bowl and combine again. Repeat this process until all ingredients have been combined well into the large mixing bowl. 

Add mixture to the greased baking pan and bake for about 45-55 minutes, depending on your oven. 

Test the center of the bread with a toothpick and once it comes out clean, remove the bread from the oven, allow it to cool for several minutes, and enjoy!

A package of neategg was gifted to me by Neat Foods LLC.

Tofu "Egg" Breakfast Sandwich

Tofu Egg Breakfast Sandwich:

1 organic english muffin
1 package extra firm organic tofu
vegan cheddar cheese (for this dish I prefer to shave some of Daiya's Medium Cheddar Block)
organic extra virgin olive oil
organic turmeric
organic cracked pepper
optional garnishes: sliced tomato, vegan bacon, avocado, salsa... make it your own!

Drain and press the tofu well then cut into 4 filets (once lengthwise, and once widthwise). To save time, I would suggest doing this the day or night before and storing it in the refrigerator overnight so it's already prepped for the morning.

Heat a fry pan over medium heat then coat the pan generously with olive oil and allow the oil to warm. Sprinkle some turmeric and cracked pepper into the oil and reduce heat to medium-low. Place a single filet onto the pan and immediately press down firmly with a spatula and move the tofu in small circles preventing it from sticking to the pan. If it begins to stick, reduce heat further and continue to move around while pressing firmly. Continue to press down and move the tofu around the pan. During this time, sprinkle some turmeric and cracked pepper on top of the filet as well.

Once the filet has been cooking for about a minute, add a second filet a repeat the same process ensuring it does not stick to the pan. Once the bottom has begun to very lightly brown and crisp, flip over and repeat the process on the second side. One side should take anywhere from 2-5 minutes.

Depending on how large your pan is, it may be best to cook two filets at a time.

Once the filets have been cooking for about 1 minute on the second side, add the cheddar cheese to the top side of the tofu, reduce heat to low and cover so that cheese can began to melt. Make sure to check and move the tofu around occasionally during this time to ensure it does not stick - be careful not to rush the melting process and turn up the heat - the tofu will stick.

While the cheese is melting, toast your english muffin, then add your tofu to the english muffin, add any extra garnishes, and enjoy!!

Tofu Breakfast Bake

Pepper, Mushroom, and Onion Breakfast Bake: 

2 packages organic extra firm tofu, drained well

1 organic yellow onion

1 organic green pepper

1 lb organic white (or portobello) mushrooms

8oz chopped green chilies, mild or hot - your choice
1 cup shredded vegan cheese (optional)
2 tbsp organic turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon organic onion powder

1/2 teaspoon organic garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon organic paprika 

5 twists organic black pepper

2 twists freshly cracked sea salt (pink himalayan is my favorite!)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

First, drain the tofu then crumble into a bowl. Don't drain all of the water out, just most of it. Retaining some of the moisture will help while it bakes.  

Chop the pepper, mushrooms, and onion and sauté until soft. I like to sauté using water, instead of oil or butter not only because it's healthier, but once the veggies are done, there will be some flavored water left over that I like to add to the dish for extra flavor. I would use about 1-2 tablespoons of water as needed when sautéing. When sautéing with water, I also use a lower heat for slightly longer to avoid burning off all of the water. Once the veggies are soft, remove the pan from heat and set aside.

While the veggies are cooking, add the dry spices to the tofu and combine well with the tofu continuing to crumble the tofu as needed. I like to use my hands for this so that the spices really get mixed in with the tofu, but make sure to either use a glove or a plastic baggie as the turmeric will turn your hand/nails yellow.

Once the veggies are cooked, add them and the remaining water they are in to the tofu and mix together. Finally, fold in the shredded cheese.

Once mixture is complete, add to a deep glass baking pan. Using the back of a spoon, compress the mixture together firmly (this is critical to it remaining as a bake when complete so you can cut it into pieces, and not have it crumble). 

Cover with foil and place in the oven for 25 minutes. If you want a crispier top, after the 25 min, broil as desired.  

When finished, remove from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. I love to prepare this dish a day in advance, as I feel the flavors tend to enhance and blend together overnight. This dish also reheats very well! 

Either way, enjoy! Great for serving to a group! 

Healthy Life Tip: Make this on a Sunday and box individual servings for breakfast (or even lunch) to have throughout the week!