Vegan Marbled Banana Bread

Driving home from work on Friday, I stopped at Austin Pets Alive.

Because dogs and cats have a way of making problems less scary.

I quickly walked through the dog shelter, my ears ringing from the yaps and growls of a few noisy discontents.

And then I saw her. Huddled in the back of the kennel, Margot and her little tail wagging fiercely despite an otherwise frightened demeanor.

All seven pounds of this little dog begged for my arms.

So I took her out.

And after an hour of running and snuggling, I called Ryan and told her I wanted to bring her home.

Margot, we’re yours.

So our house of three is soon to become a house of four. We’re preparing Cricket for Margot’s arrival…as best we can…by buying her new toys and petting her for as long as she likes. And we’re preparing ourselves…for the early morning and late night walks, for the increased vet bills and trips to Petco.

But we’re excited, and the arrival of Margot calls for something as sweet as her.

This vegan quickbread  pleases vegans and non-vegans alike. Banana bread swirled with chocolate makes anyone happy…especially when each bite tastes moist and light. Not too sweet and not too heavy.

The mixing of the two batters requires a few more steps than your typical banana bread recipe, but it produces a loaf that tastes heavenly and looks lovely.

Wouldn’t this be perfect to bring to work? Or maybe to serve at Sunday brunch? I think so.

Ryan and I will enjoy it next weekend, our first weekend with Margot.

We’ll go on walks, we’ll calm Cricket, we’ll sit with animals on laps, and we’ll smile, thankful for the blessings amidst the sorrow…because these small joys are how we get by.  

Vegan Marbled Banana Bread
1 cup mashed very ripe banana (3 bananas)
3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/3 cup almond milk (or your preferred non-dairy milk)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
6 tablespoons boiling water, divided

1. Boil water on stove. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 F.

2. Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl until relatively smooth. Beat in the sugar, canola oil, milk and vanilla.

3. In a separate bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients. Be careful to not over mix your batter.

4. Scoop one cup of the batter up and transfer it to a separate mixing bowl. In a small glass, mix the cocoa powder with 3 tablespoons of the boiled water and stir vigorously until the chocolate dissolves. Add this chocolate mixture to the bowl with the scoop of batter, and mix until the chocolate is thoroughly incorporated.

5.  Now, add 3 tablespoons of boiling water to the plain banana batter and mix until just combined.

6. Lightly grease an 8×4 loaf pan (I like to cut out a piece of parchment paper to line the bottom of my loaf pans…it guarantees a smooth transfer!) Scoop alternate 1/2 cupfuls of chocolate/banana batter into prepared pan. Once all the batter has been scooped into pan, take a butter knife and swirl it through the batter.

7. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for 10-20 minutes before removing.

Always,
Monet
Anecdotes and Apple Cores