breakfast

Easy Vegan Banana Oat Muffins

March 22, 2020 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hi everyone! I thought I’d share some non-pandemic-related content on the blog today. I took some time to myself this weekend; I walked the dog, and I baked (these Easy Vegan Banana Oat Muffins), and I made a delicious black bean potato soup in the Instant Pot. A decent time was had, considering the rapidly-evolving public health crisis we face, as we all grapple with adjusting to our new normals.

There I go again. Even when I try not to talk about it, I somehow circle the conversation back to what’s happening. It’s just hard not to, since it impacts all of us with such gratitude.

But now back to muffins. Specifically, Easy Vegan Banana Oat Muffins that I whipped up with a couple pantry ingredients in a matter of minutes.

It felt really good to bake, and to eat a wholesome, homemade baked good. There is something irreplaceable about home-baked muffins, breads, an desserts, and I hadn’t delighted myself to a wholesome homemade baked good in some time. In fact, the last wholesome thing I made was these Vegan Breakfast Bars back in January.

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Vegan Breakfast Cookies (Gimme! Coffee Inspired)

December 31, 2019 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hi Internet friends! Today we are making Easy Vegan Breakfast Cookies, which are inspired by ‘Vegan Breakfast Bars’ at a coffee shop called Gimme! Coffee.

The last several months have a lot. A lot of change, homesickness, and struggle. But there have also been a couple bright moments in the past couple months.

Notably, a wee micro-chain coffee shop called Gimme! Coffee has brought joy into my life on more than one occasion.

Gimme! has truly excellent iced coffee (strong, but still highly drinkable), as well as a variety of scrumptious vegan baked goods, my favorite being the ‘Vegan Breakfast Bar’.

Basically, the Vegan Breakfast Bar is an oat puck filled with warm spices, dried fruit, and pumpkin seeds. The first time I had it, I started dissecting the ingredients in my brain so I could attempt to make some at home.

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Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

June 6, 2019 by Katherine Baker 2 Comments

Oh joy! We have Vegan Gluten-Free Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, which are carby and nourishing and naturally sweet and banana-y to nosh on for breakfast or as an anytime snack! Aka one of my favorite categories of snack foods. Let’s dive right in.

Today I really wanted something banana bread-esque, but I didn’t feel like birthing an entire loaf of banana bread. Because sometimes, you just want something that’s easy to grab and snack on. Enter these Vegan Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies, which are naturally gluten-free!.

I’m a big fan of breakfast-y cookies or baked goods, hence my plethora of recipes for this category of foods, including but not limited to these Oatmeal Almond Butter Blueberry Pancake Cookies and Vegan Strawberry Almond Butter Oatmeal Crumb Bars and these Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins (my most popular recipe on my blog!) Yum.

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Vegan Sweet Potato & Apple Baked Oatmeal

January 9, 2019 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hello my fine friends! Happy 2019 to you. How’s the weather where you’re at? Here in Wisco, after a long weird warm spell, we have returned to our regularly scheduled January-in-the-midwest programming, with highs in the teens and twenties. I woke up this morning wanting something warm and comforting, and birthed this easy, delicious, Vegan Sweet Potato & Apple Baked Oatmeal out of my oven.

Baked oatmeal is a favorite comfort food of mine. I used to love the hot stepping bowls of Baked Oatmeal at Alterra (RIP) in Milwaukee. I’ll spare you my opinions on the current state of the now-Collectivo chain, and delve into the details behind this luscious, wholesome version of baked oatmeal you can easily make at home.

This Vegan Sweet Potato & Apple Baked Oatmeal starts with rolled oats (I used Bob’s Red Mill, but any will do). From there, mashed sweet potato (I used canned Organic pureed sweet potatoes, canned pumpkin would also work) adds an umami depth and richness, complimented with a healthy, hefty dose of cinnamon.

I sweeten the deal with a shredded apple and a couple tablespoons of maple syrup. Baking powder brings the fluffiness, salt provides some balance, and nuts add both crunch and lasting satiety.

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Pumpkin Peanut Butter Granola Bars

October 20, 2018 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hello friends! Quick disclaimer: I came up with this recipe in summer and wanted to ‘save it’ for pumpkin season, but re-take better photos. Photos never happened, but here’s the recipe regardless, with a few mediocre pics! I still wanted to share the recipe, because these easy and scrumptious homemade pumpkin peanut butter granola bars are worth whipping up.

Now, if you’re not into pumpkin spice, fear not. These are not pumpkin spice-y. In fact, the pumpkin flavor is pretty subtle.

Rather than act as the main showboat of the recipe, pumpkin acts as a binder for these granola bars and ensures they stay nice and moist and chewy (the way granola bars should be, in my opinion).

When paired with your favorite nut butter (I used peanut, but use whatever suits your fancy), a splash of maple syrup, and a sprinkle of salt, you’ve got a satisfying, sweet-and-savory way to mix up your snack game.

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What I’ve eaten this week (vegan)

July 19, 2018 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Another food roundup for ya! Hope these meals and snacks inspire some deliciousness in your life.

Just Salad:

Grabbed Just Salad the other day with my mom who is in town. Just Salad will forever be my fav salad chain. No shade to the others, just Salad just holds a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the reusable bowls, maybe it’s all the toppings. Perhaps it’s the yummy grilled roasted tofu or the variety of dressings or the nostalgia of it all since it was a staple for NYUers since they had one right by the library. Whatever it is. It yum.

My go-to is a build-your-own with kale and romaine mixed as the base, with apples, double roasted sweet potatoes, raw beets, apples, roasted broccoli, chickpeas, avocado, and grilled tofu. With agave Dijon dressing. And bread always, duh. YUM.

Onigiri from KoroKoro Riceball cafe

Recently tried a local onigiri cafe in jersey city and am hooked! They have rice balls stuffed with yummy and creative fillings.

Onigiri is itself a Japanese Street food, but the fillings are Koro koro are inspired by other cultures making it a fun fusion place of sorts.

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Recent (Vegan) Eats

June 30, 2018 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Hey hey! I want to make my recent vegan eats roundups more regular. I love reading about other people’s random daily eats for inspiration for new snacks and meals, and I strive to write a blog I would want to read, so here we are.

Without further audieu, here’s a peak into what I’ve been nommin’ on lately. Hope you enjoy! Drop a comment below if you like these kinds of posts, or if you don’t!

Pesto Meatball Sub and air-baked sweet potato fries with ALL the beet ketchup and chipotle aioli from byChloe

Last Saturday I met up with my NYU friend (and future MD!) Nina and her awesome vegan mom. We had a yummy dinner at byChloe, complete with all the condiments (really what’s best about byChloe), and dessert (a vegan/gluten-free cupcake + a cookie, split three ways).

It was so nice to meet Dr. Chris IRL! I feel like we’ve been internet friends for a long time. After we all went to Trader Joe’s…aka a perfect Saturday night!

For more on what I like at byChloe, check out my NYC Vegan Eats Roundup!

Snap Peas with Hummus:

YUM. Snap pea season! I got some yummy ones from the farmer’s market near by apartment and raged on them with hummus. Yummus.

Cherries

Again, tis the season! I love love love cherries, and they have such a short season, so when I saw a big bag for $1.88/pound, I had to get some. So sweet and refreshing.

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Banachos (Banana Nachos)

May 22, 2018 by Katherine Baker 5 Comments

Sometimes I think I could live off of potatoes and bananas and things to dip them in. Seriously. I eat both pretty much every day and never tire of them. The best.

One of my favorite ways to eat bananas is sliced up, topped with cinnamon, hemp hearts, oodles of nut butter, and/or granola. My sister coined this creation “banachos” and the name just stuck (at least in our circle).

This is less of a recipe and more of an idea. I want you to make banachos with whatever you like to eat bananas with.

Millie loves these too! As you can see from the pics. Also, I apologize as I only currently have phone pics; my camera is currently in Wisconsin! Getting it back soon though.

There are so many options: nuts, cereal, coconut shreds, cinnamon, spices, cocoa nibs, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows, Nutella or vegan Nutella (

All you do is slice up the bananas, pile on a plate, top to your heart’s content and enjoy. Banachos make for an easy and satisfying breakfast, snack, or dessert.

I hope you make these and I hope you love them! If you make them, tag me (@katherinebaker4) on Insta; I love to see your creations!

PS: How do you take your bananas? Green? Brown? I prefer mine lightly spotted, but I’ll take them in any condition. Let me know how you like them in the comments!

Banachos (Banana Nachos)

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Servings: 1-2, easily doubled

Ingredients:

2-3 bananas of your desired ripeness
cinnamon (optional)
2-3 tablespoons nut butter of your choice
toppings of your choice (suggested: hemp hearts or seeds, coconut shreds, cocoa nibs, granola, flax, chia seeds, dried fruit, nuts, mini marshmallows, Nutella)

Method:

Slice bananas into coins.
Arrange on a plate.
Top to your heart’s content.
Eat and enjoy.

Re-Sharing my Most Popular Recipe: Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins

December 1, 2017 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Happy December 1st to you! And, happy Friday. Can you believe it’s December already? I feel like this year was an insane whirlwind and I cannot believe 2018 is around the corner.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs this year. A lot of pain, growth, and struggle. But I’ve also seen a lot of kindness come out of friends old and new, and for that I am insanely thankful.

As I try to revive my blog after neglecting it time and time again, I thought I’d re-share a recipe that continues to be a top source of traffic to my site.

Behold, an old delicious favorite: vegan blueberry flax breakfast muffins.

These muffins are originally from my ebook, 40 Easy Vegan Desserts, and were published on the blog in March 2015. In case you weren’t following way back when, I thought I’d repost them because they are a true delight and make a wonderfully nourishing breakfast, snack, or dessert. I fancy them warmed up with a smudge of almond butter, or dunked in almond milk.

I hope you enjoy these! Bake a batch while watching Great British Bake Off (season 4 is now on Netflix!) and enjoy life. 🙂

Have a great weekend! I’ll be finally whipping out the DSLR and doing some new recipe development AND have a product review planned this weekend. Stay #blessed

Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Bake Time: 25-35 minutes
Level: Easy

Ingredients:

2 cups oat flour (can make with 2 cups rolled oats processed in a food processor or blender until fine powder forms)
- Note: I also made these with 1 cup oat flour and 1 cup spelt flour. This was also wonderful!
1/4 cup ground flax (can sub chia seeds)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted (can sub canola)
1 cup almond or soy milk + 1 teaspoon vinegar, left to sit for at least 10 minutes
1/2 cup apple sauce or 1/2 mashed banana
1/2 cup – 1 cup brown sugar (depending on level of desired sweetness); can also sup 1/3rd-1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. In a cup or bowl, combine almond milk and vinegar and allow to curdle, at least 10 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, combine flour, flax seed, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Mix together well.

4. Add apple sauce, melted coconut oil, sugar and/or maple syrup, almond milk + vinegar mixture to bowl with flour. Mix gently until just combined. Fold in blueberries.

5. Grease or line a 12-tin muffin tray. Fill each spot about 3/4ths of the way full with muffin batter. Place into the oven for 25-35 minutes until puffed, golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean upon removal. Allow to cool (or don’t) and enjoy. Store in an airtight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days, and/or freeze.

Quick and Easy Vegan Fruit Crisp

September 7, 2017 by Katherine Baker Leave a Comment

Yummy yummy yummy I have Fruit Crisp in my tummy!

….apparently I’m 5 years old. Anyways I thought I’d share the recipe for this easy vegan Fruit Crisp that I made on Vegan Bites this week, because it’s so incredibly simple. I usually eyeball these crisps because I’m lazy and because they are quite forgiving, but below you’ll find a general guideline for making your very own Fruit Crisp.

This recipe serves 2. You can easily double, triple, or quadrupole it, depending on how many people you’re feeding or how hungry you are.

I used peaches, but you can use whatever tickles your pickle or whatever fruit happens to be spoiling around your house. Frozen fruit works well, too.

I suggest using almond or oat flour. This makes it gluten-free if you care and delicious regardless of if you care. If you don’t have these flours, you can use all purpose.

This tastes amaze with non-dairy or ice cream or whipped cream. DO IT.

Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Fruit Crisp

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes, but need at least 1 hour to freeze
Servings: 2, easily doubled

Ingredients:

2 cups fruit (I used peaches today, frozen berries are also fab)
1 tablespoon sugar -1/2 tablespoon lemon juice -3/4 cup oats -1/4 cup flour (I recommend almond or oat, AP is fine too)
1/4 cup brown or coconut sugar (regular will also be okay)
1/4 cup softened non-dairy butter
cinnamon
dash salt

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Chop fruit into even pieces, add lemon juice, sugar, and toss. Place in well-greased baking pan.
Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Mix. Cube softened butter and mix in.
Cover fruit with oat mixture and bake for 30-45 minutes until fruit is tender and top is crispy.
Serve with non-dairy ice cream or coconut whipped cream!

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breakfast

Just Salad:

Onigiri from KoroKoro Riceball cafe

Pesto Meatball Sub and air-baked sweet potato fries with ALL the beet ketchup and chipotle aioli from byChloe

Snap Peas with Hummus:

Cherries

Banachos (Banana Nachos)

Ingredients:

Method:

Vegan Blueberry Flax Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

Directions:

Easy Vegan Fruit Crisp

Ingredients:

Method:

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