Don’t rock the (banana) boat

So yesterday I got all inspired and went into “cook mode,” allowing my vegan creativity to pour out in the kitch like nobody’s business. It’s not like I created anything spectacular, but my sesame oil Asian marinade and cumin spice mixture came out surprisingly adequate. Too bad I was too ravenously hungry to bother with photographic evidence. That’s what happens when you wait until 3:30 to start cooking your “lunch.”

First, I made an awesome sesame seed-encrusted baked tofu sandwich with roasted carrots, purple kale, onions, and mustard on whole wheat sourdough bread. And since I rarely use the oven nowadays (one of the unfortunate side effects of the constant Sacramento heat) I decided to roast some chickpeas in an on-the-fly cumin-heavy spice mixture while I was baking the marinated tofu and carrots. Steamed broccoli was the perfect side. Quite tasty and all that, but I know you could care less because who wants to read about food porn? Not at all satisfying.

But I did photograph a yummy banana boat that is ridiculously easy, crazy cheap, and fairly healthy (for a dessert anyway). Everyone loves a big cookie or slice of pie, but who can be bothered for complex recipes or long baking times when the need for sugar comes right that second. Enter the banana boat.

I tried to make this look pretty, but the maple syrup drizzle just formed a big blop. Sad face.

To create: Slice banana in half (as shown), slather your favorite natural peanut butter all over, and add the toppings of your choice. That’s it. I added (real) maple syrup on the one pictured, but last night blueberries were an even better choice. Nuts, cocoa powder, or even melted chocolate would be great add-ins but the sky’s the limit. Or consider branching out to other nut butters like cashew, almond, tahini (sesame seed), sunflower, etc. You can also make this as unhealthy as you like by adding vegan ice cream or whipped cream. The best part? That it tastes like a decadent dessert/snack with almost no work involved. Perfect for the lazy blogger, a.k.a me, myself, and I.

Perfecto.

4th of July. Pie.

Happy Birthday USA. I may not be super patriotic, but I do like to decorate pies. And it just so happens that two of my favorite fruits–blueberries and strawberries–make perfect little patriotic desserts.

This is one of my fail safe desserts for those days when I feel lazy and want immediate chocolate gratification. I’ve haven’t met someone yet who hasn’t loved it. In fact, my aunt told me that after I left the party she wished I had left the last piece of pie for her. Oh nooooo, I’m saving that little straggler piece for my post-run breakfast tomorrow (this?) morning.

Everyone SMILE for the chocolate pie

This beaut comes from this simple little recipe. The only change I made was to leave out the maple syrup. That stuff is precious to me (read: expensive) and you can compensate by subbing brown sugar for the white.

The pie is super easy to make and doesn’t even require baking.  Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese is the only ingredient that is semi-hard to find, but any natural foods store is sure to have it. I’m pretty sure Trader Joe’s carries it too.

So, Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope your neighbors don’t keep you up all night blowing off illegal Mexican fireworks like mine do.

PS: If you want to know what it looks like sliced, here ya go. It’s the same recipe, but topped with Soyatto whipped topping instead of fruit and with an oreo crust.