Vegan Butternut Squash Bread

Going grocery shopping when you have a hungry tummy is NEVER a good idea - especially when you go to Costco where everything portioned for giants or for a family of ten.  What happens when I go to Costco on an empty stomach?  I end up purchasing almost everything that looks delicious within sight.  This time around my Costco loot included a really large container of pre-cut butternut squash.  It was never on my grocery list but I saw it & my stomach told me I had to have it despite the quantity of squash per container. What do I do with all that squash?  How about bread?  

I love my sweets but I tend to like my level of sweetness to be on the low to mid-range so if that is your level as well then you will absolutely love this bread.  Baked goods are not exactly healthy but I like to rationalize & convince myself that certain baked goods are fine.  Should one eat a chocolate chip cookie?  Well, it has chocolate which has antioxidants & that is good for our bodies.  Should one eat a scone?  Sure, the raspberries in it provide antioxidants, manganese, iron, fiber, & vitamin C! Well, how about butternut squash bread?  Um, yeah!  It has plenty of fiber, magnesium, potassium, as well as vitamins A, C, & E!  Who wouldn't want all that awesome nutrition for your body? 

So let us all make some butternut squash bread to get our nutrition!  

Vegan Butternut Squash Bread

2 & 1/2 cups cooked & pureed butternut squash
1/2 cup canola oil (or butter for vegan-less)
3 tb ground flax seed & 9 tb water (or 3 large eggs for vegan-less)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin spice

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Lightly grease & flour two loaf pans.

- Beat sugars, oil, flax seed, & water on high for a few minutes until thoroughly combined.

- Add squash & mix on medium-low speed until thoroughly combined.

- Add the remaining ingredients & mix on low speed until thoroughly combined.

- Pour into both loaf pans & bake for about 50 minutes or a toothpick comes out clean.

Vegan Chocolate Mocha Banana Bread

This is my vegan version of banana bread but ingredients can easily be substituted if you prefer dairy & eggs in your baked goods.  

Vegan Chocolate Mocha Banana Bread

4 very ripe medium bananas, peeled & mashed

1/2 cup agave syrup

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup almond milk

1 tb ground flax seed + 3 tb water (or 1 egg)

1 & 1/2 cup flour

1 ts instant espresso powder

1 & 1/2 ts baking soda

1 ts sea salt

1 cup chocolate chips

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit & lightly grease & flour a loaf pan.

- Mix all wet ingredients together until thoroughly combined.

- Add remaining ingredients except for the chocolate chips & stir until just combined.

- Fold in chocolate chips.

- Pour into the loaf pan & bake for an hour or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean or in my case - almost clean as I like mine slightly mushy.

The espresso powder adds depth to the bread & gives me that caffeine kick to start my mornings.

 

Bread Pudding

I had about a third of a loaf of French baguette that went stale while laying out on my kitchen counter for a couple of days.  I had completely forgotten about it and before I knew it, it had gone completely stale.  I don't like wasting so I perused my brain and decided it's about time I make some bread pudding.  When I think of the words bread pudding, I think of my mother.  She used to make a killer bread pudding out of croissants and marmalade when I was still under 5' tall.  She didn't make it often so when she did, I would get so excited and eat so much of it that my stomach would beg for mercy.  Bread pudding can be pretty heavy with all the heavy cream and whole milk involved, however, my mother's bread pudding even with all the butter from the croissants was light but with all the moistness of a heavy cream laden bread pudding.  I don't have my mother's recipe so I attempted to recreate the fluffiness of her bread pudding.  I must say, it was easy-peasy and turned out really well!  It has the fluffiness and moisture throughout with a crispy top.  Yum!!

Bread Pudding

1/3 of a French baguette, stale and broken up into pieces no larger than an 1"
6 tb chocolate chips
1 cup fat free milk
1 egg
1 tb brown sugar

Makes 3 servings.

- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Evenly distribute baguette pieces and chocolate chips between 3 ramekins.
- Combine milk, egg & brown sugar in a bowl and mix well.
- Pour mixture into ramekins and allow baguette pieces to soak in the milk mixture while the oven is preheating.
- Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes.  The bread pudding is done if a toothpick inserted into the middle of a pudding comes out clean.