Banana Cashew Cream Pie

 A couple months ago, near the holidays, I wanted to make another vegan dessert to take to a family gathering but had already made a vegan cheesecake for Christmas. So, I went though my saved recipes, searched online, and otherwise racked my brain trying to figure out something. Then it came to me, like an epiphany: banana cream pie! I hadn't had banana cream pie in so long and it sounded so good. So, I took what I knew about vegan cheesecakes and just pieced together my own recipe and it turned out tasting exactly how I wanted it to. Last week, I finally got around to making it again in order to test the reliability of the recipe and, yep, it's officially a winner! 

Ingredients:

• For Crust: 

1/2 cup oats

6 dates (pitted)

1/2 cup almond meal 

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

• For Filling:

2 cups soaked and drained cashews

1 cup cold water

3 T coconut cream

1 t vanilla

1/4 cup agave (or maple syrup)

5-7 bananas, sliced

• For Whipped Topping:

1 cup soaked and drained cashews

1/2 cup water (approximately)

1 T agave

1/2 t vanilla

ground nutmeg

Combine the total amount of cashews (3 cups) and cover with cold water to soak for at least 3 hours (but they're fine soaking for a day or two if they're stored in the refrigerator). 

For the crust combine oats, dates, almond flour, and coconut in a blender or food processor. (Using a blender is a little tricky, as you have to use the lower settings and scrape the sides a few times.) Blend until incorporated enough that there are no large pieces of oats or dates. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (you can line the pan with parchment paper, but it's not necessary). 

Crust ingredients in the blender.

For the filling, blend 2 cups of the soaked and drained cashews with 1 cup cold water (it's important that it's cold water) until smooth. Then add the coconut cream, vanilla, agave, and two bananas. Blend until smooth and a little fluffy; about 2 minutes. Slice about 5 bananas and layer several slices evenly onto the crust. Pour about half the filling over the bananas, layer more sliced bananas, then pour the rest of the filling on top. Spread with a spoon so everything is level.  

Combine the remaining 1 cup of soaked and drained cashews and blend with approximately 1/2 cup cold water. Add the water gradually and blend until smooth and fluffy (about 2 minutes). The entire 1/2 cup water is not necessary if the mixture has the consistency of whipped cream; just don't water it down by adding too much water. Then add the agave and vanilla, blending until combined. Pour on top of the filling and spread evenly, then sprinkle with ground nutmeg. You can do some texturizing with a chopstick at this point if you wish. Cover and freeze until set up. You can serve this as more of a parfait by partially freezing it, or as a cream pie by cutting it in slices while it is still frozen then allowing it to thaw a bit (making it easier to consume).  

Whipped topping layer.

After being frozen overnight.

This is how I served it parfait-style.

Chai Banana Latte

Most of the time hot tea hits the spot for me (yes, even in the summer) but sometimes in colder weather I really miss a creamy chai latte, a London Fog, or even a regular latte or mocha.

A while back at the end of a summer season, I was talking to someone who was trying to stop drinking coffee. They were talking about how it would be fairly easy until that switch into autumn when they would be craving those creamy lattes, which got me thinking about how strong seasonal marketing is for us consumers. Half the time (if not more) we don't even realize that we're being preyed upon and made to want to buy things. Companies plant and culture seasonal cravings in us, usually for their products specifically (like pumpkin spice lattes and peppermint bark) but also for broader categories (like turkeys and rosé and egg nog). If someone was marketing water to us in the summer time, we would all be drinking more of it. But instead, we're being encouraged to drink more addictive substances like sugar and dairy products. I think the first step in combatting this mindset is to realize that the marketing is happening and to be aware of it. Once you take a step back, you can recognize it for what it is and you can work against it. So, this recipe is my way of pushing against it: creating a healthy alternative that's not padding some corporation's pockets.

I came up with this recipe when I was visiting Michigan in April. I had some Maté Chai with me from Shen Zen Tea and my aunt and I were craving chai lattes and were trying to figure out how we would make something similar with no dairy and no sugar. So, my mind immediately went to the one item that I used to sweeten everything: bananas. Brilliant! So we steeped some tea, got some almond milk, and the rest is history. 

Ingredients:

2 banananas

1 cup unsweetened non-dairy milk (flax, almond, hemp, soy, coconut, hazelnut, etc.)

tea of your choosing brewed strong but not long (I can't get enough of Shen Zen Tea; their Masala Chai, Maté Chai, London Fog, and Lemon Turmeric are all great for this recipe)

1 t ground cardamom, ground cinnamon, or pure vanilla extract (whichever spice or flavor complements your tea)

Brew your tea so that it's strong, but remember that black tea shouldn't be steeped any longer than six minutes. Combine bananas, non-dairy milk, and ground spices in the blender and blend until smooth. Pour equal parts of the banana mixture and tea into a cup and mix with a spoon. If your tea is not piping hot, you may need to heat your drink in a small saucepan before consuming. 

Variations on tea and spices: Earl grey tea with pure vanilla extract. Masala chai tea with ground cinnamon and cardamom. Lemon turmeric tea with ground cardamom (which is pictured; I also added a little bit of Old Growth Heirloom Pu-erh for caffeination). 

Chai Banana Latte. 

Lemon Turmeric and Old Growth Heirloom Pu-erh teas.

Banana Granita with Plum Ginger Sauce

Banana Granita with Plum Ginger Sauce

There’s not really a recipe here; just broad guidelines for how to turn three ingredients into an amazing treat that is so rich and divine. I was tired of not being able to eat ice cream, so I just put this together and it hit the spot. But a little too late, because it’s October now. Whoops. 

So, why is it called Banana Nice Cream? Isn’t all ice cream nice? Maybe there’s just not a synonym for “healthy” that rhymes with “ice.”  I get it. Well, I just didn’t know whose original idea I would be promoting by calling it Nice Cream, so I called mine granita. 

If you’re a Banana Nice Cream expert, you can make it however they taught you in culinary school. Here’s how I did it: I blended up several ripe to overripe bananas in my blender, mixed them for about 5 minutes with the whisk attachment on my hand mixer, then poured it into a freezer-proof container, and let it freeze. When I scooped it out later, it kind of flaked off the spoon resembling more of a granita than ice cream.  

Then for the sauce, I pitted and sliced several plums and blended them with about a tablespoon fresh ginger. You can add a little water if you’re having trouble blending. Then I simmered the sauce in a small pan for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. You’ll want to cook it until it’s a nice thick consistency.  

Spoon some sauce on the granita. It’s very delicious. 

Plum Ginger Sauce

Banana Cookies

Variation with buckwheat flour, coconut, and cacao nibs. 

Sugar is a nasty beast. I’ve cut it out for short periods of time only to be reeled in by it once more.  I’ve also tried to stave it off by making smoothies with fruits and greens in hopes that my body will get enough nutrition so as not to crave extraneous unhealthy foods. Sometimes it works. It's important to me to have foods around that replace the foods I would normally grab during a snack attack. These banana cookies do the trick for me. They’re also great for a quick breakfast. 

Most of the recipes I'll be posting are original creations, but this one I discovered from Five Heart Home. I use her recipe for Banana Breakfast Cookies and modify it a bit. My modifications vary almost every time I make them, just to keep things exciting. Here's my version, with more modifications below.

Ingredients:

2 cups oats

1/2 t ground spices (cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, grains of paradise; any kind or combination)

1/2 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

2 large bananas (ripe or slightly overripe), mashed (about 1 cup)

1/2 cup peanut butter (or any other nut or seed butter)

1 t vanilla

1/2 cup chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, any kind or combination)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine oats, ground spices, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and mix well. In a separate bowl combine mashed banana, nut butter, vanilla, and nuts; mix well. Then gradually stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture. Make sure everything is mixed well. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Each cookie requires about 1/4 cup dough, so you can use either a spoon to scoop out the dough or use your hands to form and ball then pat it down slightly. Bake for about 15 minutes or until they're just browned on the bottom. The cookies will not spread, so their shape on the baking sheet is how it will look once it's baked.

[Modification Notification! Sometimes I omit 1/2 cup of the oatmeal and add 1/2 to 1 cup buckwheat flour. I almost always add 1/2 to 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes and 1/2 cup cacao nibs to the dry ingredients. Sometimes I add 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa. One time I added 1/2 cup finely grated carrots and 1 T finely minced fresh ginger. Try some of your own fun variations!]