Hummingbird Muffins
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, with juice
2 cups mashed overripe bananas 4-5 bananas
3/4 cup almond milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted pecans plus more for topping
1 Recipe Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
In a large bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Whisk well.
To the dry ingredients, add the oil, crushed pineapple, mashed bananas, almond milk, vanilla and pecans. Mix until just combined, but do not over mix. It's helpful to mix by hand so you don't accidentally over mix the batter and cause the cake to be dense.
Divide the cake batter into the prepared pans and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the tops of the cakes are set.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then carefully remove them and let them cool on a cooling rack until completely cool. Please do not try to frost this cake when it's still warm at all, it will slip and break.
Once the cakes have cooled, prepare the Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting. You may also use Vegan Buttercream or the lemon frosting from my Vegan Lemon Cake, if you prefer.
Fill muffin tins with batter, bake and frost when cooled.
Inspired by Nora Cooks Hummingbird Cake Recipe.
MEDITERRANEAN BAKED SWEET POTATOES
Ingredients
4 medium sweet potatoes* (~140 g each)
1 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked (or regular) paprika
optional: Pinch of sea salt or lemon juice
Garlic Herb Sauce
1/4 cup (60 g) hummus (or tahini)
juice of 1/2 lemon (~1 Tbsp)
3/4 - 1 tsp dried dill (or sub 2-3 tsp fresh)
3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
Water or unsweetened almond milk to thin
optional: Sea salt to taste (I didn’t need any)
Toppings (optional)
1/4 cup (45 g) cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup (15 g) chopped parsley, minced
2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
Chili garlic sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a large baking sheet with foil.
Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This will speed cooking time. Otherwise leave whole and bake longer (approximately double the time (45 min - 1 hour).
Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
Rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet (or another baking sheet depending on size).
While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to almond milk to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor. I found mine didn’t need anything else.
NOTE: If you don’t have hummus, tahini (which you can DIY!) will make a great base substitution for the sauce - just adjust the seasonings to accommodate the lack of flavor tahini provides.
Also prepare the parsley-tomato topping by tossing tomato and parsley with lemon juice and setting aside to marinate.
Once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 25 minutes - remove from oven.
For serving, flip potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top with chickpeas, sauce and parsley-tomato garnish. Serve immediately.