I always think it's the holiday season in December that is the busiest time of year, but the spring frenzy of school events and extra-curricular activities sneaks in and quickly brings that into question.  So, I've fallen off my weekly post the past few weeks and I'm striving to get back there.  Just a couple of weeks more and the schedule of evening and weekend events should lighten up as we roll into summer and we're definitely looking forward to it.

Full schedules need breakfast on the go and this week's recipe for a Buckwheat Flour Banana Bread brings the combination of flavor and nutrition to go with your morning cup of coffee. A small investment of time one weekend morning or late evening can set you up for the week.  Serve it warm with just a smudge of butter and enjoy. Oh! And this recipe is gluten free too!

Buckwheat Flour Banana Bread (Gluten Free)

Wet Ingredients
-2 overripe bananas
-2/3 cup organic vanilla yogurt
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup brown sugar
-1/2 cup sugar
-1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Dry Ingredients
-3/4 cup gluten free flour (I used Bob's Red Mill 1:1)
-3/4 cup Buckwheat flour
-1/2 cup oatmeal (use gluten free to keep the bread gluten free)
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon baking powder
-2 teaspoons cinnamon
-1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a loaf pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray.  In a  large bowl, mix together the overripe bananas, yogurt and eggs.  Add in the sugar and continue to mix.  Add the vanilla and mix.  In a separate bowl, sift together all of the dry ingredients.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula until fully incorporated and mixed together.  Pour the bread batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes.  Test with a toothpick to make sure it comes out clean after inserted into the middle of the baked loaf.  Allow to cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes.  Remove from the pan and allow to finish cooling on a wire rack. Once completely cooled, store in a freezer bag or air tight container in fridge for the upcoming week. Enjoy!

The weather is finally breaking and the calendar is starting to show signs of spring with communions, showers, Mother's Day and even a royal wedding coming up! Not that I'll be attending that one in person but there's something exciting about royal weddings.  I remember my mother being captivated by Princess Di's wedding and then the world felt like it stopped to see Prince William tie the knot with Kate Middleton. I'm thinking about having a royal wedding tea party with my little bakers...

Moving onto this week's recipes, I'm keeping the spring flavors coming with a flavorful blueberry lemon breakfast cake.  It's moistened using greek yogurt instead of oil or butter and has the clean flavor of lemon with fresh lemon juice and zest.  This recipe makes 12-15 servings so it's a nice recipe to make for a brunch, party or any large'ish group get together. 

Blueberry Lemon Breakfast Cake
(makes 12-15 servings)

Ingredients
- 3 eggs
-1 cup sugar
-1 cup milk
-1 tsp vanilla extract
-zest of 2 lemons
-juice of 1 lemon
-1 cup plain whole milk greek yogurt
-3 cups flour
-1 tsp baking powder
-1/2 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries tossed in 1-2 TBS flour

For the Glaze
-1/2 cup powdered sugar
-juice of 1/2 lemon

Directions
Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together the eggs and sugar.  Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, greek yogurt and milk.  Mix together.  Add in the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda and stir until a thick batter forms. Toss the blueberries in 1-2 TBS flour (this prevents the blueberries from all sinking to the bottom of the cake).  Fold in the blueberries.

Pour the batter into the bundt pan and bake approximately 50 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before removing from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Make the glaze by stirring together the powdered sugar and lemon juice.  Pour over the cake and slice. Enjoy!

Note: If you do not have a bundt pan, you could break this recipe up into 2 loaf pans but you would need to reduce the baking time so keep an eye on the recipe in the oven.

Annndd...thank you to everyone who read my recent post on the review of the Veginner's Cookbook! I'm excited to to announce Sara T. as the winner of the cookbook giveaway! I will be in contact to make arrangements to get your copy shipped to you!

Have a great week!

I'm excited for this week's post as I had the wonderful opportunity of reviewing a newly released cookbook by Bianca Haun and Sascha Naderer titled "The Veginner's Cookbook: The Ultimate Starter Guide for New Vegans and the Veg Curious." I'm not a vegan, but I'm consistently on the quest to increase the plants in my diet and I love to create and test recipes that meet different lifestyle needs and vegan recipes are one of the areas I dabble in most as a contributor over at The Peaceful Dumpling. 

In the book, Bianca and Sascha walk readers through how they came to the decision of becoming vegan, how their transition to veganism went and how they respectfully handle challenges, "landmine" situations or questions about their food choices.  The book has suggested kitchen tools, gadgets and tips to support readers' culinary efforts and it's packed with beautiful food photography (my favorite) of all 75 recipes.

The recipes in the book cover a wide range of areas including basics, breakfast, main meals, breads, sauces & dressings and of course....dessert! I'm grateful that Bianca and Sascha have allowed me to share a recipe I tested earlier this week.  The hardest part of this portion of the review was selecting which recipe I wanted to go with as they all look so good! I chose the Cinnamon Raisin Flatbread because I have a soft spot for made from scratch, rustic bread recipes. I found this recipe to be simple, cozy and a really neat idea for something a little different for breakfast.  As a bonus, this recipe is incredibly budget friendly and would come together easily with only a few ingredients from the pantry that you're very likely to have on hand even when your grocery shopping trip is a tad overdue (that might happen around here from time to time.)

Cinnamon Raisin Flatbread
(Copyright 2018 by Bianca Haun & Sascha Naderer)

Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
-1/2 teaspoon baking powder
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1 pinch of salt
-1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1/2 cup plant-based milk (I used coconut milk)
- 1/4 cup raisins
-1/2 teaspoon coconut oil for the pan

Instructions
Combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Give it a quick whisk. Add in the maple syrup and plant-based milk. Combine with a large spoon and knead with your hands until a soft dough forms. You may have to add more flour (if it's too sticky) or more plant-based milk (if it's too crumbly).

Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll it out until about 1-inch thick, then pour the raisins onto the dough and roll it again, so that the raisins stick to the dough.  The flatbread should be about 1/2 inch thick now.

Prepare a hot pan with coconut oil and let the flatbread fry on each side for about 1 minute until brownish and bubbly.

​Eat while it's warm and enjoy!

This recipe is tasty for breakfast served warm with a smush of nut butter and I'm thinking about giving it a try dipped in some veggies and homemade curry sauce for a dinner option.  The recipe came together fast and the instructions were spot on- I found I needed to add a little bit more plant-based milk as my dough was a little bit too crumbly.

I hope that you give this recipe a try! If you're interested in learning more about this newly released cookbook, check out a few more sample photos from their cookbook below so you can get an idea of more of the wonderful recipes they've created.  This cookbook gives readers the tools for delicious vegan recipes while showing that eating a vegan diet does not have to be complicated and expensive.  This cookbook is for you whether you're simply looking for more plant-based food options, contemplating a switch to a vegan lifestyle, or you're already following a vegan diet but need some more inspiration for tasty ideas.

For more information about the Veginner's cookbook, you can find it here for purchase and make sure to head over to visit Bianca's popular food blog, Elephantastic Vegan, for more recipe inspiration.

Aaannnnd....the most exciting news is that I have a giveaway for one lucky reader to win a copy of this cookbook! To enter, please leave a comment on this blog post. Entry deadline is Saturday April 28, 2018 at noon Eastern Standard Time and is limited to U.S. residents only.  The winner will be contacted directly to get the information as to where to send the cookbook. 

Have a wonderful week!