Now, I will eat anything that has come from an animal. Eggs, milk, cheeses, meat, and even the foot if I’m in the mood. My mom is Jamaican, so I grew up eating pretty much almost every part of an animal. I enjoy it all, but there are times where it does get to me and I just need to take a break. This is when I usually turn to baking, because I just feel more accomplished and satisfied when I can create something that fits my food goal. Like this vegan-friendly banana bread pudding (not NUT bread pudding. We are talking about allergies here). What I love about this recipe is that it is all of the above allergen friendly. There is no wheat, gluten, egg, dairy, or nuts. Instead of using eggs as a binder, I use a mixture of blended avocado, banana, and unsweetened/ unflavored applesauce. For the rest of the dough, I use a combination of oat, chia, and quinoa flours (all home ground) to give it that earthiness and substance that really often comes with banana “nut” bread. Finally, to give it a bit of a crunch (which I love to do with anything I bake), I sprinkle a combination of granola and turbinado sugar. The sugar itself won’t melt into the bread, and will remain crystallized on top, giving the whole thing some texture. Now, this bread pudding is just that. It looks like bread, but when you slice it, the insides have a pudding-like texture. So it’s not like you’re eating a bunch of bread pieces being held together with a custard, it’s like you’re eating a pudding in the shape of a bread loaf. The reason for this is because the chia seeds and oats, when cooked, give whatever they’re in a smooth, gelatinous texture (and they are also healthier than using egg yolks or cornstarch, two common thickeners used when making pudding.)
So, here’s what you’ll need.
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup of unsweetened, plain applesauce
- 3 super duper ripe bananas
- 1/2 of a medium sized avocado
- 1/4 cup chia seeds*
- 1/4 cup quinoa*
- 1/2 cup of oats*
- 1 cup of turbinado sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons of baking powder
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
*this is the measurement I use before grinding my ‘flours.’ I usually use a small spice/ coffee grinder to pulverize them because I get a finer consistency than if I were to use a blender or food processor.
Directions: (Preheat oven to 350°F or 175°C)
- Pour coconut oil and applesauce into a blender, along with the ripened bananas and avocado. Puree the mixture until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Measure out your chia seeds, quinoa, and oats. Finely grind them and pour them into a mixing bowl.
- Add the turbinado sugar, baking powder, and ground spices into the bowl the has your flours.
- Whisk all of your dry ingredients together before folding in your coconut oil, applesauce, banana, and avocado smoothie and vanilla extract.
- Pour batter into a greased bread pan and sprinkle a thin layer of turbinado sugar on top (I know I said I’d add granola, but the one time I was making this, I didn’t have any to sprinkle on top. It doesn’t matter though, it’s still delicious.) Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until the bread pudding springs back from your touch (Now, obviously don’t jab your fingers into it. Just gently press down a few millimeters, and if it bounces back, it’s done. Best part about this is that because there are no eggs, you won’t die from under-baked bread pudding. YAY!)**
**Now, because I eliminated all of the gluten and eggs and dairy, this pudding will be very dense (but super moist, so don’t worry about that.) To keep your bread pudding from falling apart, you have to wait until it COOLS COMPLETELY to slice it. Also, don’t worry if it starts to sink when it comes out of the oven. That’s supposed to happen. It literally has the structure of pudding.
The Allergy Enthusiastic D 