It’s the little things that make me so happy. Using up ingredients that have been taking up space in the pantry- the joy that I experience from not letting food go bad- I can’t even describe it! This is a recipe that utilizes a lot of what I already had on hand and hopefully what you have too so that you can make something good and wholesome this Memorial Day weekend. Oats, flour, walnuts, raisins (actually I wasn’t a huge fan of the raisins in this. I think I’ll omit them next time,) mushy bananas, and a bunch of other stuff I’ll list in the recipe. Oh and the bananas I had were actually one’s I had in the freezer. If you have bananas that are turning brown you should definitely put them in the freezer for smoothies or banana bread- don’t throw them away!
This is kind of a hybrid of a bunch of recipes I found and combined online.
Vegan Banana Walnut Oat Bars (The consistency is more like Banana Bread but I baked them in a 9×13 pan and cut them into bars so I’m calling them bars)
2 medium ripe bananas, well mashed (if frozen allow to defrost)
1/4 cup almond, soy, or other milk alternative
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped (pecans work well too)
1 cup raisins (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray or line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas and almond milk until smooth. Mix in the oil, maple syrup, agave, and vanilla. Add in the flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt and mix. Fold in oats, walnuts and raisins if using.
Spread batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Let cool completely and cut into squares.
Now, if you are so inclined, share with us what little things, or not so little things, make you happy.
Candy Therapy 