Lavender Lemon Bread

Remember that lavender recipe I promised you last week? Well here it is!

My mom and I purchased some cooking lavender to bake with when we road tripped to a lavender farm earlier this summer.When we were at the farm, my mom got lemon lavender ice cream. She said it was super refreshing, and that ice cream inspired us to make this similarly flavored bread together. It’s a sweet, refreshing bread that’s perfect for a sugary breakfast or an afternoon pick-me-up snack. I hope you love it as much as we did!

Lemon Lavender Bread

Makes 3 mini loaves or one large loaf

Inspired by this recipe

For the bread:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 flax egg (1 Tbsp flax seed meal + 3 Tbsp warm water)
• 1 cup non-dairy milk
• 1/4 cup oil
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons dried lavender

For the glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3 to 4 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest (zest from one small lemon)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the flax egg by combining the flax seed meal and water in a small bowl. Mix it together, cover it, and put it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to help it conglomerate.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, salt) to a large bowl.
4. Add in the milk, oil, and lemon juice to the dry mixture and whisk until just combined.
5. Add in the flax egg and whisk until combined.
6. Mix in the lemon zest and lavender.
7. Oil the bottom and sides of mini bread pans.
8. Pour each bread pan 2/3s full with batter.
9. Bake the loaves for 35 to 40 minutes, depending on how hot your oven gets.
10. Let the bread cool for about an hour after taking it out of the oven before topping it with glaze.
11. For the glaze: Whisk the powdered sugar, lemon juice, water, and lemon zest together in a small bowl until smooth. Then drizzle the glaze over each loaf and ENJOY!

Enjoy the last week or two of summer (in name only, unfortunately) and enjoy this lemon bread!

xx Ellie

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

I love these muffins because they’re like healthy, portable mini cakes. So I guess they’re just healthy cupcakes?

I promise you that they taste just as good as any regular cupcake, especially when packed with loads of chocolate chips. They’re also two times better for you than conventional cakes, so you can eat twice as many! Win, win!

These muffins are a great on-the-go breakfast, sweet snack, or healthy dessert!

The chocolate makes them sweet, while the zucchini adds moistness (sorry) and nutrients. Zucchini is not the only “irregular-to-dessert” ingredient in these muffins- they also contain banana.

Funny story about the banana in these muffins- I brought these muffins into my english class sophomore year for a party and people descended upon them because they were chocolatey (and who doesn’t love chocolate? Seriously?).

One of the girls in my class took a bite and said, “These are sooo good! What’s in them?”

I responded, “Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, zucchini, banana….”

“BANANA!?” She shrieked as she spit out the bite she was chewing (not even kidding- she spit it out into a napkin). “Yuck! These are gross!”

Needless to say, she doesn’t like bananas in ANY way, shape, or form.

It’s funny how people freak out when they know exactly what’s in their food. I think the same thing were to happen if people found out what was in their meat (just saying).

Anyway, everyone in the class besides the banana hater really liked these muffins!

I hope you like them too! Leave me a comment or take a picture and tag me on Instagram (and hashtag #peanutbutterandellie) if you give them a try. I’d love to see your take on them!

Makes 12-14 muffins

adapted from The Happy Herbivore’s Chocolate-Zucchini Muffins

• 1 and ¼ cups flour (preferably whole wheat)
• ¼ cup cocoa powder/ baking cocoa
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 banana (the riper the banana, the higher the chance of tasting banana in these muffins. I recommend using a yellow banana with no/ few brown spots on it.)
• 3/4 cup sugar, preferably cane or coconut
• 1 flax “egg” (1 Tbsp + 3 Tbsp water) OR ½ cup applesauce
• ¼ cup nondairy milk (I use almond milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup zucchini, shredded
• ½ cup chocolate chips (I love Ghiradelli semi-sweet)

Instructions:

1. Make a flax “egg” by combining 1 Tbsp flaxseed meal with 3 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Cover it and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Peel the banana, put it in the bowl of a stand mixer, and mix it on medium-high until the banana is a purée. ((If you make this recipe without a stand mixer, mash the banana with a fork and stir everything together with a whisk.))
4. Add in the sugar and flax “egg” to the banana purée and mix on medium until combined.
5. Add the nondairy milk and vanilla to the batter. Mix on medium until combined.
6. Add in the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon (a.k.a. the dry ingredients). Mix on low until a thickish batter forms.
7. Wash a zucchini, cut the ends off, and grate it. You’ll grate about three-fourths of a regular-sized zucchini to get a cup of zucchini shreds.
8. Add in the zucchini shreds and mix on low-medium until combined.
9. Fold in chocolate chips. Your batter is complete and ready to be spooned into muffin tins!
10. Fill a muffin pan with muffin tins. Fill said muffin tins two-thirds of the way full with batter (I used a spoon to do this).
11. Bake the muffins for 20-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes cleanly out of them.
12. Let cool for at least 5 minutes, then stuff your face with these marvelous muffins! 

Happy hump day, and happy almost spring!

xx Ellie

Pumpkin Bread (vegan)

T-minus 3 days until Thanksgiving (not including today). Can you believe it!? I certainly can’t. I also can’t believe that it finally snowed on Saturday. A 4-inch layer of the powdery white stuff blankets the ground outside. Is it snowing wherever you are? If not, I’ll send you some because there’s more heading my way than I know what to do with! I like snow up until Christmas, but I just want it to go away by the beginning of the year since I get sick of it. There are only so many snowmen you can build, am I right?

However, I’m happy about the snow right now. You know what else makes me happy? Thanksgiving.

What are your Thanksgiving plans? My family is driving down to Kansas, USA (from MI) to visit my grandparents who, ironically, own a cattle ranch and a steakhouse. I still don’t know what exactly my Thanksgiving day will look like. Typically, my family drives up to my cottage and we spend the day hiking, eating veggie-filled dishes, then seeing a movie at the local movie theatre. This year… not so much. I’m excited because I think we might go four-wheeling, hiking, and cattle herding. As far as “turkey day” food goes… any [vegan] recipe suggestions?

I DO know that I will be enjoying this pumpkin bread throughout the trip. It’s fluffy, sweet, and super pumpkin-y. That all makes sense since it IS pumpkin bread we’re talking about. It travels well and will be enjoyed by anyone, from picky children to carnivorous adults! Snack on it during a road trip, set it out as a pre-Thanksgiving meal snack, use it as a side dish during the main meal, or serve it as a light dessert after the heavy meal.  I imagine it’d also make a great day-after Thanksgiving french toast base!

My mom and I vegan-ized our family pumpkin bread recipe to make this delicious bread!

 

makes 4 mini loaves or 1 regular sized loaf

• 2 flax eggs: Mix 2 Tbsp flax seed with 6 Tbsp water in a small bowl. Cover and put in the fridge for 15 minutes.
• 1/3 cup vegan margarine, softened
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 and 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 and 2/3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cloves

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray or line four mini bread pans or 1 regular sized bread pan. Make the flax eggs, then mix them with the vegan margarine, water, and pumpkin. Fold in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Fill the bread pans 2/3 of the way with batter and bake for 50 minutes, or until the bread is golden and not gooey in the center. Serve warm or freeze for future consumption.

xx Ellie

Peanut Butter Carrot Muffins

Peanut butter and carrot is a really good combo. Don’t believe me? Dip a carrot in peanut butter, eat it, and find out for yourself! This delicious combination is mixed together in these muffins.

They’re inspired by the peanut butter carrot muffins from a local bakery near my cottage that I ate almost every morning this summer.

They’re super moist, sweet, and airy. They’re delicious. Case in point? My mom ate four when I made them. And the best part? They’re full of protein from the peanut butter and they provide you with a full serving of vegetables!

Give them a try, and feed them to people who hate vegetables because you can’t tell that there are vegetables in them.

Peanut butter carrot muffins, fresh out of the oven.

makes 12

Dry Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup + 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup yogurt (or vegan yogurt substitute)
• 1 egg (or 1 flax egg: combine 1 Tbsp ground flaxseeds with 3 Tbsp water. Let sit in fridge for 15 minutes, until it gels up.)
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 1 cup carrot puree*

*Put 1 cup shredded carrots OR 10 baby carrots OR 3 large carrots (cut into smaller slices) + enough water to cover them in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 3 minutes. Drain them (using a colander), then process the carrots in a food processor until they are pureed. You’ll have to process, scrape down the sides a few times, then process again. You may need to add a teaspoon or 2 of water.

1. Make the flax egg, if using.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Make the carrot puree and put it in a separate bowl.
4. Process the dry ingredients (including peanut butter) in a food processor or mixer.
5. Add in the wet ingredients, including the carrot puree and yogurt, and process / mix until just combined. The dough should be very thick.
6. Spoon into prepared muffin tins.
7. Put the muffins in the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they’re golden-brown, fluffy, and a toothpick comes cleanly out of them.

Have a sweet day!

xx Ellie

Strawberry Jam Muffins

It’s FINALLY my favorite time of the year : strawberry season! During strawberry season, my mom and I go out at least five times to a local berry field to pick eat berries. Throughout the season, we probably pick 50 quarts. We pick berries for eating, for making jam, and for making yummy baked goods with!

One such baked good we like to make is strawberry bread. However, the strawberry bread we usually make is chock-full of dairy, oil, eggs, and white sugar! I missed this strawberry bread since becoming vegan, so I made my own VEGAN version of the bread. I also decided to cut out the icky, unhealthy stuff in the bread so that it’d be healthy enough for breakfast. I decided to go all out and cut not just the icky stuff out of the recipe (refined sugar and oil), but also the gluten. That way, ANYONE can enjoy this recipe without worrying about their food allergies.

I actually didn’t follow the old bread recipe at all after glancing over it and seeing it was full of stuff I don’t want in my body. In fact, I didn’t even make it a bread! I made muffins, because muffins are easier to eat than bread!

Maple syrup takes the place of white sugar, nondairy milk and banana replace the oil and eggs, and oat flour and tapioca flour are swapped with regular flour to make the muffins gluten-free.

I added strawberries to the muffin batter, as well as our homemade strawberry jam for extra strawberry goodness. I hope you love these sweet, satisfying muffins!

vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar free

makes 14

by Ellie Haun

• 1 cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1/2 cup tapioca flour
• 1/2 cup gluten-free oats
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 very ripe banana
• 4-5 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1/4 cup nondairy milk
• 1/2 cup strawberry jam
• 1 loosely-packed cup of strawberries, washed

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mash a banana, either in a mixer or with a fork in a bowl. Add in maple syrup and non-dairy milk to the banana mash and mix it all together. Add in everything else EXCEPT the jam and the berries. Mix it together. Then, whisk in the jam and the berries. Line a muffin pan, and scoop batter into muffin tins. Fill each tin 2/3 of the way full. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for at least 5 minutes, then take them out and let them cool for a few more minutes before devouring. These muffins taste great fresh out of the oven and smothered with even more jam!

Happy strawberry season!

xx Ellie

Banana Bread

I love bananas. I love them plain, I love them with peanut butter, I love them in oatmeal, I love them in nice cream, and last but not least I love them in banana bread! In fact, I love them so much that my mom sometimes has to HIDE bananas from me so I don’t devour them all!

Not long ago, we had bunches and bunches of bananas. So many that my mom didn’t have to hide them from me! I decided to switch up my usual banana routine (pop them in the freezer and use them in smoothies and nice cream)  for banana bread!

I’d seen a picture of yummy-looking banana bread on an account I follow on Instagram, so I looked up the recipe for it! It called for gluten-free all-purpose flour, which I don’t love, so I subbed almond and oat flour for the gf all-purpose flour! I love the nutty flavor and extra protein that the almond flour adds to the bread. Oats and bananas are just a perfect match, so oat flour worked well in this recipe. Steph’s recipe also called for applesauce, but I don’t love apples and bananas together so I omitted it. I also added vanilla and cinnamon to the bread, because they make everything better.

This bread is delicious, and healthy enough to eat for breakfast! It doesn’t contain any refined sugar, oil, animal products, or gluten. Use your ripe bananas to make this simple and sweet recipe!

 

makes 1 loaf

based on the banana bread recipe by @stephsplate

• 3 bananas
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ½ cup almond flour
• ½ cup gluten-free oat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Blend the bananas and vanilla together either by hand, with a mixer, with a food processor, or in a blender. Add in the dry ingredients : almond flour, oat flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Mix everything together until just combined. Line or spray a bread pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter in. Put the bread in the oven and bake it for 45 minutes, or until the top is golden-brown and the middle is no longer gooey. Take it out, let it cool, slice, and enjoy!

xx Ellie

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

I am so excited to announce that I joined the peanut butter bash!

The peanut butter bash is a group of bloggers who make and post a sweet treat of some kind involving peanut butter and a mystery ingredient on the first Thursday of  each month. Each month, the mystery ingredient is announced on the Facebook group and bloggers from all over make and post a treat involving the peanut butter combo. When I discovered this group from Miranda’s Instagram, I KNEW I had to join. I love peanut butter (as my blog name hints), so I’m always happy to have the chance to share my love of the super spread. This month’s challenge is also just so fitting! Why? Because the ingredient combination is peanut butter and jelly! Peanut Butter & Ellie makes a peanut butter & jelly-inspired treat.

I sought the internet for something unconventional I could make with peanut butter and jelly. Lo and behold, this Buzzfeed post popped up! It gave me major inspiration on how to elevate the age-old pb&j combo.

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast

inspired by this Buzzfeed post and this recipe

serves 1

• 2 big slices of yummy bread (such as sourdough)
• 1/3 cup nondairy milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 heaping tablespoons peanut butter
• 2 heaping tablespoons jelly
• strawberries, to garnish

Whisk the milk, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a medium-sized bowl. Dip a piece of bread in the mixture and let it soak for a minute or two. Meanwhile, get out a skillet or pan and spray the bottom with cooking spray. Add the soaked bread to the pan and cook for around 2 minutes on medium-high heat, or until the bottom is brownish. Flip, and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Slide the toast off the pan and onto a plate. Soak the other piece of bread, re-spray the pan, and repeat. To assemble: spread about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter onto the first piece of toast, then add 2 tablespoons of jelly onto the other piece and smush them together. Top the “sandwich” with more peanut butter, jelly, and freshly cut fruit! Enjoy your unconventional french toast sandwich!

You can click HERE to view all the other Peanut Butter Bash entries from this month! Check them out! There are fun recipes like peanut butter and jelly fudge and doughnuts! Yum!

Happy Thursday!

xx Ellie