Peanut Butter & Banana Creme Brulee

I wanted to finish off peanut butter & banana week with something decadent, and what could be more decadent than creme brulee, all warm and creamy with the perfect crackly top?

The Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
1 1/2 c soy milk
1/3 c sugar
1/4 c smooth peanut butter
2 t tapioca starch
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t agar agar powder
about 1/4 c sugar for topping
optional: 1-2 bananas for topping

The Process:

1. In a blender, blend together all ingredients except toppings until very smooth.
2. Pour into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
3. Pour into shallow heat-proof dishes or ramekins.  Cover and refrigerate at least 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.
4. If using banana topping, slice bananas thinly and arrange some on top of each dish.  Sprinkle with sugar.  Either place dishes under the broiler until the sugar is lightly browned, or fire with a kitchen torch.  Serve immediately.

Stay tuned for blueberry & lemon week next week!  It's probably my best batch of recipes yet.

Peanut Butter Banana Panini

This one doesn't really require a recipe, but it is one of my favorite peanut-butter-based indulgences, so I figured I'd post it anyway.

Cut some thick slices of crusty bread. (Using good, hearty bread makes these so much more satisfying.)  Spread one side of each slice with a thin coating of margarine.  Spread the other side with peanut butter.  Sandwich sliced banana between the peanut butter layers, and fry on a griddle or cook in a panini press until bread is golden and crunchy.  Sometimes I also like to add some sliced green onion along with the banana slices, which makes the sandwiches a little less dessert-like.  Not that I have a problem with eating dessert-like lunches.

Peanut Tofu with Fried Bananas

This meal photographed poorly, but it sure tasted great.  Tofu is marinated in a gingery soy-lime sauce, then coated in crushed peanuts and topped with fried bananas and green onion. I served it with steamed broccoli, and brown rice with green onions folded in.

The Ingredients:
Marinade:
3 T soy sauce
1 T lime juice
1 t agave
1/8 t ginger powder

1 1/4 c roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/4 c flour
1 T cornstarch
a pinch garlic powder
1/2 c water
1 block extra-firm tofu
2 slightly green bananas, halved lengthwise then widthwise
4 green onions, trimmed

oil for cooking

The Process:

1. Mix together marinade ingredients.  Cut tofu into 4-6 slabs, coat with marinade, and let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.
2. Pulse peanuts in a food processor or hand-chop like a fiend until they form coarse crumbs. Pour onto a plate.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, and water. 
4. Heat a shallow coating of oil in 2 frying pans over medium heat (or preheat the oven to 200 degrees and work in batches, placing finished food in oven while cooking remaining food).
5. Dip tofu slices in flour mixture, then press firmly into peanuts to coat both sides.  Fry for a couple minutes per side, turning carefully to prevent the peanuts from falling off.
6. Meanwhile, dip banana slices and green onion in the flour mixture, then fry in the other pan until browned.  Serve tofu topped with fried bananas and a green onion.

Peanut Butter-Banana-Oat Bars

I originally planned these as breakfast bars, but I ate them more as anytime-bars; they work just as well as breakfast, a mid-morning or afternoon snack, or a not-too-sweet dessert.

The Ingredients:
3 c rolled oats
1/2 c peanuts
1/4 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 t salt
3/4 t baking powder
1/2 t cinnamon
2 bananas
3/4 c almond milk
2/3 c peanut butter
1/3 c brown sugar
2 T ground flax
1 t vanilla
optional: 1/2 c chocolate chips

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  
2. Stir together oats, peanuts, flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a mixing bowl.
3. In a food processor or blender, mix remaining ingredients (EXCEPT chocolate chips) until smooth.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry, and stir until combined.
5. Spread mixture in an oiled 9x13 pan, and bake for 20 minutes or until cooked through.
6. Sprinkle with chocolate chips if using.

Peanut-Butter Dipped Banana Pops

Welcome to vegan mofo, everyone!  This week is peanut butter & banana week on my blog.  I'm starting off simple with these peanut-butter dipped frozen bananas, which are great to keep in the freezer as a healthier alternative to ice cream.

The Ingredients:
5 bananas
10 popsicle sticks
1/4 c smooth peanut butter
1/4 c coconut oil
1 T agave
1/4 t vanilla
a pinch salt

The Process:

1. Cut bananas in half, and spear each half with a popsicle stick. Place in a waxed-paper lined container or wrap in waxed paper and place in a ziplock bag. Freeze until frozen solid (somewhere between a couple hours and overnight).
2. In a microwave-safe container, heat peanut butter, coconut oil, agave, vanilla, and salt on low heat, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted and lump-free.
3. Pour peanut butter mixture into a skinny glass. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with waxed paper.  Dip a banana in peanut butter, let drip for a couple seconds while the peanut butter shell hardens, then place on waxed paper and repeat with remaining bananas.
4. Store in the freezer.

dipping bananas