Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins

I was vegan once...long ago, for about four years.  At that time, it really worked for me; I had vegan friends; I lived in a vegan friendly community (Olympia and Bellingham, WA); and I had the time to put together complex vegan meals on a regular basis.  My veganism was tempted many times by various things such as fish and chips, or doughnuts but it was eventually broken by a Hostess Ho-Ho.

Can you even believe it?

Possibly the most anti-vegan baked good led to the demise of my dairy free years.  Over the years, I have toyed around with the idea of going vegan again but this time it seems so much more difficult.  I have realized how much I love yogurt and boiled eggs, and cheese is a main ingredient in most of our meals.  However, I recently acquired the very comprehensive, amazing cookbook, Veganomicon, and have been on a quest to try out as many of the recipes as I can.  This book is very simple in its design and only consists of a few color photos in the center of the book.  No full color glossies needed for these recipes.  The names and descriptions alone are enough to make any aspiring healthy cook want to try them out, like Potato Kale Enchiladas with Roasted Chili Sauce.....(these were amazing, by the way.  The recipe is here.)  My only complaint is that a lot of the recipes require so many steps and end up taking more time than I usually have.  However, these Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins are quick, easy and good for you!

Of course, like all good banana breads/muffins, we need to start with some blackened bananas.  (I actually would continue to eat these bananas since my tolerance for smushy bananas seems to be higher than that of the rest of my family.)  If you have some kitchen helpers, let them mash the bananas with their (clean) hands to a somewhat chunky consistency.  The post-banana smush will be the most complicated part of this recipe...just try to get their hands clean before they wipe them on the wall, or in their hair.  Add the rest of the ingredients.....and put them in the oven to bake.  It couldn't get any easier than that!

Vegan Banana Chocolate Muffins

Adapted from Veganomicon

350 degrees

You will need:

2 ½ very ripe bananas

¼ c. applesauce

½ c. oil (canola would be best but I only had olive oil on hand, so that is what I used)

1 ⅓ c. flour

⅔ c. rolled oats

¾ tsp. baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ tsp. salt

½-3/4 c. chocolate chips (make sure they are a vegan brand, like Ghiradelli)

Like I mentioned above, mash the banana into a mushy but still chunky mass.  Add the applesauce and oil.  Dump in the dry ingredients, and mix with a wooden spoon.  Don't use a mixer on these----I am not sure exactly what would happen but the lumpy texture would likely be lost and then these muffins would lose their charm.  Have your kids throw in the chocolate chips and then let them fill up the muffin tins.  Bake for about 25-30 min.