I’ve seen banana cake with lemon frosting but how about swapping them around? And so, I made lemon cake with banana butter topping. It was delicious!
The recipe is fat-free (apart from natural fat from the bananas), so I could enjoy with a little bit less guilt!
You can prepare the banana topping in advance and keep it in the fridge. I usually do this when I have overripe bananas. It usually stays for up to a week in an air tight container.
I’ve never frozen banana butter before but I’m sure it should be fine in the freezer too.
Banana butter kept in the fridge might become too firm to spread; to loosen just add 1 tablespoon water and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds or so.
I’ve used demerara sugar for the cake which is why it turned out brown. You can use white sugar if you wish for a lighter colour cake but the apple puree will still add some browness.
Ingredients (8 servings):
Banana Butter: 6 large bananas 3 tablespoons soft brown sugar (or demerara) Water
Cake: 1 large lemon (juice and rind) 1 ½ cups all purpose flour 1 cup demerara sugar 1 tablespoon baking soda 1 apple 1 tablespoon vinegar (I used rice vinegar) 1 tablespoon vanilla Water
Make banana butter; peel and cut bananas into slices. Mash lightly.
Place in a non-stick pan with sugar. Cook on medium heat until banana is light brown.
Occasionally stir and mash bananas while cooking. Add water from time to time if mixture is too dry. (This will depend on the type of bananas, some have more moisture). The end result should be a spreadable consistency.
Set aside to use later.
Preheat oven at 180 degrees Celsius.
Put flour, sugar and baking soda into a mixing bowl. Mix them together.
Peel and cut the apple into small pieces. Place in a measuring cut and puree using a hand blender. (A jug blender is also fine but I find a hand one more practical for this).
Grate all the lemon rind into the measuring cup.
Then, cut lemon in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the measuring cup.
Add water (if required) to the rind, lemon juice and apple puree mixture until you have filled one cup or just slightly (about 2 tablespoons) more.
Pour the puree mixture into your bowl of dry ingredients.
Add vanilla.
Add vinegar.
Mix well. Mixture will foam a little.
Pour into a lightly greased 11-inch / 28 cm pie pan.
Smear the top with the banana butter. I used a fork to even out the banana butter and ‘drew’ some circular stripe.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until cake is dry at the centre.
Edit: Just letting you know that I've added a little poll on the side to find out what type of measurements people prefer in general.
I’m at home today! Yay! No work! It’s so good to have a day off with nothing to do on the schedule. I usually work just 3 days a week but I still have a lot of things to do for the remaining days. But today, I decided to just switch off from everything and spend a lazy day at home and have lunch decently in the comfort of the sofa!
I made this salad last night for dinner. I had it with roasted butternut squash, broccoli and humous. No photos of the dinner, I was too hungry! But I decided to have this salad again for lunch today. There was some leftovers, so I added a few more bits to it and rejuvenated my potato salad!
I saw these Santini tomatoes in M&S the other day and have been eyeing them since! I’m glad Boyfriendlovlie went to buy them! They are really good, bursting with flavour!
I’ve put vegan mayonnaise as one of the ingredients but if you don’t have any, then I definitely recommend this Soy Mayo from Celine; so quick and easy to make and cheaper than vegan mayonnaise. I’ve actually used this in the recipe with a few changes to the recipe. I didn't have any agave nectar so I just used 1 teaspoon of demerara sugar, I also didn't put any lemon zest. I used lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar.
This salad would be great for a lunch box too!
Ingredients (2 – 3 servings, depending on your portion size) 2 medium sized potatoes 5 – 6 santini tomatoes (cherry tomatoes are also good) 5 black pitted olives 5 green pitted olives 3 tablespoons small pickled mushrooms (I get those from Aldi. Canned mushrooms, chopped will also be fine) 3 - 4 tablespoons vegan mayonnaise (or this Soy Mayo) Handful chopped parsley or any fresh herb of your choice 1 tablespoon shelled hemp seeds (optional) Salt and pepper to taste
Boil potatoes skin on until tender but still firm.
Allow to cool, then cut into cubes. The skin pieces will come off while cutting them. You can leave them in or remove them.
Cut the santini tomatoes into 2 – 3 pieces. I decided to cut the santini tomatoes but you can leave them whole if you like.
Add all the remaining ingredients to the potatoes in a big salad bowl.
Sprinkle with some shelled hemp seeds if you like for some added protein.
I had some leftover pasta shells that I tossed into the salad because I hate to waste food and I wouldn’t be using the pasta otherwise.
It's my 100th post! Finally! I know I took a long time to reach 100 but I'm glad I've reached it! It was also my 1st bloganniversary about 2 months ago but I totally missed it; I been so busy lately! Becoming vegan is the best change that I've been able to introduce in my life so far and starting this blog is the best thing that happened after that. I've come across so many other interesting blogs and made some cool friends with so many other bloggers. I love the blog world and thanks to you, my readers and those who inspired me, this blog is still going good! :)
This post is also a reply to a comment I received on my previous post from someone anonymous who signed as Pipo. I made this into a post instead of just a reply to the comment because I feel there might be other readers who might have the same questions or concerns regarding how to make the shift to and maintain a vegan lifestyle or for those who might just be curious on the subject.
It's difficult to be vegan
I turned vegan when I was living in London in 2007. And I have lived in Mauritius for 1 year as a vegan. (This is when I started this blog as a motivation to help me through).
To adopt a complete vegan lifestyle in Mauritius is a bit hard, if not practically impossible; a lot of products are not available and hence I didn't have a choice for certain things. I tried to use herbal products whenever I could but I could not guarantee they were vegan. It's not as easy as it is to be vegan in the UK for example. London is a very vegan-friendly city by the way.However, in Mauritius, you can be a dietary vegan quite easily though, with a bit of planning (I’ll come back to this a bit later).
At the beginning you will definitely take time to adjust. I did not suddenly become vegan. It was a gradual process where I started cutting all the meat first, then milk, then fish and eggs followed by honey. Then I moved on to other products like beauty products, clothing, footwear etc.
It is practically very hard to be 100% vegan as we live in a totally vegan-unfriendly world. Sometimes you will be gutted to find out you've mistakenly bought/consumed something non-vegan (well, at least I do. At restaurants that just put non-vegan dressings on salads for example!). But you can try your best like every other vegan is.
There are a lot of food products that are starting to emerge; there are quite a few brands of soymilk available in Mauritius. You can also make your own soymilk if you buy the grains in bulk at grocery shops. (While in Mauritius I used to buy it in Port Louis near the market, in London and Dublin, any supermarkets or Chinese stores stock them. Google for homemade soymilk or this video gives you a good idea how to make soymilk at home (you’ll need a blender):
Not many places where to go eat outside?
Even over here in Dublin, Ireland, where I currently am, there are not that many places that I can go to. But I’ve never found food from outside that tasty anyway. Food prepared with love at home taste far better.
Although I do not recommend the consumption of overly processed foods, sometimes to save time you can buy vegan sausages and burgers in the Frys brand that are available at most supermarkets (any Way supermarkets in Mauritius usually stock them). These are very handy for bread fillers.
You will find your products around once you start being vegan. I found that when I started to become determined to get through this in Mauritius, things/products/whatever I needed were coming to me like I was a vegan magnet! And I was so happy!
And if you want to eat out from time to time, there are restaurants who might want to cook only vegetables for you. I even had a pizza without cheese once at Panarotti's in Beau Bassin (Mauritius). Ok, they were a bit shocked at the thought of having to make a pizza without cheese. I said I was allergic and Pizza Hut usually makes it for me (that wasn't true! haha!), and so, they made it! lol!
I know it's kind of cheating to say that I'm allergic, but most people don't have a clue what veganism is about and restaurants are more worried about making a profit rather than being ethical. But for me, as long as I am not contributing to the suffering of animals in my food, I believe I'm helping (even a little bit) to make this world a better place for every species to live in. We all have our ways of contributing to this world. I try my best to buy, consume and wear cruelty-free.
Always plan your week ahead to maintain a healthy diet
If you are going to rely on food outside everyday, this might not be the healthiest option. For example, like Pipo mentioned, dhal puri (dhal puri is a typical Mauritian style Indian bread made with dhal) and roti (Indian bread, usually served with vegetable curry in Mauritius) contains too much fat to be consumed daily.
A bit of planning will certainly help. Plan your week ahead -make a list of what you intend to cook for each day of the week, then do your shopping.
Make your own lunch
Some ideas: Make some humous ahead of time; it keeps for 4 - 5 days in the fridge. You can use this as a spread in bread with salad. Humous is not popular in Mauritius and yet is so easy to make and so tasty. It is basically like a chutney made with boiled chickpeas.
A nice and easy humous recipe from Recipezaar. (If you can’t find tahini in Mauritius, just replace by 1-2 teaspoons sesame seeds)
Cook extra the day before for dinner, then take leftovers for lunch. There are a lot of vegan blogs out there that have loads of ideas for lunch and other meals. Vegetables with pasta / couscous are easy meals to prepare.
And for easy plus sensational recipes go to Jessi’s (Happy Vegan Face) recipe index. It’s impressive, so don’t be scared, most recipes are easy to follow. I particularly like the patties and burgers section! Yum!
Invest in a vegan cookbook
You can invest in a good vegan cookbook. Ok, for this one, I’ll have to rely on the advice of my vegan readers who own vegan cookbooks.
What would you recommend to new/aspiring vegans?
I only own Now Vegan by Lynda Stoner and it is pretty good. There’s a good variety of recipes and of course you don’t have to follow them exactly. Recipe books are mostly there for inspiration then just use what you have on hand and create!
Snacks
If you are not allergic to nuts (I am, unfortunately), they are quite handy wholesome snacks to eat anytime during the day. Not too much though, because they have a high fat content.
Always carry some fruits in your bag with you. I find bananas are quite good for hunger pangs! Grapes and mandarins / satsumas are great at any time you want some extra energy!
Well, any fruits you like will do.
It's expensive to be vegan
If you plan and are willing to make the effort, a vegan lifestyle is no more expensive than a non-vegan one. Buy in bulk if you have space. Food stuffs like grains, pulses, potatoes keep well for a long time. Buying them in bulk will reduce the cost. If you have a back garden or balcony, think about growing some vegetables and herbs.
Being vegan will certainly improve your health which means less trip to the doctor's and less money spent on medical treatment and medecines. Turning vegan doesn't mean you won't need any medical attention at all. However, medication will help treat the problem on a short term basis while being vegan is a long term option to target the cause of diseases in general. For me it's long term and constant health improvement!
Need some inspiration (to help end animal suffering and reduce environmental pollution)?
I was often very much bugged by people who were trying to dissuade me from being vegan at the beginning. This happens even until now. I watched this 'Meet your meat' video (and many others that you can find on Youtube, search for vegan videos): Warning: this video contains disturbing scenes
I cry every time I watch this! I recommend you do watch it completely, and you will never need more inspiration than this to be vegan! This is what I think of every time I'm been 'attacked' about my vegan lifestyle. Then I know I'm doing something that makes me feel right about myself.
Happiness and Health!
After being vegan for 2 years, I don't regret anything at all. It's the best thing I've ever done in my life. My family is now also trying to reduce their meat consumption. BoyfriendLovlie (also vegan) and I, together we've influenced quite a few people who are now very happy and thankful!
My health is so much better. My cholesterol (yes, although quite slim, I had high cholesterol level at the age of 26!) has considerably gone down to a normal level without the use of any artificial methods like pills.
You can still be social
When I go out with friends and I know there won't be anything I can eat there, I just eat something in advance, then just have a drink with them.
Size matters!
The first thing that comes to people’s minds when they hear that you are vegan is that you must be super skinny! We all know this is not true. The rules are the same, to lose weight eat less calories that what you spend and to gain weight eat more protein and exercise.
If you think it’s difficult to gain muscular mass on a vegan diet then, this is Boyfriendlovlie before turning vegan and then after turning vegan with 16 months of training:
Conclusion
I wanted to keep this short but I guess I did not want to leave out anything I wanted to say either. So I hope I’ve answered to some questions that most people interested in veganism generally ask themselves. By helping to end animal suffering and reduce environmental pollution, what you gain are personal satisfaction, achievement and great health!
One last advice I would give to aspiring vegans is to document themselves thoroughly on veganism and how to eat healthily on a vegan diet.
My lovlie colleague friend (she is Spanish, from Basque Country she says!) brought me those Gernika peppers from her holidays to Spain. These peppers are unique to the region of Gernika in Spain. The best way to eat them is just shallow fried and sprinkled with some coarse sea salt. They were indeed very tasty and quite different in taste to any other types of peppers I've eaten before! If you happen to get hold of some Gernika peppers, they're worth trying! I really enjoyed them.
I also adapted this Nasudengaku recipe (Eggplant grilled with Special Miso paste) from the Now Vegan cookbook. This was so good! Well, I changed some of the spices and sauces but kept the idea of cutting and preparing the aubergine in the same way.
So that evening for dinner, we had Gernika peppers, adapted Nasudengaku with couscous, tofu (marinated in soy sauce then fried) and salad! It was a feast!
Two weeks ago was my birthday and it was my first birthday here in Ireland in our new apartment. Boyfriendlovlie and I moved to a new apartment 3 weeks ago and we both love it! It's much more spacious and bright. Good size kitchen with enough natural light to take good photos! Nice balcony too! I can't wait to start growing a little veggie garden!
A while ago, I was thinking that I don't actually own a single vegan cookbook. I actually did get a vegetarian one as a present from a couple of friends but no vegan one. So, for my birthday, Boyfriendlovlie got me one! Yay! I actually saw this book a while ago in the bookstore and was very attracted to some recipes in it. Boyfriendlovlie secretly recorded my fondness for the book and went to buy it. :D It's Now Vegan by Lynda Stoner. I will review or adapt a few recipes in the coming weeks or (more so) months!
I also got a mug; this one I wouldn't have guessed! No, it's not just any mug; it has one of my designs printed on it. You will surely recognise it!
And flowers! Lilies, my favourite!
Coming up in the next post Nasudengaku recipe (Eggplant grilled with Special Miso paste) that I adapted from the Now Vegan book.
Depending on what type of beancurd skin you are using, you might need to re-hydrate it according to package instructions, usually soaking in warm water. I used moist beancurd skin and I only had to brush with a bit of warm water to soften it slightly more.
Ingredients (4 wraps)
1 large aubergine, cut lengthwise in quarters Bunch green beans, sliced 2 - 3 carrots, finely cut in julienne 3 - 4 mushrooms, sliced ½ cup black beans, boiled (any other beans will do) 2 – 3 tablespoons black bean sauce 2 cloves garlic, minced Few sheets beancurd Salt to taste
For the batter:
3 – 4 tablespoons flour 1 teaspoon black bean sauce Salt to taste (if required) Water (enough to make a thick consistency)
Smear the aubergines on the sides with some black bean sauce. Shallow fry them on each side until tender but still firm in a frying pan. Remove, set aside.
Sautee the sliced green beans, carrots, mushrooms and garlic in 1 tablespoon oil and 1 teaspoon black bean sauce for 3 – 4 minutes.
Remove, set aside to cool.
Lay the beancurd sheets on a large chopping board or on the kitchen work space.
Moisten and soften them by brushing with some warm water.
Cut into squares (so that the aubergines and veggies would fit in leaving some extra width on the sides. Allow for at least 2 turns of skins around). You may also want to make them half the length by cutting the aubergines.
Place aubergine, veggies and black beans on beancurd sheet.
Start rolling from one end, fold over the 2 sides towards the centre.
Continue rolling to enclose everything nicely inside.
Preheat some oil on medium heat in a frying pan for shallow frying.
To make the batter, place flour, black bean sauce and salt in a large bowl (large enough to accommodate the length of the wraps). Gradually add water to make a thick batter.
Carefully dip each wrap (one at a time) into the batter. Gently roll to coat every side evenly with batter.
Place each wrap (one at a time) in the pan. Adjust heat if necessary so that the skin is not cooked too quickly, allowing the veggies to cook a little bit more inside. Turn frequently on every side until golden.
Remove and drain on kitchen absorbent paper.
Enjoy with some salad! This is nice for a packed lunch for work!
I’ve seen the dragon fruit for a while in Tesco over here and because it’s incredibly expensive (€2.99 each!), I’ve restraint myself from buying it until now. Well, both BoyfriendLovlie and I were very eager to know what this magnificent fruit would taste like.
I googled a bit about dragon fruit before attempting to cut it. Almost all websites instructed to slice the fruit in half, scoop out the flesh then cut into pieces. The fruit is said to be sweet but that one tasted quite bland, very much like the cream you get from a very tender coconut. The seeds are like those of a kiwi. Well, we both liked it nevertheless. Maybe it wasn’t ripe yet?
On the nutritional value side, dragon fruit (also known as pitaberry) is a very rich source of vitamin C, low in calories and has high level of antioxidants. On the whole a good fruit to eat except for the price! If I had enough space I could try growing my own dragon fruit, although it needs tropical weather; the plant is of the cactus family.
Well, I might buy the dragon fruit again once in a while as I really enjoyed it as my Sunday morning breakfast in a fruit salad with some blueberry soy yogurt! Raw fruit breakfast are an excellent way to start the day I’ve found; I feel much more energized and less sluggish as opposed to having toast or even cereal.
"Just living is not enough," said the butterfly. "One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower." - Hans Christian Andersen
Which measure type do you prefer?
About Me
Lovliebutterfly
While in nature a repulsive caterpillar turns into a lovely butterfly, with humans it is the other way round! I did not want to be a lovely butterfly turning into a repulsive caterpillar. So, in April 2007, while I was in the UK, I turned vegan. And it has been the most important change in my life!
I lived in my home country, Mauritius, for almost a year after that. Mauritius is not a particularly vegan friendly place. With most vegan products being non available, I had to do with what I had on hand there and I saw myself starting to drift away from eating healthy! This is when I started this blog, my greatest motivation that boosted my creativity in making healthy vegan meals.
I am now currently in Dublin (but not definitely!) with my also vegan boyfriend, aka BoyfriendLovlie. And what can I say more?
Let us all rejoice, like the caterpillar, eat our greens and turn into lovely butterflies! And oh! I don't think caterpillars are really repulsive, they're mysterious and cute!
