Nana, nana, bobana, banana, fana, fofana...

I'm alive! I just haven't posted. *hangs head in shame* It's been busy with holiday shopping and preparation, wedding planning and family gatherings (Thanksgiving, a Baptism, etc). Haven't been eating anything too exciting lately, and have been eating out far more than I'd like.

I did manage to bake some vegan banana bread this past weekend, because, every time I opened the door to my freezer, it seemed I had to take cover from the ever-growing number of frozen bananas that are stuffed in there, shooting out at me every chance they get, as if begging to be used in a delicious bakery item.

I read somewhere that overly ripe bananas could be throw in the freezer and used for baking. It was an 'Aha' moment for me, because often I buy too many bananas and have always felt guilty about that one lonely banana I never got around to eating. Poor soul, left there on the counter till it turned a deep shade of brown. I rejoiced in my new-found knowledge and happily tossed these guys in the freezer, comforted by the fact that I would use them in the future. What I didn't plan on is how easy it is to just toss a banana in the freezer... and amass a nice little army of bananas that would revolt every chance they got.

"Bombs away!" I could hear them shout as Col. Banana took a sliding leap and jumped out of my freezer (without a parachute, I might add!) landing at my feet. Frustrated, I'd pick up Mr. Banana and shove him back in the freezer. Gotta use these SOON, I'd mutter to myself.

And so I finally did this past weekend. I used this recipe from vegweb.com, making modifications and cooking two different batches. For the first, I took the advice of one of the comments and used 1 c. whole wheat flour and 1/2 c. wheat germ. I also used the flax as the egg substitute. Turned out delicious. For the second batch, I tried subbing some of the butter substitute with applesauce (1/4 c. butter sub and 1/4 c. applesauce). I also used 1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour and no wheat germ, just to see what would happen. I haven't tasted the second batch yet, but it looks like the first. I may shave off an edge to taste, but I'd like to save this loaf and freeze it so my fiance can give it a try when he returns from being out of town. I snacked on and off all weekend on the other loaf, and well, there isn't much left. :-/

Baking aside, I feel so behind on blogging... not only in writing, but also reading all your great blogs and stories. My bloglines reader has been a lovely shade of bold lately, indicating all the blogs I haven't had time to browse. :( I do plan to catch up soon and look forward to reading about everyone's latest adventures!!!

Vegan Pancakes, topped with sliced bananas

Catching up...

Just so you think I wasn't only eating waffles... LOL I actually switched it up and made pancakes Sunday morning using this recipe from veggieboards.com. Was a ridiculously easy recipe... and pretty yummy. I topped 'em with maple syrup and a sliced banana. These cakes didn't turn out as light and fluffy as 'regular' pancakes. Not sure if it had anything to do with me subbing the water with soymilk, but otherwise it was yummy. I think the batch made about 9 good-sized pancakes. I ate two and froze the rest for later! :)