My Vegan MoFo 2012 theme is to offer tips and tricks in the kitchen.
When I went vegan, I used lots and lots of vegan cookbooks! So today I am delighted to review a new cookbook, Sweet & Easy Vegan by Robin Asbell, to offer one of her delicious breakfast recipes as part of a Virtual Potluck, and to give you a chance to win your own copy of this terrific new cookbook!
I took a cooking class with Robin Asbell last year at the Natural Gourmet Institute. I bought a copy of her book Big Vegan and love it. I was so excited to be invited to be a part of her Virtual Potluck to launch her latest book.
Sweet & Easy Vegan is the perfect book for me. Long time readers know I love me some junk food but not so much when it comes to sweets. In fact when it comes to dessert I lean far more toward the savory side of sweet. Robin Asbell offers treats using whole grains and natural sweeteners that completely speak to me. There is a heartiness and healthfulness that make these sweet bites enticing.
Sweet & Easy Vegan includes the following delicious sections:
- Sweet Breakfast Treats: Includes Pine Nut Polenta with Cherry Sauce, Espresso and Nut Butter Chunks, and Coconut-Banana Granola (recipe below!).
- Scones, Muffins & Quick Breads: Includes Apple Pecan Scones, Righteous Raisin Muffins, and Zucchini Bread with Pecans.
- Fruit-Based Desserts, Kantens & Puddings: Includes Green and Red Grapes in Champagne, Sweet Cinnamon Tortillas with Sweet and Fruity Salsa, and Pumpkin-Date Pudding.
- Crisps, Cobblers, Pies & Tarts: Includes Spiced Sweet Potato Bake with Coconut Crumble Topping, Peach Pie with Streusel, and Black-Bottom Chocolate Pudding Tart.
- Cookies, Bars, Cakes, Cupcakes & Other Sweet Treats: Includes Barley-Almond Cookies, Olive Oil Cupcakes with Hazelnuts and Gianduja Cream, and Cornmeal Shortcakes with Strawberries and Vanilla Ice Cream.
Kantens? Well, now that I’ve read Sweet & Easy Vegan I know that kanten is a traditional Japanese dessert, like a gelatin but Robni points out “thankfully, is made from sea vegetables instead of animal hooves.”
I love Robin’s recipes because they are rooted in whole foods and I have so many of the ingredients on hand (because I never met a grain I didn’t love).
The Sweet & Easy Vegan Virtual Potluck kicks off today with breakfast! I am honored to be serving up Robin’s tasty Coconut-Banana Granola alongside these fabulous people:
- Shaina Olmanson of Food for my Family Blog is making Mocha Scones with Cacao Nibs
- Julie Hasson of Julie’s Kitchenette is making Sweet Polenta with Cherry Sauce
- Leinana Two Moons of Vegan Good Things Blog is making Jumbo Buckwheat Cakes with Strawberry Sauce.
But back to my dish!
Coconut-Banana Granola
by Robin Asbell from Sweet & Easy Vegan
Makes 12 cups/2.8 L
Coconut milk and dried coconut give this granola wonderful richness and texture. Their tropical flavor is further enhanced by the addition of banana.
- 6 cups/600 g rolled oats
- 1 cup/90 g unsweetened shredded dried coconut
- 1/2 cup/65 g whole-wheat flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 banana
- 1 cup/240 ml coconut milk
- 1/2 cup/120 ml coconut oil
- 1/2 cup/100 g granular palm sugar, palm sugar paste*, or Sucanat
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseeds
- 1/2 tsp coconut extract
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
Preheat the oven to 300°F/150°C/gas 2. Lightly oil two rimmed baking sheets.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, flour, and salt and stir until well mixed. In a food processor, purée the banana. Add the coconut milk, oil, sugar, flaxseeds, coconut extract, and almond extract and process until thoroughly combined. Pour into the oat mixture and mix well; your hands may work best for this.
Distribute the mixture over the prepared baking sheets, squeezing to form loose clumps. Bake for 1 hour, rotating the pans and turning the granola with a spatula every 20 minutes. The granola will be browned but still feel soft; it will crisp up as it cools.
Cool completely on the baking sheets before transferring to an airtight container or zip-top bags. Stored at room temperature, the granola will keep for about 2 weeks.
*Tip: To measure palm sugar paste by volume, first chop, mash, or grate it, then pack it into a measuring cup. This makes it easier to stir the palm sugar into dry mixtures or helps it dissolve in unheated liquid mixtures.
I enjoyed a bowl of granola with coconut milk
and it rocked my morning meal world! What I love most is that it is very lightly sweetened. The coconut and banana flavors is fantastic. The oats, flaxseed and whole wheat flour make this breakfast bowl incredibly filling – a little goes a long way and I have lots stored in mason jars! The gently browned granola pleased me and my omnivore husband!
Don’t miss the next stop on the Virtual Potluck, Dessert, on October 22 featuring:
- PB and J Crisp hosted by Micaela Preston of Mindful Momma
- Orange Plum Bars hosted by Lia Huber of Nourish Network
- Cashew Blondies hosted by Nava Atlas of Veg Kitchen
- Nectarine Cobbler hosted by Robin Robertson of Vegan Planet
- Sweet Potato Coconut Cupcakes hosted by Jennifer St James on Tiny Kitchen Stories
Would you like to win a copy of Robin Asbell’s Sweet & Easy Vegan? This giveaway, open to U.S. residents, is sweet and easy to enter. Just leave a comment here and tell me your favorite vegan dessert! Leave your comment by November 15 (12:01 a.m. EST) for a chance to win!
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