More Trying and Tasting From The FatFree Vegan

I tried out two more recipes from Susan's FatFree Vegan Kitchen this week. One was this delicious Banana Coffee Cake.



Now to someone who reads my blog, it will be no surprise I picked up this recipe. I am nuts about banana breads and cakes, and have many of my own versions which you'll find right here.

This cake on Susan's site looked super-delicious, and sounded very different, so I couldn't wait to give it a try.

I made some changes to this recipe, mainly out of necessity. I haven't had a chance to go grocery-shopping for white whole-wheat flour recently, which is the flour Susan uses in this recipe, so I just subbed with half regular whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose. I also used applesauce instead of soy yogurt.

While powdering up the cinnamon sticks in my spice grinder, I threw in two cloves which gave the bread a really delicious, spicy kick. For the rest, I followed Susan's recipe faithfully.

The cake was really delicious, with a delicate crumb and the cooked bananas, all mushy and gooey, tasted sublime.

The other recipe I tried out was an Ethiopian Berbere Stew, a red lentil stew that reminded me a lot of a tomato dal.



The spice mixture used here has so many elements of the Indian garam masala, and more. For instance, it includes fenugreek seeds, which I usually add to my own garam masala powder, but which is not a typical garam masala ingredient-- fenugreek, by nature, is a cooling agent, whereas spices are generally supposed to warm and stimulate the body.

I also loved the ease of preparation. The ingredients all go into the pot and cook together, so there was no sauteeing of onions and garlic first, adding tomatoes and spices, etc. that would usually be required for a dal.

I added some coriander leaves at the very end to this recipe, and it was just delicious. I also used fresh tomatoes instead of crushed, as the recipe instructs, because I've been getting an abundance of fresh tomatoes in the market and I can't resist them. It likely explains why my stew wasn't quite as red as Susan's.

The wonderful aroma that spread through the house as this stew cooked has to be experienced to be believed. Susan suggested serving the stew with brown rice, so I cooked up my Brown Rice Pilaf which went beautifully with the stew, along with some Minty Roasted Potatoes.

Enjoy, everyone, and don't forget to cook and post your favorite FatFree Vegan recipe for Tried and Tasted which I'm hosting this month. Rules are here.

Have a great weekend!

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Freddie just got a "spring cleaning." Each Spring, the groomer shaves off all of his beautiful long hair so he can be comfortable in the warm months. By the time fall approaches, most of it has grown back and he's ready, fur and all, to face the weather.

I usually get questions from neighbors (yes, sometimes each year) as to whether I've got a new dog. He looks so different. :)