Food: Vegan Date Squares

As this late fall weather becomes steadily unfriendlier, I find myself spending much more time indoors, swaddled in my Dad's old sweaters and thick socks. I make oatmeal with whole rolled oats, relishing the warmth off a bubbling pot of cinnamon scented breakfast. There's a meditative aspect to taking time for yourself in the morning, to waking up slowly and carefully. To chilly extremities and fog rising over your backyard garden; over the rivers and trees. This is the time of year I love, not too hot, not too cold. Crisp. Clean. A time for fresh starts and fresh faces. New Years Eve has never held the same significance to me as these cool few days between fall and winter, this seasonal shift. Change is, quite literally, in the air. For once, I welcome it.

Photo by M. Kelly

These, friends, are not your classic vegan date square. They don't have those wacky chunks of orange rind floating around in there, nor do they call for half a jar of coconut oil (gosh dang expensive, pals), or agonizing hours cutting solid fats into oats. Well, maybe that's an overstatement, but when if you're anything like us, if you want a date square (or food in general), you wanted it five minutes ago. Whatever the weather may be in your corner of the world, I hope you give these a go.

Photo by M.Kelly

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup medjool dates
Zest of 1 small lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Crust:

2.5 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup of applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tablespoon coconut oil
pinch of salt

Crumble Topping:

1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup walnuts (or nut/see of your choice)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt

Directions!

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Toss 2 cups worth of oats into your food processor and blend until powdery. Then add applesauce, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. Pulse until combined.
3. Remove from motor base, take out blade, and stir in remaining 1/2 cup oats to blended mixture. The dough should be pretty firm.
4. Place the dough into a greased brownie pan (mine was 8"x8") and press firmly down. Using slightly damp fingers works well here. You want it to be as compact as possible, so as to minimize crumbly bases (ugh).
5. Now, without bothering to clean your processor, pulse all filling ingredients together until a chunky paste forms. If dates ball up into a giant clump, add a tablespoon or two of warm water, until they become more of a malleable paste. Spread this paste over your base with a spatula, as evenly as possible.
6. Then, again don't even clean it, dump your crumble topping ingredients into your processor. Pulse into they've broken down into pinky-fingernail size ish chunks, though some variety is always great.
7. Scatter over top of your date paste! If there are any leftover topping bits left (I had a small handful), make a yourself a lil cookie! Shape it into a wee ball, flatten slightly with your palm, and bake for 10 - 12 mins.
8. Now slide your completed crumble bars into the oven. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes or until top is lightly golden and aromatic.
9. Enjoy!

**This recipe was inspired by Sarah Britton at www.mynewroots.org! Her site is absolutely lovely. Check it out!**

Food: The Ultimate Vegan Banana Bread

Hey! My name is Kate, fellow vegan and best friend of Cami. I've gotten super into cooking and baking since switching up my diet and have started developing my own recipes. Here we'd love to share some of them and hope you give them a go!

By M. Kelly

This recipe here is something in heavy rotation around our group of friends and my house. It even got the stamp of approval from our ultimately picky friend! I like to eat this bread warm, with almond butter or tahini or just plain. With winter approaching, this kind of treat is perfect to have around. It's in the colder weather that I find myself reaching for sweeter, stickier snacks, and this fits the bill perfectly. We hope you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

By M. Kelly

The Ultimate Vegan Banana Bread

Wet Ingredients:

• 3 overripe bananas, mashed
• 1 cup of unsweetened, unflavoured non-dairy milk

Dry Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, 1 cup spelt (alternatively, use white or gluten free)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/3 cup chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup chopped pumpkin seeds (plus a tbsp for topping)
• 2/3 cup chopped and pitted dates
  
  
  Clues: 
  
  
  
  

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Dig out a loaf pan and grease it with any vegan butter you have on hand. Alternatively, feel free to use coconut oil or even regular butter, if you aren’t avoiding animal products.

  2. Chop dates, almonds and pumpkin seeds roughly but thoroughly. 

  3. Mash bananas until they turn into a lovely gooey paste and place into a large bowl. Whisk in milk.

  4. Stir in baking powder and baking soda.

  5. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder. 

  6. Finally, add dates, almonds, and seeds. Stir once or twice to combine, but don’t overdo it!

  7. Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and slide it into the oven.

  8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is a gorgeous golden brown and springy 
  
  
  TIPS!
   - if you only have two bananas, feel free to replace one with 1/3 cup of olive oil
   - flours are pretty variable here, just be careful not to use all regular whole wheat (it'll be hella dense) - though all whole wheat pastry flour is okay, as it's lighter
   - these could also be slipped into a muffin tin and turned into lil muffins! Or mini muffins!
   - the add-ins are totally up for interpretation; add hazelnuts and chocolate chips for something a little more decadent, sunflower seeds to replace almonds for a nut-free bread, etc, etc.