Maple Syrup Banana Bread

I've loved banana bread for as long as I can remember. When I was little my mom and I would make it and I would eat it with butter or cream cheese. My tastebuds have come a long way from those days. I no longer gleefully pour white sugar on my corn flakes (that used to make my brother soooo mad, "Doesn't she know they're already sweetened?!") or eat brown sugar by the spoonful (or handful, whatever works). But I am still baking banana bread every time a spotted brown banana appears on my countertop. Here is what, to date, is my favorite banana bread recipe ever. Also, it's vegan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix dry ingredients:
2 cups unbleached organic white flour (in the future I'll try out wheat, but for now I've only tried white)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Mix wet ingredients:
2 mashed medium-small bananas
1/2 cup original unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup vegan stick butter (I've also used cow butter, both work fine)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine wet & dry ingredients. Butter loaf pan. Add dough to pan. Spread out dough to level it a bit. Bake for 45 minutes. (Check often.)

You could definitely add walnuts to this recipe. In fact, I recommend it. But I didn't list them in the ingredients because personally I never have them in the kitchen!

I really like this recipe because it doesn't use applesauce like most vegan baking recipes; I usually don't have it on hand. It also doesn't use eggs - I never have those! It uses maple syrup instead of refined sugar. I don't like to bake or cook with regular sugar. That's just a personal preference. I really want to explore baking with fruit juice as a sweetener. That would be fun.

Feel free to de-veganize or do whatever you want to this recipe! This is just what has worked for me. Let me know how it turns out (and what you substituted/added/removed) in the comments.

On the braces front, I can eat banana bread just fine although it does tend to get stuck. I've also been eating most everything else, even really crunchy pita chips. The only foods I have been avoiding are sticky things. But that's not even an issue because there aren't any super sticky foods that I eat regularly. So far no broken brackets!

Top Five Wines Under $20

I used to think wine was only going to taste good if I had tons of money to throw at a bottle, say $60 to $80, at least. Then I realized the key is to just keep trying. Cheap (or inexpensive) does not always equal poor quality in wine. I'm not encouraging you to scour the dusty bottom shelves of your gas station's wine selection (if you happen to live in a locale that allows such lascivious sales to take place), but rather I would advise that you go to your grocery store to look around. You don't have to go to the speciality wine  and liquor package store to get a good bottle. Just check out the store where you usually buy your groceries.

I've been exploring inexpensive (my favorites are under $10, but I will go as high as $20 at times) wines for about two years now. Here's a list of my top five favorites in order of increasing price. Each wine I've listed is a Cabernet Sauvignon because that is my favorite. 

1. Trader Joe's Charles Shaw Cabernet Sauvignon - $3

The "two buck chuck," as it is commonly known, is famous for being awesome - especially for its price. I definitely agree. At three dollars a bottle, it is hard to go wrong with this wine. You can only buy it at Trader Joe's though, and they aren't everywhere. I recommend letting it aerate with a decanter or by simply allowing it to rest in your wine glass for awhile, however.

2. Newman's Own Cabernet Sauvignon - $9

I first tried Newman's Own brand spaghetti sauce. I spotted this bottle of wine at a Publix grocery store, and I knew I had to try it out because I trust the brand. I was not disappointed. This is a great bottle of wine, and I think it works well straight out of the bottle. 

3. Leese - Fitch Cabernet Sauvignon - $11

This Leese-Fitch variety is still affordable, but not every-day affordable (at least in my opinion). I can really taste a difference with this wine, which probably helps explain why it is a bit more expensive than the first two options. Like the Newman's Own, I don't decant this wine.

4. Kendall Jackson Vintner's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon - $17

The Vintner's Reserve by K.J. is a great wine. Most people who drink wine (that I have met) know this company, and it is widely thought of as being a very solid brand.

5. Educated Guess Cabernet Sauvignon - $19

I first tried this wine sort of on accident. I read an article that explains why you should always try a bottle of wine if you like the label (basically because if you like the design of the bottle/label, then you may have like-minded thinking to that of the creators, so you may have the same taste...etc.) so I decided to go to the package store and give it a try. I picked out this bottle because, well, the label is just cool. And I was not disappointed by the wine inside! The company actually named the wine Educated Guess because the process of picking out a wine involves educating guessing, as does the process of creating the wine. (I love it!) This is definitely the priciest of the bunch, but it is worth the extra cost. 

I hope this brief guide will help you out if you're out looking for an inexpensive wine to bring as a housewarming gift or to a party or just for your own enjoyment! Don't be afraid to try any wine you see in a store. As long as you're staying within the bounds of your own personal budget, you can't go wrong. Every bottle is a learning experience and will bring you closer to understanding what kind of wine works well for you!