Orange You Glad I Said Banana?

I am SO out of groceries. I hate that feeling, because being vegan means wanting to have produce on hand at all times. I was GOING to go grocery shopping last night, but the 7 INCHES OF SNOW we got hindered that plan. Instead I opted for a lazy night at home.

Anyhow, one of my favorite fallbacks for when food is limited in my house is banana bread. It's SO GOOD and I pretty much always have the ingredients around. I think everyone should already be aware -- but you know you can freeze bananas, right? As soon as they get past the level of ripeness I like, I throw 'em in the freezer and save them for smoothies or baking. So I usually have at least a few in the freezer.

This recipe is from Emeril Lagasse, courtesy of FoodNetwork.com (great site to advertise on, too...would highly recommend it for any brand). It's a simple recipe, and I've of course made the non-vegan food items into vegan options, but I think the secret to this amazing bread is the sour cream. Trust me -- give this a whirl and you'll be bringing banana bread to every party you attend this year!

Warning: if you live alone, keep in mind that baking a loaf of bread means eating a loaf of bread! :)

Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 10 tablespoons soy butter
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large bananas)
• 1/2 cup vegan sour cream
• 2 eggs worth of Ener-G Egg Replacer
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups cake flour
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts (optional - I choose to skip these!)
  

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly grease a 9 1/4 by 5 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Puree the bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla in a food processor.

Sift the cake flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fixed with a whisk attachment. Add the butter and mix on medium-low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Add the banana mixture in 3 batches, scraping the sides of the bowl and mixing on medium speed between each addition. Fold in the nuts.

Pour into the loaf pan. Bake until lightly browned and bread bounces back to the touch, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before turning out onto wire rack to cool completely.