Like the Cranberry Walnut Bread, I made this bread into mini loafs and gave them to some cruiser friends.  The friends were all happy and said they loved it but of course you have to like carrot raisin bread!



What You'll Need:
2 C. all-purpose flour 
1 Tsp. baking soda 
½ Tsp. baking powder
¾  Tsp. ground cinnamon
¼  Tsp. baking powder
¼ Tsp. salt
¼ Tsp. ground nutmeg
1 C. coarsely shredded carrot
2/3 C. packed brown sugar
1/2 C. raisins
1/2 C. non-dairy milk
3 Tbsp. vegan butter, melted
Egg Replacer for 1 Egg (if you don’t have egg replacer use 1 tsp. ground flax seed combined w/3 tbls. water
3 Tbsp. Apple Sauce (preferably unsweetened)

What’s Next:
Preheat oven to 350° & oil a loaf pan

-In a large bowl combine the flour and the next 5 ingredients (through nutmeg) and stir to incorporate
-Add the remaining ingredients to the flour mixture and stir until moist
-Pour mixture into loaf pan (or 3 mini loafs) & bake for about 50 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the center

Instead of making a large bread I made this recipe into 3 mini breads to give to friends.  The mini breads worked perfectly and they tasted great too.  If you don't like one of the ingredients (like walnuts or cranberries leave them out or add something else.)





What You'll Need: 
-1 C. All-Purpose Flour
-1 C. Whole Wheat Flour
-1½ Tsp. Baking Powder
-½ Tsp. Baking Soda
-1 C. Non-dairy Milk
-1 Flax Egg (1 Tbs. ground flax, 3 Tbs. water)
-2 Tbls. Agave Nectar or Maple Syrup
-½ C. Sugar
-½ C. Chopped Walnuts
-2 C. Fresh Cranberries (if you can’t get fresh, use dried but soak them in hot water for 10 minutes first)
-½ Tsp. Salt
-½ Tsp. Cinnamon

What's Next:
-Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.
-Lightly grease a loaf pan and set aside.
-Prepare your flax egg by combining 1 Tbs. ground flax with 3 Tbs. water. Stir and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes, until it has a gel-like consistency
-In a large bowl, mix together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
-Add the flax egg, non-dairy milk, agave nectar, and sugar. Stir until just combined.
-Fold in chopped walnuts and cranberries.
-Pour mixture into bread pan and bake for 50-55 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Enjoy!

As I write out these recipes it’s becoming obvious that I add
chocolate to a lot of things, hmmm. The reason I made this bread is because we had so much coconut meat and I was determined to find something to do with it.  So, basically you can leave the coconut out or substitute it for some chopped walnuts or pecans.  You could also leave out the chocolate and the dates and just use the base of the recipe and add what you like. 
I only have one vegan cookbook and a cruiser friend found it for me at a book exchange on the island of Culebra- I was very excited.  The book, “Vegan Cooking”published in 1985 in England is written by Eva Batt, an early ambassador of veganism. It’s interesting to read the very simple
recipes of the book and notice how vegan cooking has seemingly evolved, I guess, over the years. Anyway, that book gave me the guideline for this recipe.

What you’ll need:
-1 ½ cups flour
-2 tsp. baking powder
-1/2 tsp. baking soda
-1/2 tsp. salt
-1/4 cup granulated sugar
-1 cup non-dairy milk
-1/4 cup vegan butter
-1/4 cup roughly chopped dates (rinsed & dried) (or other dried fruit)
-1/3 cup coconut (shredded) (optional)
-1/4 cup coconut (chopped) (optional, use walnuts or pecans instead)
-1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

What’s Next:
-Preheat oven to 325
-In a small pot warm the milk and butter together until melted, stir to incorporate. Remove from heat and set aside in a medium/large bowl
-In a medium/large bowl add the flour, baking soda & powder, salt, and sugar and stir
-Add the coconut and dates to the flour mixture and stir to incorporate
-A portion at a time, incorporate the flour mixture into the milk and butter and stir until well combined.  If the mixture seems very thick and sticky you can add a few more splashes of milk. It should be pretty thick but stir-able.  It will really depend on your fruit/nut mixture.  
-Put the batter in well-greased bread tin.  Once its evenly distributed in the tin, sprinkle the chocolate chips (if using) along the top and push them down gently with a rubber spatula or spoon.
-Bake for about 25 minutes or until knife comes clean from the center.

It’s great with tea, I guess this recipe does have English roots!

I’m not any sort of expert on making bread.  In fact it was only in the last year (since we started cruising) that I have made our own bread.  I know people who are really good at it and they make some amazing bread.  They all claim “it’s so simple”- sure if you know what you’re doing. This recipe is totally easy for real- even for me, a bread making rookie.  But I think I better get the hang of it quick if I’m gonna continue be a cruising sailor…

You can just make this as a wheat bread for sandwiches (in a pan loaf but a normal/large pan will make it a short loaf- like duh right) or roll it out a little longer and bake it on a pan for a more crusty, flatter dinner
bread- that’s what I usually do.  
 
What you’ll need:
-2 cups flour (preferable unbleached but any baking flour will do- NO self- rising flour)
-1 cup wheat flour
-3 tbls. honey
-2 tbls. maple syrup
-2 tbls. canola oil
-1 cup warm water(like 80 degrees)
-1 package yeast (or 2 ½ tsp.)
-1/2 tsp. salt

Optional:
-1/4 cup walnuts
-1/4 cup pecans

What’s Next:
-Mix the flours, yeast, and salt, and nuts (if using) into a medium/ large bowl and stir to combine
-In a separate bowl add the rest: honey, syrup, oil, and water and
-Add the ingredients of one bowl into another- frankly it doesn’t matter which way
-Combine everything, eventually using your hands to kneed (you can do this right in the bowl)the bread for about 5 minutes (if your hands and/or the surface get sticky coat them with flour or oil)
-Preheat the oven to 375-Keep the kneaded loaf in the bowl covered with a dishtowel in an un-drafty spot until it gets nearly twice the size (in warm places this takes only 20 minutes but it might take an hour in a
cold place)
-Arrange the loaf either in the bread pan or shape it how you like on a cookie sheet- cover with the dishtowel again and let it sit foranother 15-20 minutes
-Bake at 375 for 25 minutes (depending on size of loaf) check by inserting a knife in the center- it’s done when there is no residue on the knife

If any bread veterans are reading this, my instructions may seem a little remedial to you but when I’m learning I prefer details!  So, if you have any tips or recipes you have made, please share!

I was looking for something to make that I could share with my
yoga students after my last class in Grenada.  I thought of making a coffee cake and went in search of recipes. To be honest (don’t you love that expression) I chose based on what ingredients I had on the boat or could get at the market.  Looking at the ingredient list you, like me, might not think
this could turn out to anything all that special but somehow it is totally special.  And it was revered by about 30 non-vegans!


Oh, and Marty found this recipe for me- turns out it is published in Vegan Brunch (check it out at the link below.)

What you’ll need (for the cake):
 -3/4 cup non-dairy milk (I use soy or almond)
 -1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
 -1/3 cup sugar (I use cane sugar)
 -1/2 cup canola oil
 -1 tsp. vanilla
 -1 1/4 cup flour
 -2 tsp. baking powder
 -1/2 tsp. salt

What you’ll need (for the topping):
 -1 cup flour
 -1/3 cup brown sugar
 -1 tsp. cinnamon
 -1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
 -1/4 cup canola oil, plus up to 2 Tbs. more if needed

-confectioners’ sugar, for serving (optional)

What’s Next (for the topping):
-In a medium bowl combine together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
-Drizzle in canola oil a bit at a time and stir or use your hands to form chunks.  You want to make large crumbs but it’s ok if there are still some sandy parts.  Set the crumb mixture aside

What’s Next (for the cake)
-Preheat your oven to 375 and lightly coat an 8x8 or 7x9 pan with oil
-In a medium bowl whisk together the milk and vinegar- set aside for a couple minutes
-Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla to the milk mixture
-Gradually stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt
-Pour batter in pan and gently shake to evenly distribute
-Sprinkle the topping mixture evenly on top of the batter and press it down lightly with your fingers
-Bake for 25-30 minutes- check for doneness by inserting a knife in the center
-Let cool before serving -Marty generally can’t wait for that to happen so we tried it out of the oven- it’s better after it has cooled!
-Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top and serve!

Happy Eating!