I’m wiping up the mud and debris left from January and welcoming February with open arms. January is a rough month. It starts out on a high, with resolutions and promises. But I dunno, something veers off. Maybe because 2 years ago on January 21st my mom died and that kind of is like a big kick in the gut to every January that comes after. So I’m going to declare February as my new slate! It’s a time when winter shakes off all of the big bad-ass-ness and fuzzy blossoms, sunshine and warm air start swirling around Vancouver. This month, we’ve had the windows open every day and it smells of springtime. Years ago, when my brother first came to visit me from Ontario, he came in February. He wore is heavy winter coat and toque as is the fashion out east. But as soon as he arrived, he ditched the cold weather gear and felt liberated in only a denim jacket and a colourful plaid scarf. Add in cherry blossoms, sun that warms the cheeks, and the smells of the earth coming back to life and you’ve got February.
And to celebrate, I’ve baked up some banana bread and trust me, it’s no ordinary loaf. I first made this in January when I had a friend over for tea. We needed tea and comfort and chocolate, because as I mentioned, you need all the help you can get during that dark month. This bread was just the ticket and it’s this bread that I want to share with you today.
Yup, that tasty loaf came from these fugly, brown bananas. Whenever we have bananas that start to get too spotty and soft, into the freezer they go. And when we’ve got a few rounded up, I start thinking banana bread. I’ve made a few in my day, but wanted to try something new. Chocolate chips were a given, but I decided to throw in some cocoa powder along with grated coconut into the mix. I also used some coconut-flavoured yogurt, but if you don’t have any on hand and wanted a bit more of a coconut kick, add in a 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract into your milk or yogurt mixture. Oh, and I added rum. I like rum. It goes well with bananas and chocolate. And January.
February has only begun and there’s already some exciting news to share. I’m beyond thrilled to mention that this blog has been nominated for a Bloggie which is a huge (!!!) weblog award. I’d sure appreciate it if you could head on over and vote for Everybody Likes Sandwiches as Best Canadian Blog. As well, you can check out a whole host of other awesome blogs that have been nominated.
elsewhere: Got a hankering for soup? Look no further because the smokey southwestern apple & squash soup I had last week was so freakin’ tasty!!! (It deserves every. single. exclaimation. point.) You can get the recipe on Poppytalk.
cocoa-coconut banana bread
3/4 c sugar
1/2 c vegan margarine
3 ripe bananas, mashed – about 1 cups worth
1 T rum (or use vanilla extract)
1 c all-purpose flour
3/4 c whole wheat flour
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 c coconut-flavoured yogurt or vegan yogurt or 1/3 c soy/almond/coconut milk* + 1 tsp vinegar
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c walnuts, chopped
1/4 c unsweetened grated coconutPreheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan with margarine & dust with flour. Set aside.
Cream together the sugar and margarine until fluffy. Add in mashed bananas and rum and blend well.
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
Pour half of the flour mixture into the wet mixture and stir until combined. Add in the milk or yogurt mixture and combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix. Fold in the chocolate chips, coconut & walnuts. Spoon batter (don’t worry, it will be thick) into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about one hour and 10 minutes.
* If you use coconut milk, don’t use the stuff from the can – instead use the carton kind which is more like milk.
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Congratulations on your Bloggie nomination! Very well-deserved my friend. And this banana bread looks so darn appealing. I have been experimenting a bit more with vegan baking and have found that you don’t have to sacrifice deliciousness when avoiding butter, eggs, and the like. In fact, I could use a big ‘ol hunk of this right now.
PS. Sorry about your mama – thank goodness for friends and chocolate. 😉 Here’s wishing you a fabulous February!
How did you know I have 3 brown bananas? Perfect! Welcome to a better month. And congrats on the nomination–you’re certainly MY favorite Canadian blog!
That banana bread looks so tasty! The perfect answer to the cold, wet yucky weather we’ve been having here lately. I can’t wait to try this recipe out. In the ingredients, when it says unsweetened coconut, do you mean coconut flakes or coconut milk? (sorry if this is a stupid question but I do very little baking with coconuts and want to make sure I get this right). Thank for sharing this recipe with us!! 🙂
Thank you Amanda! Yup, I don’t think you’d even notice that this was vegan. I think it’s a moot point here 🙂
Emmycooks, doesn’t everyone have 3 brown bananas? Enjoy!! And thanks.
Jo, thanks for catching that. Yes, unsweetened grated coconut, the flakey stuff. Let us know how it goes, you can do it!!
Can February be my clean slate also? January started out okay, but then, same thing…total slipping and sliding everywhere. Too much pressure. I want a do-over.
And a slice of this. Chocolate banana heaven.
I made banana bread for the first time last week, devoured it and set to making another one. It is delicious; I can’t believe it has not been on my radar before now!
Loved this post so much.That bread is going to get baked up right here today! Bananas, chocolate, coconut, and rum – are you kidding me? And here’s to a good Feb for all of us. Jan. was rough in lots of places, so, onward!
My mouth is watering! This banana bread looks so tasty, can’t wait to try it! And congrats on the blog award! Off to go vote : )
Joanne, February is do-over month! It’s way better, trust me 🙂
Natalie, banana bread is awesome, isn’t it? There’s so many different recipes so you’ll never get bored.
Thanks Joan, I hope you love the bread and it’s a good start for the month!
Thanks Jacqui for the vote and I hope you give this a try – it’s tasty.
January must be a doozy of a month for you. You start the year off with a Cornelius birthday-bash and end the month with memories of your mother. I do hope your February is low-key, save for the well-deserved Bloggie which should definitely be yours. Perhaps the best way to start this month is with a nice piece of vegan cocoa-coconut banana bread and a cup of tea. Cheers to you and best of luck with the award.
I completely agree with you about January…although you have more reason than most of us to dislike that month, I find that it’s full of expectations and letdowns! This bread looks like the perfect anecdote. Congrats on your nomination, how exciting!
What a co-incidence! I have a bunch of over-ripe black bananas and was thinking how I could make use of them as I loathe throwing away food. Now I look at the photos of your bananas and I was in stitches because yours looks twice as black as mine. Now I am going to make that banana bread because I also love coconut.
As I eat my banana bread for breakfast, I can report that adding cocoa powder was a stroke of genius. Delish! Thanks for the inspiration.
Here here. Goodbye grungy old January and hello clean, bright February!
I have the perfect thing for your perfect-sounding banana bread: homemade vanilla extract in rum. I save it for special occasions.
Voted and going to whip up this banana bread this weekend!
Banana bread + coconut + chocolate + RUM? All of my favorite things! I like your idea of a clean slate in February, too. Congrats on your Bloggie nomination!
Oh Molly, you are too sweet, thank you!
Thanks Sarah, yeah, I agree completely about January. Onwards, ho!
Dee, looks like fate. Can’t fight those black bananas!
Emmy, so glad I could inspire. They look delicious.
Oh my, Rachel, I’m sold. Who needs to make vanilla extract with vodka when rum is a million times better!!! Genius!
Thanks so much, Nell!!
Thanks NicoleD – yes, it’s all favorites and it’s all good 🙂
I always have overripe frozen bananas in stock because I live with a monkey who eats up to 15 per week! LOL This sounds like a great banana bread recipe. I’m going to try making this with gluten free flour and see how it turns out. Yeah, we’ve had some awesome weather here in TO as well in January and so far in February. Minimal snow and above zero temps. Today it was 9C and sunny in February!!!
Chocolate + coconut + bananas + rum? You have really outdone yourself, Jeanette!! This bread looks insanely delicious, and I have to resist the urge to shun all productivity and make this right now. Also, congratulations on the well-deserved Bloggie nominee!
I love using over ripe bananas to make yummy treats
Mmm love that you add coconut to your banana bread. Congrats on the nomination!! 🙂
I’m terribly sorry January is such a rough month for you. The anniversary of a death is so glum. It’s awful! My father died several years ago on my birthday. For years and years, I didn’t want to celebrate and I was so sad. However, just a few years ago I started dreaming of him around my birthday. They were good dreams where he was alive and well. It took a long time, but I can celebrate my birthday now and celebrate my good ole dad too!
The banana bread, of course, looks divine. I am always in the market for new recipes for my frozen bananas! xo
This looks so good! I have never added chocolate to my banana bread but this is definitely have to be made. Congratulations on your nomination, I’m going to go vote now! 🙂
I chose you for the Versatile Blogger Award because I enjoy your blog so much 🙂 Congratulations! See details on my Feb. 10 post if you’d like to accept 🙂
Bananas and rum and chocolate? Only three of my favorite things… this looks amazing!
And I’m sorry to hear of your mother’s passing… my girlfriend lost her mother in February, and it’s always a week of somber reflection and memories. She finds it very helpful to keep this time of the year special and meditative. Big hugs to you.
yummy this breads looks really a mouth watering stuff i love this wanna eat this
You’ve got a more than understandable reason to have trouble with January. It’s already the dreariest month of the year, and then that. Hope you got through alright. 🙂 I like your February clean slate plan. And I love this banana bread. MMM.
Joanne, someone on twitter made this gluten-free with excellent results. Good luck!
Thank you, Dramatic Pancake. This is a pretty sweet little dish and thank you for your kind words 🙂
Yes, aren’t bananas great for that, Food Hunter?
Ashley, I love coconut and it works so well here.
achowlife, thank you so much for sharing. Yes, it’s kind of amazing how long grief stays with us even in just a corner of our hearts and minds. I’m sorry for your loss too but what a wonderful turn. I love it when I dream of my mom too.
Kristen, I hope you do – chocolate is so good with bananas and the cocoa is a nice touch. Thanks for the vote!
Thank you Heidi for the award 🙂 Too sweet!
Thanks Cozy Herbivore for your lovely thoughts and for sharing.
Thanks John.
Kimberley, yes to clean slates and beautiful Februaries! Enjoy the month too 🙂
As you can see, it took me over a month to bake this beautiful banana bread : how stupid am I!!! It turned how even more delicious thant it looks. Everything is PERFECT about that banana bread : the taste, the texture, the vegan-ness, the chocolaty-ness. It is so so so yummy! I’ll bake it again and again and will be forever grateful for that amazing recipe.
Sophie, glad you loved this as much as I did! Yay!!
Hi I made two of these today, one for my Vegan friend’s birthday and one for me to try, but ended up taking half of it to another friend who has recently broken her ankle (ouch!) It is soooo yummy. Was just wondering if this will keep until Friday as that is when my friend’s birthday is. I have it wrapped in foil and was going to put it in a sealed box.
thank you for the recipe!
Hi GS, I’d probably keep it wrapped tightly and store it in the fridge. It should last a week that way. Or you could freeze it and then thaw it the night before. Glad you liked this recipe!
This banana bread looks chewy. Will make this one tomorrow for the neighbors potluck party. This will make a great dessert!
You are aware that coconut-flavored yogurt is not vegan, so unless only vegan yogurt is used, the recipe doesn’t qualify to be called vegan.
Yes, Olivia, I do realize it which is why I give 2 other vegan options – soy yogurt (and there are also great vegan coconut yogurts that do taste like coconut) and non-dairy milk + vinegar. I’ve made this bread vegan & non-vegan and they are delicious all ways 🙂
I’ve made this cake and it rocks! So delicious, moist and full of great ingredients. Got eaten by my housemates in no time. I adore your blog and check it regularly, any time I need some inspiration I can always find something here. Thanks!
Thanks so much, Faith!!! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I just made this last night and it’s delicious! Rich and chocolatey. I used a mix of coconut oil and vegan shortening instead of vegan butter, and I used vegan coconut yogurt as I had some laying around. I omitted the nuts. After 1h10min in the oven it was a little crisp on the sides which worried me, but it actually makes the flavor great! Thanks for the recipe!
Marianne, so glad you loved this bread! I think it’s high time I re-make a batch 🙂