Banana Walnut Muffins **Vegan**

My first encounter with Dr. John Garcia was when I was 4. On what was on my first trip to Egypt, I was smothered with lots of homemade food, love, more food, kisses, even more food, and presents. Being an adventurous eater at a young age, I devoured the culture. Literally. My aunt, bought a huge stalk of 'Balady' bananas. Balady meaning local, so these were a breed I had never seen before. They were sweet, small, very yellow, with a thin skin. Baby bananas, or bananas for little kids!  In the midst of the chaotic dinner party, I was eating banana after banana, peeling them in different ways. Humming, and poking at them, I continued to eat. Amazed at this new baby version of a much loved fruit. Eating them happily. All of them.

That was the beginning of the end.

Later that night, the bananas came out the same way they went in. All of them.

And I haven't eaten a banana since.

I don't think it's fair to have all my friends and family suffer from childhood psychological trauma from bananas, so I do buy them and incorporate them into my bake every now and then.

But if you are visiting me, don't you dare leave a banana peel just lying around. They make kitchen garbage cans with lids for a reason.


Ingredients:

- 4 ripe bananas
- 100 gm Coconut Butter (You can use same amount normal butter, but then it is not vegan )
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts. I prefer to soak them whole for a while, this allows the very dry peel to come off.
- 1/2 cup sugar (I use less, but many people find it not sweet enough, depends on bananas)
- 11/2 cup flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Baking powder




Preparation:

Preheat oven to 180 Celcius

I made them into muffins for the sole reason that my oven in this rental apartment is crap. Usually, I would prefer to make it into a loaf, but muffins are the only way I get any baking done these days.

The absence of the egg makes these less fluffy and not rise as usual muffins would. This is normal.

Smash the bananas until they are watery, add in the rest of the ingredients, the flour being the last one.

Pour into the muffin tins, and bake for 20-25 mins, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once they are out, allow to cool for 10 mins and then cover in plastic wrap. These muffins, like most loaves, need to sit to reabsorb some of the moisture. If you eat them straight out of the oven they will stick to the paper. They keep well and stay soft when wrapped in cellophane.

Enjoy.