Vegan Banana Muffins - Oh yes, you read that right!

Look, I know.  "Vegan" is one of the dirty "v" words that omnivores find offensive to the ear.  To be honest, as a newly minted vegetarian, I find it a little disconcerting too.  But, sometimes, even a carnivore runs out of eggs and is too lazy to run to CVS or Jewel to pick some more up.

And though I'm not a carnivore, I did indeed run out of eggs.  And I had an itch to bake too.  Oh, and I had to make it "healthy" for Mike, the sig o, because he's freaking out about his high cholesterol.  So this recipe for "Vegan Banana Muffins" is not only vegan but also low in cholesterol.  Wait, I think that's something people can deal with:  low in cholesterol.  Phew.

And you know what?  Though these muffins may be a little denser than your typical omnivore banana muffin, I dare you to taste the difference in flavor.  In fact, I dare you to try them and tell me that they're not better than your favorite go-to banana muffin recipe.  Why?  Because this recipe has maximum banana flavor complemented with just enough sugar to keep you wanting more.  So without further ado...

Oh, yeah!

Vegan (I said it!) Banana Muffins
Adapted from:  Allrecipes (but many liberties were taken)
Total time:  30 minutes 

Ingredients:
4 very ripe, mushy bananas
1/4 cup soy milk (omnivores, don't worry, cow milk works too!)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

Preparation:
1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.  Since this dough is pretty sticky, you might want to mist the paper muffin liners with oil too.
2.  In a large bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher.   (Check out the Tip! below)
3.  Combine the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour, wheat flour, salt, and soda) in a small bowl.  
4.  Add the sugars and milk to the mashed bananas and stir well.  
5.  Slowly mix in the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed. 
6.  Add the spices and stir until smooth.
7.  Pour or spoon batter into the muffin cups until 2/3-full.  
8.  Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown.

Tip!

I store over-ripe bananas in the freezer to keep on hand for times when I need to make banana bread.  The bananas turn into a weird brownish-black color once frozen, but once they thaw, they are so beautifully mushy and moist, you'll barely need to mash them.  Trust me.