I lived three blocks from my high school and my mom still drove me to school almost every day. (so what! who cares!) Anywaaaay, on one of those morning drives we noticed a girl wearing high heeled pink sequined boots and a boa. Yes, a boa. And when I walked into my freshman math class this bedazzled girl just happened to sit down next to me. And before we knew it, we were best friends. It’s been 7 years and my wonderful best friend Lo is now my roommate. And this girl inspires me every day by what she eats…AND what she says. Seriously, she’s gonna be the next Oprah. Except way nicer..I don’t really like Oprah..Ok back to the food: Lo eats very naturally & healthfully and seems to always be introducing me to a new brand of hummus or greek yogurt or natural sweetener (stevia, is her other bestie) So when I whipped up these vegan chocolate muffins I knew she’d be proud. They are chocolately, but not as rich as cupcakes. They also have a touch of banana flavor due to my use of banana as a replacement for eggs. So if you have a hankering (that’s a goofy word, Lo will probably like that word) for a slightly sweet but utterly healthy breakfast item, this recipe will do the trick.

Sadly…she’s not wearing the boots or a boa here. I know. It’s upsetting.

Ingredients: 10 muffins

• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 cup plain soy milk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (omit chips for a stricter vegan recipe, since they do contain traces of milk)

Preparation:

1. Mix flour, baking powder and cocoa in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Mash up the bananas in a small bowl and heat them in the microwave for 20 seconds.
3. Add  sugar, soy milk, canola oil & vanilla to the mashed banana and mix until well incorporated.
4. Add banana mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated
5. Finally, sprinkle in the chocolate chips.
6. Pour batter into muffin pans and bake for 18 minutes at 350.

Enjoy!

-C