Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread

I love when I have food that I want to get rid of. It keeps me really creative in the kitchen! 

I had some dried cherries and chocolate bars that I really wanted to use (mostly so I wouldn't eat them all...) and I had three ripe bananas that I needed to use. Why not combine them all?!

I based this recipe on my favorite banana bread recipe - one by Isa Chandra Moskovitz of Post Punk Kitchen, author of books like Veganomicon and Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. I do not have a loaf pan at school, so I baked it in a 9x12 pan/casserole dish. I also made it gluten free and used Stevia instead of white sugar. It turned out to be sooo DELICIOUS! I highly recommend trying this out!

I gave it to my fellow RAs/staff members in Husman, and they loved it. It will win over the hearts of non-vegans and vegans alike, so try it out on your skeptical friends as well! 

Chocolate Cherry Banana Bread

Based on this recipe
Ingredients
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 t. stevia
1/2 cup Earth Balance, at room temp
3 very ripe bananas, mashed well
2 cups + 1 T. Bob's Red Mill GF flour
1 t. xanthan gum
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk, mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 c. dried cherries
1/2 c. dark chocolate chunks

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9 x12 pan with non stick cooking spray, or lightly coat with margarine.2. Sift together flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt and spices. Mix in cherries and chocolate chunks.
3. Cream together the Earth Balance and brown sugar, and stevia. Add bananas, soy milk and vanilla.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well. Pour batter into loaf pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.