Stovetop Banana Cream Hand Pies & Cookies
Quick and creamy banana custard in a warm and cripsy graham cracker crust. One recipe for both hand-pies and banana cream cookies.
I know it’s not exactly banana cream pie season anymore, but if you have some spotty bananas on your counter then this is a quick and yummy use for them.
Speaking of seasonal, we’re almost in December so now is the best time to get the best of what is in season since it’s at its freshest and usually it’s cheapest. I usually keep a list of what’s in season and what’s about to leave, so I’ve included my version below, if you would find this useful each month then let me know!
I’ve also added a What to Eat Every Day section since there seems to be a lot confusion online about what plant-based eaters actually need to consume in a day and all this talk about supplements. Hint, it’s all pretty simple.
Okay, back to the pie & cookies. It’s only 6 ingredients—oats, bananas, tahini, cinnamon, vanilla, red wine vinegar—and about 20-30 minutes from scratch. Here’s the rundown.
🔪 The Recipe: Banana Cream Hand-Pies & Cookies
⏲️ Estimated Time: About 25-30 minutes from scratch.
🍽️ Servings: Around 3 large cookies or hand pies
💵 Cost to make: Around $0.99 USD / $1.38 CAD
🕹️ Difficulty: Quick & Easy
Nutrition Facts
Serving size 1 hand pie / cookie
🔥 120 Calories (6% DV, based on 2,000 calories)
🧈 3.67g Fat (6% of 65g)
🥚 Cholesterol: 0mg
🧂 3.33mg Sodium (0% of 2,300mg)
🌾 19.4g Carbs
🥬 2.77g Fiber (10% of 28g)
- 🍬 Sugars: 4.97g (9.94% 50g)
💪 3.07g Protein (6.14% of 50g)
🍌 216.33mg Potassium (4.6% of 4,700mg)
🦴 18.33mg Calcium (1.41% of 1,300mg)
🔩 0.93mg Iron (5.17% of 18mg)
Thank you so much for your survey responses! I really appreciate the added comments🙏—it’s nice to understand what you do and don’t want more or less of from this newsletter.
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SOS-Free and Easy Recipes
From the survey responses, the highest demand was for oil-free, and specifically, SOS-free (no added salt, oil, or sugars) recipes and tips with minimal kitchen equipment.
Considering the science on
A few readers have expressed that they don’t have a spice grinder, but that they have an immersion blender or Nutribullet (or similar personal/bullet blenders) so I will be adding tips and even short videos for those, as well as spice/coffee grinder instructions.
To avoid confusion, you can also look for the little icons, that will accompany future recipes on plantbasedproof.com, to find specific cooking directions and tips for that appliance:
Coming Soon
Simple One-pot Meals
I’ve been working on updating some old recipes, and adding some new ones that don’t require much more than 2-3 steps usually consisting of directions like, put all ingredients into a pot on medium heat for 20 minutes then serve and enjoy.
Fresh Dried & Ground Ingredient Equivalents
Maybe you don’t have fresh onions and celery, but you have dehydrated onion or onion powder and celery seed powder. Or maybe the recipe calls for dried turmeric but you only have it fresh...
This should make converting between many forms much easier. This post is in progress still, but feel free to take a peek if you need some conversion help.
Banana Cream Hand Pies & Cookies
Seasonal Produce
Here is the list of fruits, veggies, seeds, and nuts that are in season in November, in a large part of the Northern Hemisphere, or at least in North America—if it’s not correct for you then let me know where you and I’ll try to figure it out for you.
Leaving at the end of November are Kiwi fruit, Celeriac, tender green Lettuces, Pumpkins, Spinach, and Turnips. If you’re fond of these ingredients it’s best to eat them now while they are still fresh and affordable.
Here’s each category:
Fruits
Apples, Asian Pears, Cranberries, Crabapples, Kiwi fruit, Pears, and Quince
Vegetables
Beets, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Carrots, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Celery, Chard, Chayote Squash, Garlic, Green Onions, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Lettuces (tender greens), Lettuce (hardy greens), Mushrooms, Onions, Parsnips, Peppers, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Shallots, Spinach, Sunchokes, Turnips, and Winter Squash
Nuts and Seeds
Brazil Nuts, Cashews, Pine Nuts, and Walnuts.
Again, if you would like this every month, then let me know
Or feel free to leave a comment.
What To Eat Everyday
Veggies & Fruit - 50%
Half of everything you eat, every day, should be fruit and veggies.
Examples: broccoli, onions, garlic, leafy greens (spinach, lettuce, basil, etc.), sweet potatoes, peppers, carrots, squash, tomatoes, zucchini, apples, bananas, oranges, etc.
Beans, Peas, Legumes & Plant Protein - 25%
Examples: lentils, pulses, all beans, peas, mushrooms, tofu, tempeh, etc.
While you don’t need “complete proteins” at each meal you should aim for a variety of foods throughout the day.
Oh, and the next time someone says that there are no complete plant proteins make sure you ask them about: amaranth, buckwheat, and quinoa. All 3 are complete plant proteins.
Want to know about plant-based protein intake, pairings, and more? Let me know.
Whole Grains/Cereals - 25%
Examples: oats, (brown/red/black) rice, quinoa, whole wheat, corn, etc.
Seeds & Nuts - a handful (1.5oz/42.5g) or less once a day
Examples: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, flax, chia, and nuts if you're not allergic; limit nuts if you’re trying to lose weight.
Additional Fruit - A Few Servings
You should also have at least one or two additional pieces/servings/cups of fruit each day because every additional “100 g/d higher fruit intake was associated with 2.8% lower risk of diabetes,” and “15.2% lower risk” for people with normal glucose levels! Although it was “not significant in prediabetes.” read more about fruit vs. diabetes here.
A serving of fruit examples: medium apple, medium banana, medium orange, 1 cup of berries, 1 cup of diced fruit, 2 kiwis, etc.
Most of the plate info is from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and supplements etc. from Nutrition Facts.
The Science-Backed Research Links
Ingredients that Fight Disease - latest addition: Lentils
The Research on Diet and Disease- latest update: Genetics / Epigenetics
Substack Exclusive Mini Health Posts
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If you have any questions, concerns, complaints, or just want to chat then please feel free to contact me by hitting reply to this email, or let’s connect and be friends on Instagram.
That’s all for today.
Have a wonderful day and stay healthy and nourished!
-Chef Robert Leigh
plantbasedproof.com
contact@plantbasedproof.com
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I'm a big fan of bananas so looking forward to trying this .
Great post! I like the new sections in your newsletter - seasonal fruit and what to eat in a day. Nice touch! Super practical. Looking forward to seeing more like this!