Banana Split Breakfast

I've sort of fallen off the plant-based meal wagon. I would love to eat this way consistently, but I'm not quite organized or energized enough to plan and prepare enough so that at busy mealtimes I can throw something together quickly. We still eat pretty well around here, though, and I'm going to capture a few family or personal favorites over the summer on this blog so we have them on record. 

The first is a personal, new favorite from the food blog, Minimalist Baker. This banana split breakfast is SOOO good.

My food photography is not that great, but I'll just admit that openly and move on. Here is the recipe:

BANANA SPLIT
1 Banana
Peanut or almond butter
Vanilla yogurt (I used Coyo coconut yogurt)
Rawnola (recipe below)
Berries of choice 
Hemp seeds (add some necessary protein)
Unsweetened coconut flakes (optional)

Peel bananas and use a knife to carefully cut a slit down the center of each to create an opening without completely slicing through. Top with nut butter of choice, then coconut yogurt, rawnola, berries, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes.

RAWNOLA

1 1/2 cups walnuts or almonds

15-17 pitted medjool dates 

1 heaping tablespoon hemp seeds

1 heaping tablespoon flaxseed meal

1 teaspoon chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded coconut (optional)

1/2 cup rolled oats (optional)

1/2 teaspoon maca powder (optional)

Pinch sea salt

Optional Flavorings:

1/4 cup (24 g) unsweetened cacao powder (or cocoa powder) + 2 Tbsp (11 g) cacao nibs

3 Tbsp (20 g) roughly chopped dried fruit (e.g. bananas, cherries, or blueberries)

1 tsp vanilla extract or 1/2 tsp vanilla powder

To a food processor (which will work better than a blender), add nuts and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Then add dates and pulse about 5 times to loosely combine. Add remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. The mixture should resemble a chunky granola. At this point, you could add extra “flavor” in the form or cacao powder and cacao nibs, dried fruit of choice, or vanilla extract or powder. My preferred is cacao powder and nibs! Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature up to 2 weeks or in the fridge for several weeks. Transfer to the freezer for longer-term storage.