cheating at baking: vegan apple chunk banana bread

i don't really bake. and i know exactly why. because you can't really cheat with baking the way you can with cooking. it's oppressive really, confined by those dreaded measuring spoons and cups full of shaming fractions.

but man i love cookies.

so i bought a cute set of measuring cups and spoons, and even an apron from athropologie thinking maybe that would help? NOPE. i ended up using the cups for earrings and hung the spoons on my kitchen wall. they were really pretty in that anthro way, ya know?

what finally brought out my inner rachel ray was using recipes with 10 ingredients or less, and called for items that i almost always have in the house and will get used up, bake-off or not. this recipe is one i make about twice a month, when we have bananas that have gone too ripe to enjoy and have accumulated a dozen half eaten apples. do any of you have this problem? max, and now knox, will eat about half an apple before saying "done!" or asking for a brand new one. wth? i have to deal with that now? i gave up on reasoning with them to finish the one they started eating and began making use of the sad half-apples. i adapted my favorite banana bread to include apple chunks. it's a super simple recipe, of course. but the best part is i can cheat. if i want like a LOT more cinnamon, add some nuts, maybe dried cranberry, substitute regular flour for whole wheat (depends on what we have, ya know?) this recipe can go with the flow and rise to the occasion.

are you guys appreciating my puns btw?

><CHEEKY'S VEGAN APPLE CHUNK BANANA BREAD><

sad apples about to get a breadover! to keep them as fresh as possible i douse them with lemon juice until i am ready to use them.