Last summer I used Gail’s basic banana bread recipe a few times, jazzing it up with spices, walnuts, and vanilla, and now I figure it’s easy enough to veganize. At the last minute I added a couple pears, hoping this bread would recapture some of the divine deliciousness of those banana pear muffins (edit: the recipe doesn’t seem to be online anymore, unfortunately. I’d originally found it here). Not quite as divine, but still really tasty (and very moist).

3 or 4 mashed super-ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 pears (peeled, cored, and diced)
2 cups flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) Earth Balance vegan butter (melted)
1 cup raw sugar (can reduce to 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup canola oil
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1+ tsp. each of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, or use pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350º.  Mix the butter, oil, bananas, and pears, stir in the sugar and vanilla, and then add the dry ingredients.  Pour into a greased 4 by 8″ loaf pan and bake for one hour (or until fork, knife, or toothpick comes out clean).