One of the first words uttered by all three of my kiddies has been “nanna,” baby-speak for banana. I don’t know if it’s because this is a staple baby food in our home, it’s easy to say, or they really like bananas so they learn that word first.
We like (understatement) bananas. We typically go through 20 pounds a week. They go in our morning shake and are the perfect portable snack–filling, energy giving (thanks to their high carbohydrate content), and sweet. Guests to our home often ask, “You guys like bananas, don’t you?” or my favorite, “Are those really all your bananas?”
I recently bought 40 lbs. (hey, they were on sale! 3 lbs/$1). We didn’t quite make it through the batch before they turned into this:
No offense bananas, but I don’t like to eat you when you’re all brown and spotty. But good news! When you get to this point, you are perfect for THIS:
Moist, spongy, sweet, banana bread.
Here’s how to make ridiculously delicious, lowfat, vegan banana bread:
Sift dry ingredients.
Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
Then combine.
Put in glass loaf pans. Bake.
Take out of the oven and cool. Slice.
Eat with joy.
Here’s the recipe.
This recipe is a somewhat altered version of that found in the Wellness Forum’s Big & Easy Cookbook (one of faves).
Vegan Banana Nanna Bread
SF, OF
Makes 1 loaf
The bananas and applesauce add so much sweetness, I didn’t feel it necessary to do 1 c. of sucanat, which is what the original recipe suggested. I used 1/2 TBS. green leaf stevia powder, which adds sweetness but no calories and is considered whole food (unlike Splenda).
I used a combo of flours here. Amaranth is high-protein, very nutritious grain that has a slightly nutty flavor. I like adding this into different recipes to change things up a bit and add some extra nutrition. I know it’s a bit exotic for some (I order mine from Azure Standard), so use wheat flour if you don’t have this.
I ground the wheat and amaranth in my Blendtec to make the flours. If you don’t have a high-powered blender to make or own flour and/or if you don’t have amaranth, just use plain ol‘ wheat flour in place of this. Whole-wheat pastry flour is different from wheat flour. It’s lighter and keeps the bread from being densely brick-like. Therefore, don’t replace this with wheat flour. If you don’t have it, use tapioca flour or white flour.
This banana bread is better than cake. Very moist and filling (due to all that fiber!). Yummy, addictive, and best of all, guilt-free.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 c. sucanat
- 1/2 TBS. green leaf stevia (or 1/2 c. of sucanat)
- 3/4 c. whole wheat
- 1/4 c. amaranth flour
- 2 TBS. tapioca flour or cornstarch
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 c. applesauce
- 1 c. mashed ripe bananas
- 1/2 c. chopped walnuts
To make: Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly coat glass pan (I used olive oil, I’m trying to stay away from Pam). Sift dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine. Pour into loaf pan and top with walnuts. Bake for 70-75 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
No offense bananas, but I don’t like to eat you when you’re all brown and spotty. But good news! When you get to this point, you are perfect for THIS:
Moist, spongy, sweet, banana bread. 
Then combine.
Put in glass loaf pans. 
Take out of the oven and cool. 
Here’s the recipe. 
Comments