Thursday, August 08, 2013

Easy, Yummy, Vegan Banana Bread


Hello!!! I've been gone for so, so very long! This poor blog gets no attention from me. And, admittedly, will probably remain slighted, but I do want to post this tasty recipe for a particular friend Julie who is requesting it (and others who most certainly should have this in their repertoire of easy, healthy, and delicious).

This recipe is a conglomeration of several over the years, with numerous personal tweaks. It's been long enough and altered enough that I have no idea where the "original" even came from. My hope was for this bread to end up dairy-free and lower in sugar than most banana breads, while still moist and satisfying. It finally meets the mark! Track down some spotted bananas and enjoy. :)

Of note, my favorite variation is to mix in mini chocolate chips and toasted walnuts--The best. Personal opinion.

(I also apologize that the provided photo gives you almost zero indication of what this bread looks like. Come to think of it, this one was back in my archive and might not even be the same loaf…Hm. Let's just go with it.)

yields one loaf

ingredients:
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup brown sugar*
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 T almond milk
2 T applesauce
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 bananas, overripe and mashed well
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
a few shakes of ground cinnamon, optional
turbinado sugar to top, optional but recommended

directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Cut parchment paper to fit across wide ends of 8" loaf pan. Grease over paper and along all sides.
3. In large bowl, combine oil, sugar, nectar, vanilla, milk, and applesauce. Blend well.
4. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir until just combined. 
5. Stir in bananas and mix-ins. 
6. Fill prepared pan, sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar and bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean in center of bread. 

*I'll try omitting this bit the next go around to see if it's still as tasty without.