Banana Bread - More Awesome Version!

I have been making banana bread the same way for the past couple of years and I really like it, but my husband is not a huge fan. He says he likes banana bread, and then I make it, and I'm the only one that eats it. It's totally annoying. So, last week I tried a new recipe and it is AMAZING!! I liked the old recipe a lot, but we really loved the new recipe. And, I'm not the only one that eats it. In fact, I was lucky to get a slice! The new recipe is from the following link and I only modified it a little bit.

Frozen Banana Nut Snacks

I don't know about your house, but in my house, husband and boy spend lots of time looking for snacks in the evenings and weekends. It is much easier to fight this battle with nutritious snacks on hand. I am happy to point them to these frozen treats, which are very easy to make and very tasty as well. We always have a bag in our freezer. If you make them small enough, they are bite-sized and quite handy even without toothpicks.

 

Fruit Salad Dessert

1/2 pineapple, cut in chunks
1 gala apple (or any other sweet apple)
2-3 oranges, peeled and cut from sections & membranes
1 banana cut in half lengthwise and then sliced at an angle
2 T cream sherry
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Combine all fruit together in a medium sized bowl, drizzle with sherry.

Comments: You can toast the almonds and coconut flakes (on a cookie sheet for ten minutes) for added flavor, but it is very good without that step. It saves well in the refrigerator for about 1 day max. This is really delicious, light and refreshing and tastes a little like a pina colada. Really perfect for the summer.

Banana Bread

1/2 cup 1% milk (or other unsweetened milk alternative)
2 T ground flaxseed
1 1/2 cups spelt flour (see comments below**)
1/2 cup almond flour
1 heaping t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or olive, or coconut)
1/2 to 1 T honey
1 heaping t of vanilla extract
3 to 4 very ripe bananas (about 1 1/2 to 2 cups mashed)
1/2 cup dried nuts or dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 9x5 baking pan (I used olive oil). In a large mixing bowl combine milk and flaxseed and set aside. In a medium bowl combine flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt and set aside. Blend vanilla, honey, oil, and bananas into the milk & flax mixture until combined well. Stir in dry ingredients but don't over mix. Add nuts or fruit if using. Spread batter in greased pan and bake about 40 - 45 minutes until browned. Let cook in pan for 10 or 15 minutes.

** Regarding the flours used, I made another loaf this morning only I substituted 1/2 cup quinoa flour for 1/2 cup of the spelt flour and I did not notice any difference in flavor. I think next time I will try more quinoa flour for the spelt (moving toward gluten-free), although quinoa does have a stronger flavor so I should urge caution. However, I do encourage you to try your own flour substitutions and if you find any combinations that are very good, please share your results with me.


About 10 minute prep time yielded a very tasty banana bread. I used pecans in mine. This was a really delicious banana bread. Mine took 45 minutes to cook until done, but you might start checking prior to that because it seemed like a long time to cook. I inserted a knife into the middle starting about 35 minutes and if definitely had a ways to go.

Rye Toast with Nut Butter & Bananas

1 slice rye toast (make sure the rye toast does not have any added sugar)
1 small banana
nut butter (almond, hazlenut, macademia nut, etc.)

Toast the rye bread in the toaster, spread nut butter on top, and finish off with sliced bananas.

Comments:
Be sure to use rye bread with no added sugar. I can find this bread only at the health food store where I currently live (a small, rural town), but I formerly lived in the Kansas City and Washington, DC areas and this bread was available at my regular grocery store. I currently buy several loafs when I go to the health food store and freeze until needed. You can certainly substitute another whole grain, no sugar bread (Ezekial brand has many options, and my regular grocery store carries them) but I prefer the denseness and flavor of the rye bread for this recipe. Also, be sure that the nut butter you use does not have any added sugars, as many do. My favorite for this breakfast is creamy almond butter, which is available at my regular grocery store.

I really love this rye bread, even toasted and plain. This is a great, super fast breakfast.