Whoa! Banana Bread
Heyyyy, guys!
I have a treat for you today.
I actually REMEMBERED a delicious recipe I made and TOOK PHOTOS of it so I could share it with you!
And this is one you are going to really love. If you are anything like me (and probably every other human being who has had to go gluten-free/paleo...), sometimes you really miss the foods you used to eat.
To be specific...I just wanna eat BREAD, y'all!
Before going healthier in general, then gluten-free, then paleo, I was a total carbie. And to this day, if I could/didn't care about myself anymore, I would just gorge myself on delicious breads.
So, you can imagine how excited I was when I kind of inadvertently discovered a way to make grain-free, sweetener-free, dairy-free banana bread that really seems just like conventional banana bread, and maybe even better (I can't say for sure, it's been so long since I've had glutenous banana bread...)
But, this stuff is GOOD. I made it for my youngest on her first birthday, and she gobbled it up! The whole family loves it.
Unlike most paleo breads seem to be, this bread actually holds up. As you can see in the photo, I was able to REMOVE the whole loaf from the bread pan without it crumbling to bits! It's wonderfully moist, but still definitely feels "bread-y", not custard-y like a lot of paleo breads do.
I was using the first paleo banana bread recipe that comes up on Google, as I had done many times, but I usually used peanut butter in it. However, I was making it for my littlest to eat too, so I didn't want to put peanuts in it. I have subbed avocado for the peanut butter successfully in the past, but I didn't have any of that either!
So I thought...maybe...coconut butter?? I was worried it'd make the bread super coconut-y tasting and yucky, but I didn't really have any other options, so I went for it.
I actually made my own coconut butter because all I had was coconut (which was super easy to do in my Vitamix, by the way).
I also realized, after I put it in the oven, that not only had I not had as many bananas as the recipe called for, but I forgot to put in any maple syrup to sweeten it, too! Surely, this was going to be gross - un-sweet, un-banana-y, coconut-y banana bread. Ew.
Much to my delight, when I cut into it, the texture was way better than it typically is when I make that recipe. And when I tasted it...it had this amazing, buttery taste somehow, even though it had no dairy.
It was perfect! An accidental discovery, but a very happy one.
If you like banana bread, even if you can eat gluten, you should try this recipe. It's packed with good fats and protein, and is low carb. A much better option than conventional banana bread, and you don't sacrifice any of the good stuff!
We've been enjoying it as a nice alternative to just eating eggs for breakfast every morning...mmmmm!
Whoa! Banana Bread
Ingredients:
3 bananas, ripe
4 eggs
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup coconut butter (make your own by blending unsweetened coconut flakes on high in your Vitamix until it becomes smooth. Add a bit of melted coconut oil to help make it smooth.)
4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of sea salt
(optional: chocolate chips or chunks or whatever yummy add-ins you'd like!)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, smash 2 of the bananas by hand. Set aside. (This helps keep the texture of the bread more like traditional banana bread!)
In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 remaining banana, eggs, coconut flour, coconut butter, coconut oil, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla, and sea salt. Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth. (Or, you can throw everything into your high-speed blender or food processor.)
Add mashed bananas (and add-ins, if using) and stir in by hand.
Pour into a greased bread pan.
Bake at 350 for about 44 minutes. Bread should be set inside, but still very moist when you take it out of the oven, as it will continue to bake for a while after you take it out.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes if you want to enjoy it warm, or cool all the way if you want it to be the most sturdy.
Chow down! Try to share ;-)
If you make this, let me know how you like it! It's a new go-to recipe for me, as it is super easy, healthy, and delicious, and ok for my baby to eat (major bonus points!). I hope you love it as much as we do!
