05 Feb Gluten Free Banana Bread

One of my little treats on a weekend is a tasty piece of banana bread with a good cup of coffee. There is something magical and comforting about banana bread served lightly warm and toasted.  It’s yummy on it’s own or topped with a little ricotta + honey.

Bananas are a terrific energy food and a great source of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.They add moisture and sweetness to baked goods, which means you can reduce the amount of sweetener and oil considerably.  Almonds are packed full of protein + heart healthy  fats that  are kind to your arteries and can help lower cholesterol as well as keep blood sugars stable. This makes a nice change from typical store bought and cafe style banana breads that are generally high in refined white flour, sugar and butter. I love using either  madacamia nut oil or a good cold pressed light olive oil when baking.  They are both a delicious source of monounsaturated fats which is great for heart health.

Makes 1 loaf

• 300 g smashed ripe banana
• 3 free range / organic eggs
• 60 g honey or organic maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 60 g cold pressed olive oil or macadamia nut oil
• half teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2  tsp baking soda ( bicarb soda) + 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 200 g ( 2 cups ) almond meal
• 25 g (1/4 cup)  ground flaxseed (linseed)

Preheat your oven to 160 C.

Combine smashed banana, honey, oil, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, bicarb and lemon. ( the lemon activates the bicarb). I normally do this step
in my trusty vitamix and blend up all the base ingredients like a smoothie, then pour into a mixing bowl to finish off the banana bread batter.
Add the almond meal and flaxseed and mix well.
Lightly oil one loaf tin and then coat liberally with extra almond meal – this will prevent the cake from sticking.
Spoon batter into the tin and bake for  45  minutes to 1 hour ( a skewer inserted into the centre should come out dry).
Cover the top with foil if over-browning.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before turning out the loaf.
Makes 1 loaf serves 12.
Serve warm or at room temperature by itself or with a little ricotta and honey.
keeps in the fridge, covered for up to 1 week.

NOTES: Sometimes I love to decorate the top of my banana bread before baking with a handful of chopped walnuts and a lightly sprinkle of cinnamon that forms a delicious and crunchy streusel topping after it’s baked.
 

• Protein: 6.1 g
• Carbs: 10g
• Total Fat: 15 g
• Saturated: 1.7 g
• Kilojoules: 828
• Calories: 193