Recipes / Desserts

Healthy Banana Blueberry Bread

Recipe/Image by Jaymi Heimbuch of Mother Nature Network

Okay, so the word “healthy” for this recipe is a tiny bit of a stretch. But this is indeed the healthiest recipe I’ve ever tried for a banana bread, and it still tastes as decadent as something with sugar and dairy in it. But this has zero refined sugar, zero dairy, and zero oils — and, if you wanted, this could be made with gluten-free flour as well. So it’s just about as guilt-free as you can possibly get for a sweet bread.

It is also about as easy as you can possibly get too. This recipe is adapted from FatFree Vegan Kitchen.

Ingredients

  • 3 large over-ripe bananas
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup of your choice of soymilk, almond milk, or apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar
  • 2 cups whole wheat flour (or 1 1/2 cups cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend)
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 cups blueberries

Directions

Note: This part of the recipe is flexible. I love my bread packed with blueberries. If you like your berries in moderation, use 1 cup of berries. You can also add in 1/2 to 1 cup of your favourite unsalted, raw, coarsely chopped nuts.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Coat a 9x5 inch loaf pan with a light layer of cooking oil.
  2. If using soy or almond milk, add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to it and let it stand until it curdles, about 1 minute. Skip this step if using apple sauce.
  3. In a large bowl, mash up the bananas until smooth. Add lemon juice, the curdled milk substitute or apple sauce, and agave nectar. Stir to combine.
  4. In another bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir until combined and everything is moistened.
  6. Toss in your blueberries and gently stir until evenly mixed.
  7. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely in the pan before transferring to a plate.

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