Grain-free Banana Bread

• This recipe came from Beyond Diet, which I found on Facebook and promptly "liked" in order to procure a recipe for black bean brownies. If you scroll back through my posts, you will find that recipe somewhere. Although I am not a huge fan of the whole category of "paleo treats" or baked goods which have been transformed to include no grains or white sugar, this one looked like it might be worth a try. For one thing, it has absolutely NO added sugar! No honey, no maple syrup, no artificial sweetener. The only sweetness comes from the bananas. It uses ground almonds and unsweetened coconut, which are both sources of very healthy fats. The amount of cinnamon scared me a little, so I used about half, which seemed like a lot for one loaf. And I omitted the walnuts as a cup and a quarter of almond meal seemed like enough nuts.  I doubled the amount of coconut, just because I felt like it! If you want to see the original version, check out www.beyonddiet.com.

Protein-packed Banana Bread 

• Prep Time: 10 min
• Cook Time: 40 min
• Servings: 10

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup almond meal/almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
 2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional!)
3 small ripe bananas (or 2 large)
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1) Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a loaf pan with coconut oil. Line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper, and grease the top of the paper, too.
2) In one bowl, combine the dry ingredients (almond meal, coconut, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and walnuts).
3) In another bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the other liquid ingredients (eggs and vanilla).
4) In the larger bowl, combine everything. Mix until there are no lumps. Pour into the prepared pan.
5) Bake for 30 - 40 minutes.
6) Cool 5 minutes in the pan. Remove loaf from the pan and allow to cool completely before slicing.


Makes 10 servings, one slice per serving. Perfect for a snack!

I have to say, the flavor and texture of this banana bread is excellent. It is quite moist, but not at all gooey. It has a delicate sweetness that tastes natural, like a piece of fruit. After testing it out, I might even add more cinnamon next time as the original recipe called for 4 teaspoons. I am guessing you will love this! Let me know if you give it a try and how the results turn out!