Amazing Banana Bread

I've always loved banana bread. My mom didn't really made it often, but whenever I could manage to sink my teeth into some, it was a real treat. I have a "Fake it, Don't Make it" recipe that I got from my boyfriend's momma, and have worn it plumb out. However, it always bothered me that it was incredibly unhealthy. The main ingredient is a cake mix, for crying out loud, and you add a pudding mix! Beyond that, it's bananas, some eggs, oil, and nuts, so, very easy. (I will send it to anyone who wishes to try it, but on behalf of your blood sugar, I don't recommend it.) I wanted a better recipe. I had some over-ripe bananas. Let's try this.

I adapted a recipe I found online to suit my tastes, fix some percieved flaws, and to try out the applesauce-for-oil substitution for the first time!

1 C whole wheat flour
1-1/4 C oatmeal (more flour could be subbed)
Dash of salt
1 Tsp baking soda
1-1/2 C mashed, ripe bananas
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C honey
2 eggs
1 Tsp vanilla extract
Optional: 1/2 C chopped nuts, and/or 1/2 cup raisins/craisins

Mix dry and wet ingredients (exclusive of nuts or raisins) together separately, then mix together. Fold in nuts and/or raisins (they help with sweetness) if desired. Bake in two greased 5x9 loaf pans at 350 for 30 minutes.

My first impression:

O     M     G.

This stuff smells freakin' amazing.



Peeker Peeking.



I'm really good at being impatient, so here I am doing what I do best. I can't get over how good it smells. First impression on taste: Good. But not very sweet.. Almost like this is how nature intended for banana bread to taste. It's hearty, moist, and delicious. I ended up using some craisins, because that's what I had onhand, and honestly I had the nuts out on the counter, but I forgot to put them in. I also forgot to do the dry and wet separately... so you know, that's not absolutely necessary. Make sure that it (primarily the baking soda) gets mixed throughout, and you're good. One thing that was in the original recipe that I did not, in fact, forget, but did not, in fact, include, is wheat germ. Apparently it's a super food? But the Gladewater Brookshire's didn't (seem to) have it in stock, so my recipe is devoid of it.

If you wanted to spice this up a little, you could probably use some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, or cloves, and god forbid if it's not sweet enough you could add some brown sugar. Either way, it's leaps and bounds healthier than the recipe I had been using! If you cut each little pan into 8 slices (P.S. Use a plastic knife on your precious non-stickware!), here are the nutrition facts (exclusive of any raisins or nuts) for one slice:

Calories 116

Total Fat 1.3g

Sat. Fat 0.3g

Cholest. 26.4mg

Sodium 97.2mg

Carb. 24.2g

Fiber 2.2g

Sugars 11.6g

Protein 2.9g

A parting shot, for good times' sake.