Here’s a recipe from Vinny’s stash that I find myself using often. Somehow, we often end up with two or three bananas that have ripened past the point of pleasurable eating. At this point, they are perfect for banana bread.
Absolutely, don’t throw them out. Over-ripe bananas are at their healthiest… full of antioxidants to fight inflammation, plus the usual powerhouse of potassium and other nutrients. This recipe is also packed with fiber and protein to counter the ill effects of the banana’s sugar on your blood stream.
I use coconut palm sugar in my baking, because it has a lower glycemic index. That means it takes longer to be absorbed into the blood stream, thereby lessening the effects of the dastardly “sugar high.”
Coconut oil, with its the best-ever mid-length saturated fats, replaces butter or vegetable oil in this recipe. Its unique type of fat, called lauric acid, is found elsewhere only in mother’s milk. Research shows that lauric acid raises HDL or “good” cholesterol levels, which may lower overall heart disease risk. So let’s get started, whipping up some good health
Vinny’s super moist banana bread
10 slices
- 1/2 cup (60 grams) coconut palm sugar (or use ordinary white sugar whizzed in the food processor until it’s powdery)
- 1/2 cup coconut oil (100 grams)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1.5 teaspoons real vanilla extract
- 8 ounces or so (200 grams) very ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 large ones or 3 medium ones)*
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) ground almonds
- 3/4 cup (100 grams) whole-grain pastry flour (or all-purpose flour if you are in a pinch)
- 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Grease a medium-sized loaf pan and cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the bottom.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the oil and sugar together with the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add the eggs and beat with a hand mixer until the mixture thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
- One at a time add the bananas, yogurt, coconut butter and vanilla, and beat each one in with a hand mixer until smooth.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon and whisk them together briskly until the color is uniform.
- With a slotted spoon, press and lift to fold the dry ingredients into the wet ones, until just mixed.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and put it in the oven on “Bake” for 40-50 minutes or so. The time depends on the moisture level in the bananas and how well you want the bread done. Check often toward the end. When a skewer stuck into the middle comes out clean, the loaf is done.
- Leave to cool in the tin for a few minutes, then slide a knife around the edges and turn the loaf out onto a wire cooling rack.
The bread tastes as sweet and moist as it is healthy. I like to toast the slices when the loaf is over a day or so old, or sometimes I even put a slice into the micro for 10 or 15 seconds. I prefer the bread warm.
*Note: Be sure to use RIPE bananas. The more bananas you use, the moister the bread. Start checking the bread for doneness at 40 minutes for the lesser amount of bananas. Bake up to another 10 minutes or so, if you used a larger amount of bananas. All the rest remains the same.
How healthy are bananas?
In a nutshell, it’s all about the potassium. But there are other surprising benefits to bananas, too. Vinny discusses the benefits of bananas with kids in “Bananas make great skinny monkey cookies.”
And ripe bananas are even better… they are a powerhouse, full of antioxidants to fight disease. What are waiting for!
Nutrition info for each of 10 slices
- Calories 229
- Fat 13 g
- Protein 8 g (estimated, due to no data for Greek yogurt, which has 3 times the protein of regular yogurt)
- Carbohydrates 25 g
- Excellent source of B vitamins (used in generating energy from carbohydrates and the making of blood cells) and fiber (for digestion)
- Good source of iron (for carrying oxygen in the blood) and potassium (for the making of muscle)
Cook Up a Story 