My Infamous Vegan, Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Banana Bread
When I worked as a lawyer, having a healthy breakfast in the morning could be a bit of a challenge. I used to have to be at work early and I was usually not hungry enough to have a complete breakfast at home before leaving. This is what motivated me to start testing recipes for healthy, on-the-go breakfasts that I could bring with me and eat at the office whenever I did get hungry. After a few trials and errors, this banana bread recipe became my very favorite and it has become a breakfast staple for me for the past couple years. It is so tasty, satisfying and... SO HEALTHY!
It is vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free - and full of fibre and healthy fats. The 99% chocolate is also packed with antioxidants and magnesium.
And the best news is, it's so easy to make. You can make it the night before and enjoy a delicious, dessert-tasting breakfast in the morning - is there anything better?! Trust me, this Banana Bread will make any week-day morning more enjoyable.
A few tips before you get started:
For the ground flax seeds, I recommend that you buy entire flax seeds and grind them yourself in a high-speed blender. Usually, the pre-ground flaxseeds aren't ground finely enough for this recipe, plus grinding them yourself helps to preserve more of the nutritional value of the flax seeds.
For the ground gluten-free oats, you can also buy normal oats and grind them into a flour yourself.
My favorite nut butters for this recipe are sugar-free cashew butter, almond butter or tahini.
The chocolate is optional. Sometimes, if I'll have the Banana Bread for breakfast, I prefer it without chocolate. It is just as delicious without it! Up to you to decide if you want it with or without it :)
WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
- 3 ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup sugar-free nut butter of choice
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds
- 1 cup ground gluten-free oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch of cinnamon
- 50g 99% cacao chocolate
- A handful of walnuts
WHAT YOU DO:
Preheat your oven to 185°c
Add the ground flax seeds into a small bowl and a little bit of water to create a paste. Usually, it's about 3 tbsps of water. Mix well and let sit while you make the rest of the recipe.
In a big bowl, mash the bananas. Add the nut butter to the banana mash and mix well.
Add the ground oats to a separate big bowl. Add the cinnamon to the bowl of oats, along with the baking powder. Mix well.
Add your flax seeds & water mixture to the bananas & nut butter bowl. Mix well.
Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.
Chop up the 99% chocolate and add to the banana bread batter.
Pour the batter into a rectangular cake pan, add a handful of walnuts on top and place it into the oven.
Cook for 35mn, or until nice and golden on top. Once out of the oven, let it cool for at least 5mn before you eat it (the hardest part!).
I love to have my banana bread with some thawed frozen berries and greek yoghurt.
And that's it! a healthy, satisfying, delicious breakfast that you can bring with you on the go. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
