Low Fat Banana Bread – My EASY Plant Based Recipe

Who doesn’t love a love a slice of freshly cooked, warm banana bread? Or, any other healthy plant based dessert for that matter?

But, the humble banana cake can be a thing of beauty when put together with the right spices, creating that comforting aroma in your kitchen – the heart of your house.

And why should you miss out on comfort food just because you are dieting or watching your calorie intake? This delicious, low fat banana bread recipe still hits the spot, even though it can be made without oils, butters or margarines of any kind. Trust us, it does not need it!

The clever use of spices can make up for lack of fats in food, even to the point that you don’t even notice they’re missing.

This banana bread is just as filling and satiating as any high fat version, especially when served with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

The great thing about this healthy banana bread recipe is that you can amend it however you like. This particular recipe is made with dark chocolate chips and walnuts, but you can use any add-ins that you prefer.

The perfect textured banana bread

If you like crunchy textures in your banana bread, then you should add in a 1/2 cup of one of the following ingredients (sometimes these are best for a sprinkling on top, as the oven roasts them, thus giving them a unique taste and crunchiness).

Be aware though that adding too many nuts and seeds will up the fat content, so steer clear of them completely if you wish this recipe to be mostly fat free. However, it’s worth noting that as the fats are in their ‘whole‘ and natural form, then this is healthier than a refined fat and also suitable for a whole plant foods eating plan.

• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• Chopped pecans
• Chopped hazelnuts
• Chopped almonds
• Chopped walnuts

You should also add roughly 3/4 of a cup of one of more of the following for extra sweetness and other health benefits:-

• Sultanas
• Raisins
• Currants
• Dried chopped dates
• Chopped dried figs
• Chopped dark chocolate (but only about 50 grams)
• 1 X cup of fresh blueberries
• Freeze dried raspberries

High Protein

The thing I love about this banana bread is the fact that it is pretty high protein due to the wholewheat and buckwheat flour (and also the extra nuts and seeds if using). As it does contain a fair amount of protein, it means it’s good enough to make a slice for breakfast a sustaining and healthy choice.

It’s also pretty high on the fiber front too due to the flax seeds, bananas and whole meal flours, so it’s a low GI, filling start to the day.

I eat mine for breakfast with a side helping of mixed fruit and it fills me up for hours. Also, use it as substantial mid-afternoon, pick-me-up instead of junk foods or more sugary snacks.

How To Make Low Fat Banana Bread

INGREDIENTS

• 2 x tablespoons of ground flax mixed with 5 x tablespoons of water. Mix the two together to make a flax egg. Leave to stand for at least 10 minutes until it goes gloopy (like an egg).
• 2 x large or 3 x small very ripe mashed bananas (the riper the banana, the better as it will add more sweetness and a stronger banana taste to the cake).
• 2/3 of a cup of brown sugar (or alternatively for a lower sugar version 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and a couple of teaspoons of xylitol sweetener.
• 1/2 a cup of apple sauce (you can make this easily by stewing chopped up Bramley apples in a little water for a couple of minutes in a saucepan. Then simple mash to a pulp. You will probably need roughly half a medium apple to make 1/2 of a cup of sauce).
• 1 x cup of buckwheat flour
• 1 x cup of wholewheat flour
• 1/4 of a cup of nut milk, any kind
• 1 x tsp of baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Spices of your choice; either 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, or 1 teaspoon of mixed spice. OR a mix of all of them.
• Other added ingredients of your choice (see list above), but for the sake of this recipe we will be using 50 grams of chopped up dark chocolate, and 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts as a topping.

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 350 F or 180 celsius.
2. Prepare your flax egg in a small bowl and leave aside whilst you prepare the rest of your ingredients.
3. In a bigger bowl, mash your bananas well and mix with your pre-prepared apple sauce.
4. Add your sugar, milk substitute and flax egg and mix well.
5. Add your flours, baking powder, dark chocolate chips or chunks salt and spices of your choice and mix gently to combine. DO NOT over mix, you want to keep some air in there.
6. Add the mix to your prepared loaf tin (or cake tin if you would like a round cake). I always use a tin either lined in tin foil or parchment paper to prevent sticking (parchment paper is your best option, and should ideally be greased slightly so it comes away from the bread easily after cooking). This is especially important with fat free bakes, as there will be no oils helping to prevent sticking.
7. Scatter your chopped up walnuts over the top and press in slightly with a spoon so they don’t instantly fall off once your loaf is cooked.
8. Place in your pre-heated oven and cook for roughly 50-60 mins depending on the size of the tin you have used. If it is a pretty small, deep tin the the loaf may take longer to cook, but your average bread tin will be about 50 minutes. Prick deeply with a sharp knife or cocktail stick to check if it’s done; but only do this towards the end of your cooking time as you don’t want to lose all your hard earned rise. The knife, or stick should come out clean.
9. Take out of tin and leave to cool slightly on a wire rack before attempting to remove you tin foil or parchment paper, otherwise you will get burned fingers.
10. Either eat warm, or leave to cool; slice only when needed and enjoy with a cuppa!
11. Store wrapped in tin foil in an airtight container (I like to store mine in the fridge as I love it cold).

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