Fat-free vegan banana bread recipe

June 19, 9:58 PMDenver Vegan ExaminerSara Jelley

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Borrowing the no-substitute idea from another banana bread recipe found online, I tweaked one of my all-time favorite treats to be a bit more healthy and quirky. Mashed bananas are often used in place of eggs in vegan baking, so in making vegan banana bread you just have to use more bananas! This recipe requires no fancy vegan “alternatives” to dairy or eggs, as it is just the basics. With the quite reasonable price of both organic and non-organic bananas lately, it is so easy to buy an extra bunch and combine with regular household ingredients to make this amazing addition to any tea party or potluck.

 Fat-free Vegan Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 5-6 ripe (spotted brown) bananas
• ½ cup (vegan) sugar or less than ½ cup agave nectar *
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½- 2 cups (whole wheat) flour**
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• 2-3 tsp cinnamon***
• ¼ cup dried cranberries, raisins, papaya and/or pineapple
• ¼ cup dark, semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (past 70% is often alright, but check the ingredients for dairy) *These may add fat to the recipe.
• ¼ cup slivered almonds or chopped walnuts (optional) *These may also add a slight amount of fat to the recipe.

Directions:

Heat oven to 350º.  Mash the bananas in a large sized bowl, one that will hold all ingredients. Stir in sugar or agave nectar and vanilla extract.

Make sure the bananas are not still chunky; rather they should turn into a smooth liquid mixture. Add water.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon. Mix well, and slowly add to the wet mixture, just enough to be thoroughly wet. Do not over-mix.

Mix in desired amount of dried fruit, chocolate chips and nuts.Pour into slightly oiled loaf pan and bake for about one hour. Test middle with fork or toothpick to ensure solid texture on the inside.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes, and enjoy with coffee, tea, or anytime!

Notes: *Any sugar can be used if you are not picky about how the sugar is refined, as some is refined with animal bone char. This is reduced from the original 1 cup because I found that it was too sweet for my tastes. Also, for high-altitude cooking, the decrease in sugar may help.
**All-purpose flour may be used, but whole wheat will give you more natural-tasting bread with healthier results. For stickier, more cake-like banana bread and in high-altitudes, use slightly less flour.
***This is my personal preference: if you don’t love cinnamon like I do, you can reduce this amount to 1 tsp.