Tuesday, March 24, 2009

A Healthy Coco-nutty Banana Bread Recipe!!!

Hello everyone!

So as promised I'm going to post the recipe for the banana bread I made this Sunday but first lets cover off what I ate. To be honest it wasn't much. I was sick the night before and seriously weak on Sunday so I nibbled on some fruits for most of the day.

Then for dinner I made this:


A fillet of wild Pacific salmon with a balsamic reduction, a small amount of whole wheat pasta, and the star of the meal - spicy garlic kale! To make the kale I first boiled it until soft. Next I heated a small amount of olive oil in a pan, added finely chopped garlic and allowed it to infuse the oil. Then came the kale. Sautee all together and add some red pepper flakes to taste. Season with salt and pepper and voila! :o) My personal favourite is to cook broccolini this way!

But really we all know you're here for the banana bread - and here it is!


A Healthy Coco-nutty Banana Bread Recipe


I adapted this recipe from the banana bread recipe found in Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook; Here is my version . . .

3 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
a pinch of salt
3 large free-range eggs
1 cup of raw cane sugar - preferably fair trade (turbinado would work well too)
1 cup of unsweetened apple sauce
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
3 large ripe mashed bananas
1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup of blanched almond slivers (or any nut of your choosing)
1/2 cup of unsweetened Almond Breeze
Nonstick cooking spray

1 - Preheat your oven to 350F

2 - Coat two loaf pans with cooking spray

3 - Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl

4 - Using a whisk mix the eggs, sugar, and apple sauce until just combined

5 - Add flour mixture to the eggs/sugar/apple sauce

6 - Add the vanilla, bananas, coconut, nuts, and Almond Breeze - whisk until combined

7 - Divide batter evenly

8 - Bake for approximately 50-55 minute or until tester inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean

And the results!?!? WOW!!! Seriously I was beyond impressed. I more than cut the sugar in half. And it didn't have a drop of oil. I was expecting it to be potentially dry or bland. Not at all!!!

This Healthy Coco-nutty Banana Bread is a complete winner!!! Give it a try bloggies - you won't be sorry!!!!

13 comments:

Marianne (frenchfriestoflaxseeds) said...

Salmon and the recipe - nice! When I get me a working oven again, I'm going to need to do some baking.

Run Sarah said...

That looks yummy- I love the idea of adding coconut to banana bread for extra flavour.

Krista said...

What a great recipe! I printing that so I can make it when I find me some ripe naners!!

A Toronto girl out West said...

Krista,

This one is a serious winner!! And I hear you about the whole ripe banana thing. They're hard to come by in my house! lol

Marianne,

Your coconut loving self will love this!

Run Sarah,

Yeah it turned out really well. Lovely texture too!

Sharon said...

OOOOOHhh, thanks for sharing the recipe!!!

Julie said...

that recipe looks so delish! but more importantly is your ring is FABULOUS!! Congrats I'm soooo excited and happy for you!!

A Toronto girl out West said...

Julie,

:oD Thank-you so much! I love that you're so excited for me!

The show of support from the bloggie world has been an added bonus in all of this!!! :oD

Unknown said...

Thanks for the recipe! I can't wait to try it!
Diana
http://strawberryshortstuff.com

A Toronto girl out West said...

Diana,

You're welcome! :o) Enjoy!!

Vava said...

Great blog and congratulations on the engagement!

DreamTNM said...

Great recipe Can't wait to try both banana bread and the kale! I actually never made salmon and the pic you posted looked Delicious, how did you make your salmon?? ;)

A Toronto girl out West said...

Vava,

Thank-you very much for the lovely compliment AND the well wishes! I'll have to make sure to check out your blog!

I hope you'll become a regular! :o)


Dreams 2009:

I baked mine but you could easily cook it on the stove top. Becareful you don't overcook salmon - you want it to get to the point when it flakes.

As for the reduction I simmered good quality balsamic vinegar until it reached a syrupy consistency. Then I spooned it on top of the baked salmon that I had seasoned with salt, pepper, and oregano.

Probably my favourite way to cook it though (and great for when you're in a hurry) is just to smear some pesto on top and throw it in the oven. I think I usually heat the oven to about 375F and it doesn't take long at all. I'll make sure to post a proper cooking method in the future! :o)

That Pink Girl said...

Your ring is gorgeous! Yah for you and good work by him!!!