Tag: gluten free banana bread

Apple & Cherry Bread {vg, gf, lf}

Published on by nathaliejasmin20192 Comments

Update: I have updated and veganised this recipe which is now even more delicious and completely vegan! I hope you enjoy it!

I love healthy and satisfying treat that are a cinch to make, especially since having a toddler, and this delicious, fudgy and moist apple & cherry bread just fits the bill. It’s so good that I just had to share it with you! My husband and kid love it, and it’s vegan, dairy free, egg free, gluten free, soy free and low in fat.

This crossover between a cake and bread can be done with whatever fruit you like/have available, and you could even include nuts in it (which wouldn’t make it lowfat but nonetheless delicious). It is very addictive, comes in handy as a quick snack or breakfast on the go, is very kid friendly, not overly sweet and still super yummy, and it’s a great companion with your afternoon cuppa – in short, go baking now!

The base is actually porridge – yes, oats soaked in water! So if you ever find yourself with leftover porridge, here is a great way to make us of it! No need to first mix the dry ingredients and then the wet – just throw everything together. Doesn’t get easier than that!

Apple & Cherry Bread
Apple & Cherry Bread

Apple and Cherry Bread {vg, gf, lf}

Makes 1 loaf/12-15 slices

1 cup almond milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup quick oats, soaked in cup water (porridge)
1 cup gluten free all-purpose flour
half cup brown rice flour
1/3 cup coconut sugar or raw sugar
1 tbsp gluten free baking powder
half a cup unsweetened apple sauce
dash of vanilla extract
2 apples, cubed, or other fruit
2 handfuls of frozen cherries or other fruit

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Line a loaf tin with baking paper (if using a silicone mold, you don’t need to line it). Pour the almond milk into a large mixing bowl, add the vinegar and set aside to let it react for a couple of minutes. Add the porridge, flours, sugar, baking powder, apple sauce and vanilla and mix until you achieve a homogenic consistency. Carefully fold in the fruit.

Pour the dough into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the bread passes the “toothpick” test. Turn off the heat and let the bread cool in the oven to firm it up. Once the tin is no longer hot to the touch, take out the bread and let cool completely. Serve as slices and store at room temperature, wrapped in aluminium foil.

Enjoy!

Banana Flour Chocolate Chip Muffins {gf, vg, nut free}

Published on by nathaliejasmin20192 Comments
Banana Flour - a healthy replacement for wheat flour
Banana Flour – a healthy replacement for wheat flour

What do you think if someone -who is absolutely NOT into health foods- can’t stop eating something that is healthy(ish)? I think that’s pretty cool! Let’s face it, most “healthified” or “alternative” baked goods – be they gluten free, paleo, vegan, sugar free, or whatever, taste great to the health-conscious palate, but they are not always crowd-pleasers. I was all the more excited when I came up with this recipe for banana chocolate muffins – muffins that you could serve at a school fête, bribe your junk food addicted teenager or impress your in-laws with without worrying that they might taste “healthy”. All this is possible using one of the latest additions to the gluten free flour realm: banana flour!

I was intrigued by the claim that you can completely replace wheat flour with banana flour by using 25% less, which should enable you to convert pretty much any recipe using what flour without experimenting with 8+ different flours and starches as you normally do in gluten free baking, which is just too good to be true! I got my banana flour from here. Yes, it is pricey, but if you have a few dollars to spend, it is a worthwhile investment as…it really DOES replace wheat flour! I did not use any other flour or starch for these muffins, and the texture was just like normal wheat muffins! It does taste like banana though, so I would not use it for savoury baking, but rather for goodies that are enhanced by a very subtle banana flavour, such as banana bread (for obvious reasons), pancakes, carrot cakes, and, yup, these delicious muffins!

You can even use banana flour as a healthy “thickener” in your favourite smoothie! Either way, banana flour is super-rich in resistant starch, which is a “good” starch (yes, that’s right! Not all starch is created equal!) as it enhances your gut flora, which is absolutely essential for your wellbeing, keeps you full without the bloat you get from flax and fiber, and stabilises your blood sugar, so that you can enjoy banana chocolate muffins without the carb-induced delirium that might otherwise come with a muffin. So again, baking with banana flour is healthy, easy, and yummy, just as I like it.

Makes 12 muffins

1 egg replacer or “flax egg” (1 flax egg = 1 tbsp milled flaxseed dissolved in 4 tbsp water)
90g coconut sugar
100g melted organic coconut oil
200g lite BPA-free coconut cream
210g banana flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
1 1/2 tsp aluminium-free baking soda
150g dark chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips) – the best quality you can find

Preheat oven to 180 °C. Mix egg, sugar, cream, and oil in one bowl, and flour, cinnamon and soda in another. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared muffin tray and bake for 20 mins. Let the muffins cool down and remove from pan once cooled. Will last several days at room temperature and even longer in the fridge.

Enjoy!