Second in an ongoing series on cooking healthy meals while home sheltering during the novel coronavirus outbreak.
With restaurants shut down and people home-sheltering, there has never been a better time to cook. The other consideration is that good health is the best defense at any time, but particularly with the news continuing to report that most severe cases of COVID-19 are visited upon the already ill and sadly, the elderly. With all this in mind, I offer my tried and true healthy recipes with which to make what could be idle hours into your own delicious defense mechanism.
Jason and Shaun’s Freedom Banana Bread
This recipe was developed out of much trial and error from a “gluten free” banana bread recipe that my son Jason found.
The original called for honey and other ingredients that I don’t eat, like eggs.
So, here, after more than a year of delicious testing, is a recipe I am comfortable presenting for others to attempt. I do warn you that it can come out more like a bread pudding sometimes, but we loved it and gobbled it up anyway.
Gluten, Sugar Egg-Free Banana Bread Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 65 minutes approximately
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients:
– 1 TBS finely ground flax seed
– 3 TBS water
– 3 medium overly ripe bananas, mashed
– 1 apple finely chopped or grated
– 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
– 2 teaspoons baking powder
– 2¼ cups almond flour, or any other flour will work. But do try for gluten free
– ½ teaspoon sea salt
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
– ½ Cup Hunza raisins – or any raisins, but golden raisins are preferable, but can be made without
– ½ Cup chopped pecans – or other nuts, or no nuts. Pecans add to the sweetness
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Set social distance at a minimum of 6 feet
Grease (I use coconut butter) and lightly flour (with non-gluten flour) a standard loaf pan and set aside.
In a bowl, mix:, banana, apple, ground flax, water raisins and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, combine almond flour, baking soda, sea salt, cinnamon and chopped pecans.
Combine both mixtures and stir until well incorporated.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes. (It may take longer, so check doneness in center at 50 minutes to see if it springs back when pushed on)
This delicious loaf will not rise like other breads; but it will also not contribute to your underlying conditions.