It has been several years since I’ve eaten foods in the Standard American Diet (SAD), but I never tire from creating new dishes that are easy and tasty but are also healthier alternatives.  For those of you who can relate, you probably have noticed that your palate has changed as your diet has changed. I tell clients this all the time, but they never believe me… until they go through it themselves. The trick when cooking and baking is to find a dish that not only tastes good to you, but to those who still eat the SAD. After all, you do want your family and friends (including SAD taste buds) to enjoy what you prepared.

This, my friends, is one of those recipes.

It takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 1 hour to cook. Not bad, right? The hardest part is remembering to buy the bananas in advance. I’ve found that the quality of the banana bread depends largely on how ripe the bananas are at the time of baking. You want them to be a soft, may be even slightly bruised so that you can easily mash them with a fork.

Now let’s talk about flour. Wheat free flours are a great alternative if you do not eat wheat, but finding the right consistency can sometimes be a challenge. My favorite flour is almond flour. It has the perfect texture, is great for baking and adds a wonderful but not overly oppressing nutty flavor to your dish. Another plus – you are getting protein from the almonds which is something you can’t get in most other types of flour unless they are nut based. A less expensive option would be to grind up almonds and use that as a substitute. It works just as well.

Milk – I prefer unsweetened hempmilk for cooking and baking. Again, I think it helps create the best consistency, but I encourage you to experiment and see what type of milk or milk substitute you like best.

Ingredients:
1 stick of Organic unsalted butter or 8 tablespoons Earth Balance or other dairy free alternative, room temperature
2 large eggs
3 bananas
1 tablespoon hemp milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup agave nectar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees
Grease 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan
In 1 bowl, melt butter and add eggs, beating well after each egg is added
In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add the milk and cinnamon.
In a third bowl, mix the remaining dry ingredients – almond flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt.
Combine ingredients and mix well.
While blending, add agave nectar.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the bread should be firm and brown.
Put on cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing. I also have found that refrigerating after completely cooled creates a firmer loaf.

Your banana bread will be incredibly moist, almost cake-like and super sweet. Enjoy!