Sugar-free oil-free banana bread
I see so many of my patients struggling to find sweet treats that are truly healthy. Most sugar-free/ low carb/ gluten-free products on the market are high in fat, low in fibre (therefore not very filling or satisfying) and are oftentimes still high in calories or sweetened with sugar-alternatives such as honey, agave, etc. that add lots of calories. Therefore, it was really important to me to create a truly healthy delicious sweet treat that my patients could enjoy whilst still achieving their goals. This banana bread is a winner with almost everyone and best of all, nobody can even tell that it's 100% whole-grain, vegan, oil-free, refined sugar-free, wheat-free and dairy-free. Due to the whole-grain flours, apple sauce and walnuts it is also high in micronutrients and omega 3's. The chickpea flour adds a great protein kick which means that this bread is actually super filling which mean that you won't overeat it.
P.s. If you would like to make it gluten free, use gluten-free oats and sub the rye flour for buckwheat flour.
For my patients on calorie-controlled meal plans:
1 x 50g serving of this recipe (Approximately 1 thin slice) =
- 1 starch serving
- 1/2 fat serving
It all starts with...
Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup rye flour
- 1/3 cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp cinnamon (or replace the cinnamon and cloves with 1 1/2 tsp mixed spice)
- ½ tsp iodated salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 90ml apple sauce/ apple puree (I use apple Purity)
- 2 tbsp almond milk/ orange juice
- ¼ cup Suki sweetener (or any other powdered xylitol/ stevia -based sweetener)
- 2 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 3 large bananas, mashed well
- ¼ cup almond milk
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Method:
- In a small bowl combine the ¼ cup almond milk with apple cider vinegar and set aside to curdle slightly.
- Preheat oven at 180 degrees. Lightly grease a large loaf tin with non-stick spray or coconut oil
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
- In another bowl, combine the vanilla extract, apple sauce, sugar, sweetner, syrup and 2 tbsp almond milk. Whisk with a fork until all the sugar has dissolved into the liquid. Then add the banana and milk/ vinegar mixture
- Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture. Mix in the nuts and stir until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the loaf tin and bake for about 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Allow the bread to cool in the loaf tin on a cooling rack before removing from the tin and slicing.