Friday, February 12, 2010

Heart-healthy Banana Nut Bread

I decided to change up my banana bread recipe a bit and it worked quite well! Oats are very good for reducing cholesterol levels; adding in fibre with flax and quinoa and using sesame oil instead of butter make for a very heart-healthy loaf. This recipe makes one loaf.

Ingredients:

1 large, very ripe bananas, well mashed. (if you have bananas that are ripe but you can't use them right away, just toss them in the freezer--you don't need to wrap them as they come prepackaged! Once you are ready to use them, let them thaw and then mash them)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil

1/2 cup plain low fat yogurt
1/3 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup white flour
1/2 cup quick oats

1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
2 tsp ground flaxseed
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

1 tbsp cocoa powder
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325F and  lightly oil a glass loaf pan.
1. Mash banana very well with a fork.
2. In a separate medium-sized bowl, combine all wet ingredients and sugar. Beat well with electric mixer at high speed for two minutes. Add banana mixture and beat again.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well. Add to banana mixture about 1/3 at a time and beat between additions, using a rubber spatula to scrape bottom of bowl to ensure everything is incorporated.
4. Transfer to loaf pan; bake in preheated 325F oven for 30 minutes. Tent with foil to prevent further browning. Continue to bake for about another 30 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick in centre. The loaf is ready when the toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan on wire rack.