Go Bananas!

Why is it that even if you buy green bananas, they are all ripe...or over-ripe at the exact same time?  If your family is anything like mine, the minute there is a brown spot on the peel, no one will touch them.  They are not diseased, they are ripe and waiting to be made into something delicious!

Banana bread is a staple in my house.  I often times stir in some nuts or some chocolate chips for a quick brunch or dessert offering.  About a year ago, I happened to have some blueberries in the refrigerator and decided to stir them into my bread, and a star was born!  So moist, a little tartness from the blueberries, a little sweetness from the bananas...just down-right yummy.

This banana bread recipe is dairy and gluten free, but you can certainly just use butter instead of oil and all purpose flour instead of GF flour and it will turn out just as delicious.

Banana Bread
2 cups gluten free maestro flour blend
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla bean paste (or vanilla extract)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Spray bread pan with non-stick spray and then lightly coat with GF flour.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip eggs and banana until smooth.  Add honey, oil, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Stir in optional ingredients.  Pour batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 F for 35-40 minutes for mini loaves or 50-60 minutes for a regular loaf.  Loaf should be golden brown and a knife inserted in the center should come out clean.  Cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn loaf out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Optional recipe variations:

1. Banana nut bread: stir in 1/2 cup walnuts before baking
2. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread: stir in 1 cup chocolate chips before baking (I like dark chocolate chunks)
3. Blueberry Banana Bread: Stir in 1 cup blueberries before baking