Wholesome banana bread

Make a moist banana bread studded with dark chocolate. It’s full of the good stuff, even some hidden zucchini! Enjoy for breakfast, afternoon tea or dessert. It tastes even better with a smear of coconut yoghurt or almond butter with sliced strawbs 🙂

INGREDIENTS

For the dry ingredients:

• 1 cup oats, ground into a flour (using a blender or food processor)
• 1 cup almond meal or buckwheat flour (you could also double the amount of oats instead)
• ¼ cup psyllium husk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon bicarb soda
• ½ teaspoon celtic salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean powder (or 4 tablespoons vanilla protein powder for those gains hehe)
• ¼ cup pecans (or nut of choice)
• ¼ cup 80% or higher dark chocolate, cut into chunks

For the wet ingredients:

• ½ cup plant milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 5 Medjool dates, pitted
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
• 4 overripe bananas (reserve 1 to slice in half lengthways for top)
• 2 organic free-range eggs (or 2 tbsp chia seeds + 6 tbsp warm water)

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 180°C fan-forced and line a loaf pan with baking paper.
2. Combine plant milk and apple cider vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients except for the dark chocolate.
4. Transfer plant milk and apple cider vinegar mixture to a blender. Blend with the Medjool dates and zucchini until smooth.
5. In a separate bowl, mash three bananas with a fork. Add the whisked eggs and melted coconut oil. Mix well to combine.
6. Slowly add the mashed banana mixture and milk mixture to the dry mixture to make a thick batter. Stir well to combine. Fold through the dark chocolate.
7. Transfer batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top of the batter with the back of a spoon. Top with a banana sliced in half lengthways (optional).
8. Bake in the oven for approximately 50 mins, or until a knife runs clean when poked into the middle. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
9. Serve with a smear of coconut yoghurt or almond butter with sliced strawbs! Yum 🙂