Lower-Fat (Vegan) Banana Bread & asking for support

Before I ramble, thank you for sharing in my excitement over my business landing the nephrology gig. Y’all gave me warm fuzzies all day long – muah!

So, it’s my week off, recovering from eye surgery…but I still love to have breakfast for the week ready to go! It’s been too long since I enjoyed a vegan baked good, and I felt it necessary to end the drought. ASAP. I needed a recipe with all ingredients on hand.

Normally, I have a recipe in mind. I mean, I have an inbox littered with want-to-make recipes. But my desire was very specific: vegan and banana in the form of bread.

After a quick Google search, I wasn’t jumping out of my seat over any of the recipes. I continued to comb through the results and landed on this one.

Raw sugar, molasses, and unsweetened applesauce for natural sweetness. Whole wheat pastry flour subbed in for all-purpose and whole wheat…the perfect compromise. Canola oil for healthy mono and polyunsaturated fats and loads of moisture. Plentiful amounts of banana, spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg. And walnuts for that perfect crunch. Complete.

I have Estela to thank for my love of vegan baked goods – it was one of the recipes on her blog that started my passion for vegan goods. Because most of them contain plentiful amounts of oil, they are very rich and moist. Filling, too. These muffins use some oil, but also incorporate applesauce to keep things on the lighter side.

All of the fasts in the recipe are heart healthy, making this bread much preferred to one containing butter, margarine, or high fat dairy. If you’ve never tried vegan baked goods, do so! You’ll thank me later 😀

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Lower-Fat (Vegan) Banana Bread adapted from Veganomicon and The Baking Bird

3 medium very ripe bananas
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup sucanat or raw sugar
2 Tbsp molasses
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz. (1/2 cup) walnuts, broken into pieces

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas really well. Add the sugar, applesauce, oil, and molasses, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in walnuts.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool. Yield: 12 slices.

Nutrition Information (per slice): 211 calories; 7.7 g. fat; o mg. cholesterol; 216 mg. sodium; 33.8 g. carbohydrate; 3.4 g. fiber; 1 g. protein

Result: A moist, sweet, nutty banana bread. Simple to make with wholesome, nutritious ingredients! Enjoy!

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Switching gears just a bit, I wanted to reach out to you for support.

My mom’s long time friend and dear family friend, Shirley, was recently diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). For those unfamiliar with ALS, it is a progressive, fatal, neuromuscular disease. Most ALS patients live a short 2-5 years past their date of diagnosis. Physically, ALS slowly robs individuals of the ability to walk, speak, swallow, and breathe.

Shirley has always been a huge supporter of mine in all that I’ve done, including this blog. She has even gone as far as to say I should write a book! And I know I have yet to tell her that that was one of the nicest compliments I have ever received. 🙂

Shirley has become a voice for ALS and I want her story to be shared. In May, Shirley, my mom, and hopefully myself and many others will participate in an ALS walk in Chicago. My mom’s team, Shirl’s WildC.A.T.S. (Cure ALS Team), is currently raising money to support ALS patients and research. If you feel so inclined to donate, it would mean so much. No sum is too small to make a difference. Thank you in advance for your support and for reading Shirley’s story.

And above all, give thanks for the health you have. I have been a whiny baby over my gallbladder and eye surgery as of late. Those “problems” are so small and insignificant when I step back and take thanks for how blessed I truly am. 🙂 Love you, Shirl.

TGIF…have a wonderful weekend!