There are so many ways to enjoy bananas — from turning them into smoothies to slicing them up and placing on top of yogurt or oats. You can also have your regular dose of these healthy tropical fruit in the form of banana bread!
Banana bread is actually very easy to make. Even if you’re not a seasoned baker and you don’t have all sorts of fancy baking equipment, whipping up your very own banana bread is hassle-free. And if you are steering clear of dairy, eggs and gluten, you can come up with homemade banana bread that’s devoid of those things!
Every serving of this guilt-free banana bread made from scratch allows you to enjoy some of the scientifically-proven health benefits of bananas. Some of the most impressive ones include:
- Lowered blood pressure – This is courtesy of potassium found in bananas. Experts say that potassium helps relax the walls of the blood vessels, allowing plenty of room for blood to flow through.
- Healthier kidneys – Potassium is also said to be vital for keeping the kidneys in optimum shape. In fact, a study showed that 2 to 3 pieces of bananas a week helped lower kidney disease risk.
- Increased energy levels – Bananas contain good carbs that can be used as your body as fuel. Additionally, B vitamins in bananas help convert calories found in food into energy for the cells.
- Regular bowel movement – Due to the loads of dietary fiber in bananas, the inclusion of these fruits in the diet on a daily basis can help in saving you from ending up constipated.
- Better gut health – Resistant starch present in bananas is said to nourish those beneficial bacteria in the intestines, thus keeping the disease-causing bad ones from multiplying uncontrollably.
- Reduced weight – Thanks to the impressive fiber content of bananas, their inclusion in your everyday diet can help stave off overeating or hunger pangs, thus helping you to lose those excess pounds.
Banana bread involving no dairy, egg and gluten in its creation makes bananas even more favorable to health-conscious individuals, in particular those who are vegetarians, allergic or sensitive to gluten, or simply would like to cut back on their consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol.
By the way, the best bananas for the banana bread recipe below are the ones that are overripe. This means savings — instead of throwing them away, they are turned into a healthy and mouth-watering baked gem!
So without further ado, here’s now to make banana bread that’s free of dairy, eggs and gluten:
Ingredients:
- 2 to 3 medium-sized overripe bananas
- 1 1/2 cups of gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon of stevia (a little more for extra sweetness, a little less to make it less sweet)
- 1 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup of canola oil
- Egg substitute (equivalent to a large-sized egg)
- A pinch of sea salt
Directions:
- Have your oven preheated to 350°F or 175°C. Also, coat a loaf pan (4 x 8-inch) with cooking spray.
- Grab a large mixing bowl. Peel the bananas and place them in it.
- Using a fork, mash the overripe bananas. Make sure that there are no clumps remaining.
- Pour 1/3 cup of canola oil into the mixing bowl. By the way, canola oil serves as a replacement for butter.
- Add stevia, baking soda and sea salt, and then mix very well.
- Stir in gluten-free all-purpose flour, egg substitute and vanilla extract.
- Transfer the batter to the loaf pan and bake in the oven for about 50 minutes.
- Insert a toothpick in the middle of the banana bread. If it comes out clean, it’s done!
- Take the loaf pan out of the oven and allow it to cool completely.
- Place the banana bread onto a serving plate, slice and serve.
