The big kid LOVES banana bread, so I am always looking out for new recipes, especially those that are higher in protein or lower in added sugar.
Recently we found ourselves with an overabundance of oatmeal, so I looked online for recipes to use it up and I discovered Oat Flour. You basically grind up oatmeal in your blender or food processor. Because it doesn’t contain any natural gluten, you have to use another flour with it otherwise your bread just… falls apart. It also doesn’t rise, so you will need to add leavening (baking soda in this recipe).
I also had received 30 bananas the next day, so I knew the time had come… TO MAKE BANANA BREAD!!
After looking through several recipes, I cobbled together a recipe that incorporated what I had on hand, and had all of the appropriate chemicals via ingredients to form quick bread. If you are interested in learning about baking and cooking ratios to form new recipes, check out Ratio by Michael Ruhlman– It’s great!
Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- 1 c. Oat Flour
- 1 3/4 c. AP Flour
- 2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. salt
- 1/2 c. melted butter or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 c. brown sugar, not packed
- 2 ripe banans, mashed up
- 2 eggs
- 5 ounces plain Greek yogurt
- 1 T. Vanilla
- 1/2c chopped nuts (I like pecans, but walnuts work too) OPTIONAL
Directions:
- Grease a loaf pan and set aside Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small bowl mix flours, soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine butter and sugar until well mixed.
- Add bananas and continue to mix until incorporated.
- Add eggs one at a time. Once they are blended, add yogurt and vanilla.
- Combine dry ingredients into wet, and add nuts (if desired). This batter is very wet!!
- Pour into greased pan and bake for 45-55 minutes.
- Once the bread is cooled, remove from loaf pan and serve with butter or cream cheese.
Options:
- To make the recipe Gluten-free, use gluten-free oats, and a 1 for 1 Gluten-free flour.
- To make the recipe vegan, use coconut oil in place of butter, substitute a flax egg, and use dairy-free Greek-style yogurt.
I served it last night with both whole wheat pasta and Italian squash that I ran through the spiralizer (I have 
If you haven’t heard of Truly Grass Fed, here is some info about what they are and their philosophy, “The Truly Grass Fed way of dairy farming has been passed down through the generations and has continued to evolve and innovate with the times. Our belief in sustainability and in preserving the beautiful land of Ireland is ingrained in our values and informs our way of life. We love what we do and we’re passionate about maintaining our unique way of farming. We truly believe that ensuring our cows live outside for most of the year, providing them with 95% grass to eat and treating them with care and respect makes for superior-tasting cheese and butter. We are proud of the products we produce, and we are excited to share the abundance of our labors with those looking to discover a little piece of Ireland in an exceptional hunk of cheese or generous spread of creamy butter.” You can learn more 
The cheese was soo good! Rich, creamy and sharper than most cheddars. The moms gobbled down the samples (seriously, it’s so good). In San Diego, you can find Truly Grass Fed at Vons stores- It’s in the deli with the fancy cheese!
We snacked and painted, and the kids ran off to play at the playground before it got too hot.
For those of you who have read my blog for a while, you know that food insecurity is a cause near and dear to my heart.
I missed my usual Freebie Post on Friday, so let’s see what’s going on in the world of freebies this Tuesday afternoon.
Living in California, every day is avocado day! Everyone knows someone- a friend, neighbor, relative who has an avocado tree (or 4).
I’ll be donning my sweet ‘Cado socks and chowing down!
Hewes Family Fun 