Vegan Gluten Free Banana Bread - Winter

Who's to say that there is no such thing as a healthy dessert that tastes good too? Follow this simple recipe to enjoy a delicious banana loaf that contains no dairy or eggs, no gluten, and no refined sugar. Make it for a special occasion, or ration slices as an alternative to your 3 pm raids to the coffee shop dessert section.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All purpose flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp xanthan gum

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1/2 cup coconut oil, plus additional for the pan

• 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

• 1/3 cup honey

• 2/3 cup rice milk

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas

Preheat the oven to 325 F.  Lightly grease a 7 x 4 x 3 inch loaf pan with oil.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, xanthan gum, salt, and cinnamon.  Add 1/2 cup of oil, honey, apple sauce, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients.  Stir until the batter is smooth.  Using a plastic spatula, gently fold in the bananas until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.

Fill the prepared pan halfway with batter. Bake the banana bread on the centre rack for 35 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 20 minutes. The finished loaf will bounce back slightly when pressed, and a toothpick inserted in the centre will come out clean.
Let the banana bread stand in the pan for 20 minutes. Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake, cover the top of the pan with a cutting board, and invert the loaf into the board.  Carefully lift the pan away and re-invert the bread onto another cutting board. Either cut and serve warm, or wait until completely cool before storing. Cover the uncut banana bread and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Adapted from the BabyCakes Cookbook