Famous Banana Bread Recipe

For my first recipe post I want to share my famous banana bread recipe.  If you ask any of my friends or family this is my go to recipe.  It is quick, easy, tasty, healthier than other desserts, and so versatile.  I change it up all the time depending on who I am making it for.  
For my dad, I add nuts.  
For my boyfriend, I add nutella on top.  
For my little sister, I use pumpkin instead of banana.  
For my current roommate, I decrease the sugar and use protein powder.  
For my 2nd year medical school roommate, I add double chocolate chips and nutella.  
For me, I use almond flour instead of regular flour and pumpkin instead of bananas because I LOVE pumpkin.  

Growing up I learned cooking is an art and baking is more like a science.  With cooking, especially Italian cooking, it is a pinch of this and a dash of that.  With baking it is 1/2 teaspoon of this and 1 1/2 cup of that.  But, when I got sick I had to start substituting things- like regular flour for almond flour or regular milk for almond/soy milk.  I try my best to follow a low gluten and dairy free diet because it helps me manage my symptoms... but that is another post.  Back to the bread!  So, what I learned and want everyone to know is, do not be afraid to TRY NEW THINGS, change up recipes, and live a little while in the kitchen!  It is all a learning experience on the path to living well.

BANANA BREAD RECIPE WITH NUTELLA SWIRL 

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas* 
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil for super moist cake or coconut oil** or unsweetened apple sauce for a lower fat bread 
• 1 1/2 cups of flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of cinnamon 
• 1/2 cup of nutella for swirl

DIRECTIONS

1. Mash bananas with a fork 
2. Add wet ingredients: eggs, vanilla, sugar, oil, and mix
3. Add dry ingredients and mix
4. Spray loaf pan with oil 
5. Place batter into pan
6. Heat nutella in microwave for 30 seconds until runny 
7. Use a small spoon and stagger drops of nutella on top of bread. Then use sharp knife to drag nutella drops to make a swirl.  Pictures below.  Swirls are super quick and make your bread look beautiful!
8. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes.  Use a tooth pick (or a long knife... I never have tooth picks at home haha) to poke the middle of the bread.  If tooth pick or knife has batter sticking to it then place back in oven for another 10 minutes.  
9. Enjoy!

* I always freeze bananas. We buy them in bulk at Sam's club and we sometimes don't use them all, so when they are on the edge of ripe to going bad, I peel them and freeze them.  I also use the frozen bananas for home made ice pops too. I will do a post on them when it gets warmer.
** The research on the benefits/harms of coconut oil keeps changing.  Yes, it is a saturated fat, meaning it is a solid at room temperature.  And yes, there is a lot of research on the harmful affects of saturated fats on your heart.  There is also some research on coconut oil lowering inflammation in your body, but it is not clear.  SO... my recommendation is try coconut oil.  I think it is a healthier option than butter.  Just make sure the packaging says VIRGIN coconut oil.  Here is a reliable source for more information :) some https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/cracking-the-coconut-oil-craze-2017041011513