This vegan, grain-free, and refined sugar free banana bread comes with quite a twist: floral notes from rosewater, a tart kick from lemon juice and zest, and the warm spiciness of cardamom. Here’s how you make it:
Ingredients:
wet ingredients
3 (very) ripe bananas
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
2 chia eggs (2 tbsp ground chia seed mixed with 6 tbsp water)
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
4 to 6 teaspoons rosewater (depending how ‘rose-y’ you want it to be)
Juice of 1 lemon (or about 4 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon vanilla
dry ingredients
2 cups paleo flour (I use Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Notes** (If you don’t have Bob’s red mill paleo flour–you could sub for 1 1/4 cups almond meal, 1/2 cup arrowroot flour, and 1/4 cup coconut flour.)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Start by creating the chia egg, either grind chia seeds or use already ground chia seeds and mix 2 tablespoons with 6 tablespoons of water. Stir the mixture and let it sit for a few minutes until gelatinous and egg-like.
Next, mash the bananas until they are the consistency of apple sauce, then add in the rest of the wet ingredients.
Mix the dry ingredients together until evenly distributed, then add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix to combine, then fold in chopped walnuts.
Add the mixture to a loaf pan, or the pan of your choice. I’ve made these in a donut pan and muffin pan and it takes about 25-30 minutes. In a traditional loaf pan, cooking time will be about 55 minutes to an hour. Check on it and make sure a knife or toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and enjoy! I find these turn it best if you store them in the fridge in an airtight container.