Banana Date Walnut Loaf
Becca Crawford
Here’s a great way to use up 3 over ripe bananas! Kids will love it and I love that it contains no concentrated sweeteners at all- just dates and bananas. Plus it’s gluten-free (and grain-free if you consider that buckwheat is technically a fruit and not a grain). Enjoy as a nutritious snack (with an inch of butter of course!), a dessert to tack on at the end of a meal or as part of your brekky.
Ingredients:
3 small ripe bananas (approx 400-500g, weighed unpeeled) plus optional extra ½ banana, sliced, for decorating
125g butter or coconut oil
245g (1 1/3 cup) activated cinnamon buckwheat
4 eggs
2 drops Young Living cinnamon oil or 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
2 drops Young Living nutmeg oil or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup, 190g, dates (weigh with seeds in then remove), roughly chopped
1 cup, 90g, roughly chopped activated walnuts (I break them apart with my hands) plus extra for decorating
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Grease a loaf tin with olive oil and line it with baking paper on the base and all sides.
Process activated buckwheat in a nut grinder or Thermomix (speed 9, 20 secs) until it resembles a soft fine flour and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Beat the eggs with stick blender, or process in a food processor or Thermomix (speed 6, 20 secs) until fluffy and add to the large mixing bowl.
Process butter and banana in food processor or Thermomix (speed 6, 20 secs) and add to the large mixing bowl.
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dates and walnuts to the large mixing bowl and stir well to combine.
Pour mixture into the loaf tin and decorate the top with a scattering of walnuts and sliced banana if desired.
Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer comes out clean. Bake for extra 10 minutes if baking 2 loaves.
Allow to cool somewhat before removing from tin whe and place onto a serving platter or cutting board.
Serve as is or toasted under the grill element and then smear with butter if desired.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days before refrigerating.
