Banana Nut Bread

I’ve always loved banana bread – it’s a long standing favourite in my house – so I was inspired to adapt it and make it healthier. In this recipe, I’ve substituted light olive oil and Greek yogurt for the butter, replaced the sugar with the natural sweetener Stevia, and added some dates to help sweeten the bread instead of so much sugar. I also opted to add walnuts too as they’re loaded with omega-3 fats. The bread turned our beautifully so I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Photo credit: http://www.adrianlawrencephotography.com/

Makes 10 slices

225g (8oz) plain flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tbsp light olive oil

2 tbsp fat-free plain Greek yogurt

50g (2oz) ) Sugar with Stevia or 100g (3 ½ oz) light muscovado sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas

100g (3 ½ oz) soft dates

100g (3 ½ oz) walnut pieces

 

Preheat the oven to 160C/ fan 140C/ gas 3. Line a 900g/2lb loaf tin with baking parchment.

Place the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, olive oil, Greek yogurt, sugar/stevia, vanilla and the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Mash the bananas and chop the dates (kitchen scissors are easiest for this) and add to the bowl. Beat the mixture for 2-3 minutes, using a wooden spoon or hand-held mixer, until well blended. Fold in the walnut pieces.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. If not, bake for a further 10 minutes. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool.