I’m all about sweets, but I’m also all about health – which is kind of an oxymoron. So my recent obsession is making healthier desserts. Let’s start with the classic banana bread, mixing it up a bit with cacao powder. Not to be confused with cocoa powder. Cacao is a superfood rich in magnesium, calcium, iron and antioxidants. Not a bad deal in your banana bread.

Another benefit of this banana bread is that it’s vegan, gluten free, and free of refined sugars. I substitute regular flour with buckwheat flour. Buckwheat has a great source of protein, fiber, and antioxidants, and is said to help prevent cancer, boost the immune system, prevent heart disease, and improve digestion. Instead of using eggs, I use flax eggs. I actually have a little fun making flax seed eggs, which is just ground flax seeds whisked in warm water. Flax seeds contain omega-3 fats, protein, and is rich in fiber. Lastly, to sweeten this banana bread, I depend on natural sources of sugar. First of all, bananas have sugar. Then, cinnamon gives a nice taste. The real contributor is monk fruit sweetener. Monk fruit comes from the highlands of Asia, and is a great natural alternative to sugar, safe for diabetics and having no side effects.

One of my cooking buddies would say that, to her, cooking was another experiment (she was a science teacher). Ever since, I’ve looked at cooking the same way, making small changes to recipes and being open to trying alternatives if I don’t have all the right ingredients (which happens a lot when I’m traveling). Feel free to substitute or add a little more or less of ingredients.

Enjoy some healthy yumminess!

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas
• 2 flax seed eggs
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1 pinch of sea salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp cacao powder
• 1-2 tbsp monk fruit sweetener (I usually don’t make my desserts too sweet anymore, so feel free to add more!) *You can substitute with other sweeteners such as stevia, maple syrup, or agave

Directions:

1. Set the oven for 350°F. Grease a bread pan with coconut oil.
2. To make a flax egg, first grind up flax seeds in a coffee bean grinder. [You can store the extra ground flax seeds in a container in the fridge.] For each flax egg, it’s one tablespoon of ground flax seeds and three tablespoons of warm water. Whisk this together until the mixture becomes gel-like. Since you need two flax seed eggs for this recipe, go ahead and mix two tablespoons of ground flax seeds and six tablespoons of warm water.
3. Mash up the bananas in the bowl and then add the flax seed eggs and coconut oil.
4. Mix in the rest of the ingredients until the batter is moist.
5. Option to add coconut shavings on top. I waited until the top had baked and then added the coconut and let it toast a bit.
6. Bake for about 32 to 35 minutes. I like my banana bread to be moist so allow a little more time in the oven if like yours to be more cake-y.
7. Eat and share!