Author | Sydney Barnes | Nov 4th, 2019
Hi Huskies. This fall I tried out this delicious healthy banana bread recipe from Cookie + Kate. Without having granulated sugar, I was unsure of how the bread would taste and was pleasantly surprised with the sweet tasty outcome. I would have never guessed this bread
did not have sugar in it.
Ingredients
⅓ cup melted coconut oil (extra virgin olive oil)
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large)
¼ cup water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 and ¾ cups of white whole wheat flour or regular white flour
Optional: ½ cup mix ins (chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, raisins etc.)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 365℉ and grease 9x5 inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl mix together the oil and honey/maple syrup. Add eggs, then mix in the mashed bananas and the water/milk
Next add baking soda, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Mix in flour and add optional mix ins if any.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes. 25 minutes in cover top with foil to prevent browning. Wait 10 minutes before removing loaf from pan and 20 more minutes before serving.
Healthy Benefits
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil has several uses and benefits. It’s natural saturated fats help increase HDL cholesterol (the good kind) which is good for the heart and metabolic health. Coconut oil fats (medium-chain triglycerides) are also good for the body because they can quickly be metabolized and used as energy since they have shorter fatty acids than most fats. A lot of these fatty acids are made of lauric acid which forms monolaurin when digested. Lauric acid and monolaurin can kill harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Being good for the heart, killing harmful bacteria and quickly being able to turn into energy are just a couple of the amazing benefits of coconut oil which is what makes it an excellent oil to tryout while cooking.
Honey or Maple Syrup
Honey is rich in antioxidants which also reduce the chance of heart diseases by raising HDL cholesterol and reducing LDL cholesterol. Honey can also lower triglycerides (fat) which is higher in refined sugar. High triglycerides can lead to insulin resistance which can lead to type 2 diabetes so honey can also help reduce the risk of diabetes.
Maple syrup is also a sugar alternative that has some health benefits. It is high in manganese which again provides HDL cholesterol, Zinc which helps your immune system, magnesium which reduced heart disease risks and, many other nutrients. Maple syrup also has many antioxidants that have been linked to having anti cancer, bacterial and diabetic properties.
References
Gunnars, Kris. “Top 10 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Coconut Oil.” Healthline, 11 Jan. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-coconut-oil
Gunnars, Kris. “10 Surprising Health Benefits of Honey.” Healthline, 5 Sept. 2018, https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-benefits-of-honey.
“Maple Syrup Health Benefits and Nutrition.” Acadian Maple Products, https://acadianmaple.com/pages/maple-syrup-health-benefits-and-nutrition.
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