Paleo Coconut Cashew Banana Bread
I've been feeling super grateful today. I'm currently sitting on my couch, sipping a huge glass of water with lemon, cucumber & mint (game changer) and reflecting on how much my life has changed in the past year. It also happens to be drizzling outside and there's nothing that make me more cozy & sentimental than being inside my beloved apartment and hearing the rain fall outside.
Not to get too sappy here, but it's days like today that I am so thankful that I get to create my own schedule, work at home and most importantly, be doing things I truly love.
This year is already passing by insanely quickly, so I'm just trying to be present and enjoy every day. I feel like every time I blink it's a new month. I've been simultaneously enjoying the fast-paced nature of things and looking forward to everything that's coming soon, while also wanting time to slow down. It's a funny thing.
I've been working hard on a new business (to be announced SO soon), doing Rock Your Bod Pod (which has been an absolute joy), trying to improve my writing & photography skills for possible future opportunities, and living that restaurant life on the side (for the first time, and it's actually a lot of fun).
Anyway, none of this has anything even remotely to do with banana bread, but sometimes I think of this blog like a version of my journal and I just have to write down what I'm thinking. So thanks for listening! And if you're just here for the food, well - this new banana bread recipe is a delight. It's paleo & grain-free, low in sugar, and full of wonderful things like cashew butter, coconut flour, coconut flakes and of course, plenty of extra dark chocolate chunks.
Pretty much perfection. Enjoy friends!
Paleo Coconut Cashew Banana Bread
Ingredients
3 very ripe bananas (plus 1 for topping if desired)
⅓ cup cashew butter (or other nut butter)
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp avocado oil (or other neutral oil of choice)
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 eggs
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup + 2 tbsp coconut flour
½ cup chopped dark chocolate chunks
Coconut flakes for topping, if desired
Method
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and grease a standard loaf pan.
In a large bowl, mash your bananas until smooth. Add in the cashew butter, maple syrup and avocado oil and whisk to combine. Add in your eggs and vanilla and whisk well until you have a creamy mixture (some banana chunks are okay).
To the wet mixture, add 1/2 cup of coconut flour, the sea salt, baking soda and baking powder. Gently fold to combine. If the mixture still looks a bit runny, gradually add the remaining 2 tbsp of coconut flour and stir. Different brands of coconut flour have different absorbency so it really depends on this! Your batter should be fairly thick but pourable. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
Pour your batter into the prepared pan and top with an extra sliced banana, then sprinkle with coconut flakes and more chocolate, if desired.
Bake 50-60 mins or until the centre is set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool in the pan for at least one hour before slicing and serving.
Serves 12