Fig, Banana & Chocolate Bread

Fig, Banana & Chocolate Bread - adapted from JS health Signature Banana Bread

~ Serves 12, Gluten-Free

Everyone loves banana bread – it makes perfect use of those ripening bananas left in the bottom of the fruit bowl while also making a delicious luncbox filler or snack with a cup of tea mid-morning or mid-afternoon or better yet as dessert after dinner, especially as the days gets shorter and darker.

This recipe is both delicious and nutritious as it is made with nutrient-dense ingredients such as ground almonds, LSA and high-fibre psyllium husk. It is sweetened naturally with dates, banana and honey or pure maple syrup while being completely gluten-free. It can also be made dairy-free by using nut milk and roughly chopped dark chocolate (that is dairy-free so check the label!).

You can enjoy this bread warm out of the oven, or served with a dollop of dreamy Greek yoghurt or freshly whipped cream or simply own its own on the go or packed in the kid’s lunchbox!

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 2 cups ground almonds
• ½ cup LSA
• ¼ cup psyllium husk
• 1 ½ tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3-4 dried dates, chopped
• ¼ cup walnuts, chopped

Wet:

• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 large free-range eggs
• ¼ cup whole milk (use nut milk for dairy-free version)
• 2 tsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbspn of pure maple syrup or honey

Extra:

• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (use roughly chopped dark chocolate >70% for a dairy-free version)
• 2-3 fresh figs, sliced

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160° and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Place all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl and stir until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the wet ingredients, either mixing them by hand or processing in a food processor.
4. Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Next fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and arrange the freshly sliced figs over the top and bake for around 45 minutes until golden and cooked through. You can insert a skewer to test - it should come out clean.
6. Once cooked, remove from oven and allow it to cool in tin.
7. When cool, remove from the tin, carefully peel off the baking paper and slice.
8. Enjoy!