Avocado Banana Bread

Name: Avocado Banana Bread
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 1 cup white whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup oat flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 large egg; 1 cup banana (mashed (about 2.5 bananas)); 1 avocado (mashed); 1/4 cup honey; 2-4 tablespoons brown sugar (adjust to taste); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; chocolate chips (for topping (optional))

by erika

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I made this loaf purely with ingredients from my boyfriend’s kitchen.

What does that mean? You can EASILY make this!

Also, that we really like guacamole and therefore the stray avocado can occasionally be found languishing in his fridge, right in between chunks of Black Diamond sharp cheddar for wine and cheese nights and the hummus and Greek yogurt he keeps on hand for me (how sweet).

I have somewhat of an ugly history with baking with avocados. My old roommate and I once made a pan of avocado sweet potato brownies that were eerily smooth on top and tasted of vaguely cocoa-flavored, not sweet avocados. Sometimes avocados and I can work it out, other times, not at all.

We worked it out this time and I’m ready to give thanks at the avocado-loving altar. There’s no fat in this aside from the naturally healthy-fats-filled avocado and combined with a generous amount of mashed banana, this makes for the most incredibly moist, sweet and tender banana bread I’ve ever made.

Shelby first uncovered this recipe and while I was a huge fan of the original recipe, I tweaked it for several reasons, mostly to fit what Erik had in his kitchen (tons of ripe bananas, no zucchini). Also, I don’t like using only egg whites if I don’t have to–especially ones from a carton (not that the original recipe creator did. I’m just going on a tangent).

“If eggs were meant to be eaten as mechanically-separated, low-fat, chemically-altered whites in a carton, the chickens would have done it by now. But an egg is a chick in the making. It’s rich in antioxidants, good fats, vitamins, and – for the calories – a lot of protein. Things like Egg Beaters are the result of food manufacturers exploiting fears based on grossly inaccurate health information. There’s nothing healthy about such unnatural products.” Spot on, Mark! (sourced from here.)

Anyhoo, no egg whites in this. Just an egg. And some honey instead of some of the sugar, which means you can cut down on the sugar since honey is sweeter than the granulated stuff. Also, oat flour because oat flour rocks! It makes everything tender and hello fiber!

Does this taste like avocado? I won’t lie to you—there is a faint taste of something different, but not in a strong or bad way. More like a totally luscious, what’s-up-with-this-deliciousness?! kind of loaf (see Erik’s comments below). Make sense? Oh, and I should note—the banana slices make the loaf look super cute in my opinion, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I think it made the loaf bake rather unevenly (note the sunken center). Stick with chocolate chips or an unadorned loaf. But please make this.

Boyfriend rating: 8/10
Erik’s comments: “The flavor was great and distinct in an “I don’t know what’s different, but I like it” kind of way. The only thing holding this back from being a 9 was that is was a little mushy in spots, but this was actually kind of a plus when you heated it up in the pan!”

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