Banana Seed Bread (vegan, nut-free, sugar-free)

Here is my promised bread recipe from over the weekend. I really could not take one flattering picture to show how wonderful this bread really is. Moist. Chewy. And perfect. I have made many other banana breads in the past. Ones that contain nuts or more sweetener. And this one is different. Special perhaps. Well, really it is just as it should be for where I am in life right now. You see, that is what my recipes speak of. They tell you what ingredients I have in my fridge or pantry. They tell you what I am into, and what I avoid. They speak of what is in season and fresh. And, right now... they tell you what I make for my most favorite person in the world, my sweet boy, my almost 1 year old. I am making all of my recipes friendly for the whole family. I do not want to hide food from him anymore. He loves to eat and I will feed him from my own plate and bowl. He gets what I get. And to be honest, that is a good deal for both of us.
You see, I want to feed my baby (and my own body) the best ingredients out there. Right now I am basically feeding him all that I would eat, so gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, egg (white)-free, sugar-free, but to add to that list I am not feeding him any nuts as well. So, I decided that I don't really need to eat nuts then. Seeds are just as wonderful. In fact, I have found that I almost love them more. Pumpkin, sunflower, hemp, chia and flax. Such great nutrient dense ingredients that contain lots of iron, good omega fats, and not to mention more vitamins and minerals than you would think. You may be wondering why I wouldn't give my baby nuts...and really I just want to avoid higher allergenic foods in his diet as much as possible. So I rotate seeds, grains and fruits so that he likes a variety and doesn't develop sensitivities to others. I don't think you can really avoid sensitivities 100%... but you can do your best to not let an unhealthy toxic build-up to occur. So, I will continue to do my best with feeding him and our family the best we know how for who we are right now. Diets, favorites and foods morph along the journey and I am always willing to ask the questions to what's next or what's best. And, today, that included a hearty banana bread that speaks up for the love of seeds! Besides, there are way too many banana nut breads out there anyways. After baking this loaf, I think you'll agree.

I found inspiration for this bread from a few sources: Affairs of Living and My New Roots

Banana Seed Bread Recipe (vegan, nut-free, sugar-free)

1 cup of buckwheat groats ***grind in a magic bullet or high speed blender to make 1 1/4 cup of fresh buckwheat flour

1/3 cup of flaxmeal

1/3 cup of millet flour

1/3 cup of tapioca flour

1/3 cup of slightly ground raw sunflower seeds

3 TB of chia seed meal

2 ts. of baking powder

1 ts. of baking soda

1 ts. of sea salt

1 ts. of ground stevia powder

2 ts. of ground cinnamon

2 1/4 cup of mashed banana

1/3 cup of non-dairy, nut-free milk (I used hemp milk)

1/3 cup of pure maple syrup

1/3 cup of light olive oil

OPTIONAL top of bread coating/crust:

rub of oil, sprinkle of sucanat and cinnamon

First, mix all of the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Then add the wet and mashed bananas. Mix well together and then pour into a oiled bread tin or glass pan. Oil the top as well to creat a nice crust. I added a sprinkle of sucanat and cinnamon to have a sweet and crispy spiced crust. Which made it extra special. Then, bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour. Make sure the bread is cooked all the way through and check with a toothpick. Then pull from oven, let cool and either turn upside down over a plate and release it from the baking pan, or I am sure you could leave it in the pan if you prefer.

Serve warm with a slather of some vegan soy-free butter (Earth Balance) or some ghee. If you are into dairy, then try with some butter or cheese. I loved this bread just by itself, warm from the oven...I was in heaven. So perfect. And nutritious too :)

I think I could avoid all other breads in the world if I had this wonderful bread to make anytime or anywhere. So delicious!

I hope you enjoy and have a beautiful day filled with good food and much thankfulness!