Mixed Fruit, Hawthorn & Pecan Banana Bread
If you’ve got ripe bananas lying around, some nuts and dried fruit you can make this delicious loaf in under 45 minutes!
I truly couldn’t decide what I wanted to add to this when I was creating the recipe so I put in all of my favorites! Cranberries, blueberries, pecans, raisins and hawthorn berry. Most of these are pantry or seasonal staples. So you probably have them in your kitchen already. I source hawthorn online from Amazon or from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Hawthorn is one of my favorite plants to use as it helps strengthen and heal a wounded or broken heart. What I find really special about Hawthorn is that it allows the heart to heal while remaining open which is really powerful because we can only truly heal while our heart remains open.
Ingredients Needed:
Almond Flour: Almond flour is made from blanched ground almonds. Do not confuse this for almond meal which includes grinding the skin. Almond meal is course and will not work the same in recipes. Look for fine ground blanched almond flour. If you are allergic to almonds, tiger nut flour is an excellent alternative to try. If you’re allergic to nuts or avoiding almonds while on the autoimmune protocol, you can substitute Tigernut flour in many recipes as a 1:1 sub. I usually purchase my almond flour from Trader Joe’s or Anthony’s on Amazon. If
Tapioca Starch: Tapioca starch comes from the cassava plant and is the starch of the cassava root. To substitute this, you can use arrowroot flour instead
Cassava Flour: Cassava is native to Brazil and South America. It’s similar in shape to a sweet potato but is longer and brown on the outside. Inside the flesh is white. Like sweet potatoes and yams, cassava is also a tuber that is often made into a flour or is eaten on it’s own just like a potato. This root vegetable can be use as a substitute for many potato based recipes. Its flour may also act as a 1:1 flour replace in some recipes as well. Cassava flour is a fantastic anti-inflammatory plant to use. If you need a substitute you can use extra almond flour instead.
Coconut Flour: Coconut flour comes from the flesh of the coconut. It is then dried and powdered. One of my favorite things about coconut flour is that it can be eaten raw! If you don’t like the taste of coconut flour or milk, I assure you it is just because your taste buds have not gotten used to it yet.
Eggs: If you are allergic to eggs, you may use gelatin as a substitute instead. Gelatin is the safest alternative for folks with allergies and gut health issues. I recommend using bovine gelatin to replace your egg. See notes below for how to make it
Coconut Oil: This recipe requires the use of coconut oil. If you need a substitute you can use avocado oil instead.
Gelatin Egg:
To make your gelatin egg, bring a small amount of water to a boil. Add 10g of bovine gelatin to a small dish. Slowly stir in 1 tbsp room temperature what and two tbsp of the boiling water. Stir until smooth. Then immediately pour this mixture into your batter.
History of Hawthorn Berry:
Hawthorn has been used since the Middle Ages and has a long history of being revered for its heart elevating properties. It has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. According to Mountain Rose Herbs, hawthorn was believed to support and strengthen the emotional heart and has been used for cardiovascular health as well.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
2 tbsp cassava flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda or powder
3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1 - 2 tsp cinnamon, or to taste
2 heaping tsp hawthorn powder (sub rose petals or rose powder)
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup mix of cranberries and blueberries
2-3 tbsp crushed pecans
Preparations:
Mash the bananas in a bowl. The. crack in the egg and whisk to combine. If using a gelatin egg, wait to make it and add it in later
Then, add in the coconut oil, baking soda or powder followed by the flours and cinnamon. Mix well until it’s incorporated.
Gently stir in the fruit & pecans.
Then, transfer to a loaf pan coated with coconut oil.
Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350F or until a toothpick comes out clean.
