Coconut Flaxseed Banana Bread

Despite a blazing heat wave and multiple earthquakes rolling through Los Angeles on Wednesday, I decided to turn on my oven and bake banana bread.

Because when you have two overripe bananas sitting on your counter, that's just what you do.

I was feeling a little experimental so I decided to add in a few odds and ends of ingredients that were almost gone and just needed to be put out of their misery. All of my subs actually made things pretty healthy. I added some ground flax seed for fiber and superfood omega acids. I used all coconut oil instead of butter or vegetable oil, which is a much better fat. I also added some protein rich nonfat greek yogurt.

But then I added a buttery pecan streusel topping.

Whoops.

Like all banana bread, this was way better the second day. Everything just sets together and moistens and the streusel topping kind of absorbs into the rest of the bread and doesn't just crumble off when you try to cut it. But I understand if you don't have the patience to wait a full day, and you try to eat it right out of the oven. Because that's what I did.

Coconut Flaxseed Banana Bread with Pecan Streusel Topping

[makes 1 loaf]

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1.5 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1/2 c ground flax seeds

1/2 c shredded unsweetened coconut

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c greek yogurt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c coconut oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup sugar

1/4 c milk

For topping:

1/4 c packed brown sugar

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

1/2 c chopped pecans

1. Mix flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, flax, and shredded coconut in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In medium bowl, mix bananas, yogurt, eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, sugar and milk. Pour wet ingredients into dry. Mix gently until just combined. Pour into greased loaf pan.
3. For topping, mix brown sugar and flour in a small bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture is course and crumbly. Stir in pecans. Spread on top of batter in loaf pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then on a rack. Once cool wrap in plastic wrap and store overnight. Slice and enjoy the next day.

Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

Nothing says Saturday morning quite like pancakes. The smell of a hot skillet, steam rising from a mug of coffee, the luxurious free time to make a big breakfast mess - yep, it's the weekend.

These pancakes are quick to whip up and so yummy. The warm brown sugar and cinnamon flavors go really well with the banana, and the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda makes them so fluffy. If you don't want to make pancakes from scratch, you could just add the brown sugar and cinnamon to standard pancake mix and cook them with the bananas the same way.

Let me just take a moment to fiercely rave about real maple syrup. If you haven't ever tried it, you're missing out! It's SO much better than the thick gooey stuff most people use, which is just corn syrup with artificial flavoring. It is more expensive, but it's absolutely worth it. I think the flavor is so much better. The next time you're in the grocery store, trust me, buy a bottle.

Brown Sugar Banana Pancakes

makes about 6 pancakes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup flour

1 tbsp white sugar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 egg

2 tbsp melted unsalted butter

2 medium bananas

real maple syrup

 Directions:
1. In a small bowl, mix the milk and vinegar. Set it aside for 5 minutes.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients together until combined.
3. Whisk the egg and melted butter into the milk. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until well combined.
4. Slice bananas into 1/2" slices.
5. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour 1/2 cup batter into the skillet. It's a little thick, so be sure to spread it out when you pour it in. Immediately press 4-6 banana slices into the skillet batter. Cook the first side for about two minutes, then flip over and cook for about a minute. Transfer to a plate under a towel [to keep it warm] and repeat with the rest of the batter.
6. Top pancakes with maple syrup and enjoy!