Vegan Almond Banana Bread

This Vegan Almond Banana Bread is cozy, delicious, and made with healthy, whole food ingredients!

I’ve partnered with One Degree Organics to bring you this delicious recipe today. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Well and Full!

You know a recipe you’ve made is good when someone says, “Hey, this actually tastes like real banana bread!” LOL. Well, I guess that’s a job well done, right? But seriously, I don’t understand the continuing stigma with vegan food. I know there are vegan recipes out there that use ingredients a lot of people aren’t familiar with – like jackfruit, seitan, etc – but for the most part, vegan food is just food. For example, this almond banana bread. Bananas, One Degree Organic’s Sprouted Spelt Flour, maple syrup, coconut oil, nuts. Nothing crazy here! So I would imagine that it does, in fact, taste like “real” banana bread. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In Nutrition News, a new study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that found a correlation between various dietary factors and the incidence of heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and stroke. The study examined the diets of Americans (as recorded in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 1999-2002 and 2009-2012), and looked for a correlation between their diets and the various diseases listed above. Essentially, what the researchers found is that those who consumed higher levels of sodium, processed meat, sugary drinks, and red meat had a higher incidence of the listed diseases. The limitations of this study, of course, should be mentioned – as an observational study, this analysis doesn’t tell us anything about the underlying biochemical mechanisms that caused these results. However, does this mean that this study is worthless? Absolutely not.

I read a Yahoo article discussing this new study, and the comments section was extremely disheartening. Comments ranged from “Nobody dies healthy, so enjoy it while you can,” to “My grandfather ate bacon and butter and he lived until 89, etc. etc.” There are two problems with statements like these. First, diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke don’t happen overnight. In most cases, they are a result of many years of a poor diet coupled with genetic factors. Second, knowing one person who continuously ate the unhealthy foods from the study and turned out fine has no statistical significance. Every single person’s physiology, biochemistry, and genetics are different, which is why scientists perform analyses on large populations of people, not just one person. Furthermore, this study speaks in terms of associations, not inevitabilities. It’s simply saying that if you eat high amounts of sodium, processed and red meats, and sugary drinks, you are statistically more likely to have heart disease, Type II Diabetes, and a stroke.

However, I think there is some merit to the “enjoy it while you can” philosophy. While I’m definitely not recommending for anyone to drink sugary drinks every day and have absurdly high sodium levels, will one Coca-Cola kill you? No way. It’s all about moderation. Eating healthy isn’t about deprivation or being miserable. You have to keep your body and soul happy. So if that means breaking out a bag of chips every once in a while, go for it! Above all, do what’s right for you – and it’s going to be different for every one of us. Just remember, as always, to talk to your doctor before you start any dietary changes!

Vegan Almond Banana Bread

You'd never guess this vegan almond banana bread is made from plant-based, whole-food ingredients - it's sweet and delicious and goes perfectly with coffee!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 40 mins

Total Time 50 mins

Servings 1 Banana Bread Loaf

Ingredients

  

Dry Ingredients

• 2 Cups Spelt Flour
• 1/3 Cup Almonds chopped
• 1/3 Cup Pecans chopped
• 1/3 Cup Shredded Coconut
• 1 Tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
• Pinch of Sea Salt

Wet Ingredients

• 2 Cups Mashed Bananas
• 1/4 Cup Strongly Brewed Coffee
• 1/3 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/3 Cup Coconut Oil melted
• 1 Tsp Almond Extract

Topping

• Chopped Almonds optional

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Start by mashing the bananas. Usually 5 bananas yields about 2 cups, but this will completely depend on the size of the bananas.
• In a bowl, add mashed bananas and all other wet ingredients. Mix until fully combined.
• In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients until everything is evenly combined.
• Pour wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients, and mix until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
• Pour batter into a bread loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Top with chopped almonds, if you like.
• Bake banana bread in the oven for about 30-40 minutes. To test if the banana bread is fully cooked, stick a knife or toothpick in the center and see if it comes out clean. If any batter is still stuck on, continue cooking the bread for 5-10 minute intervals until it comes out clean.
• When the bread is done, let cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
• Enjoy!

Notes

If you don't have spelt flour on hand, sub whole wheat. Also for this recipe I used a standard 9" x 5" loaf pan!

Quote of the Day:

Everything in moderation, including moderation.

P.S.

If you make this recipe and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)