Skinny Banana & Mixed Nut Mini Loaves
Sorry guy’s, it’s been a while. At the start of the year I vowed to starting creating skinny recipes, baked treats that weren’t as sugar laden and just a little better for you. So far I’ve shared just one! Yes one skinny recipe. I’m back on the skinny bandwagon and I promise to bake more healthier yummy treats. Starting with this one.
Banana and Mixed Nut Mini Loaves. These mini cakes have been baked into the cutest little loaf cases and are the perfect energy boosting snack to munch upon on the go. Or to start your day off with. They are packed full of nuts, sunflowers seeds and topped with fresh banana. If you like banana bread you’re gonna love these tiny treats.
So what makes these healthy? First is bananas. I used a total of four, large very ripe bananas for this recipes. Two of them get mashed into the batter and the other two are sliced and layered on top before being baked. Banana’s are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and soluble fibre of which many of us don’t get enough in our diets. Other vitamins found in this fruit are vitamin C, manganese and potassium.
The fat content in these loaves is minimal. No butter is used in the recipe and only skimmed milk and rapeseed oil are the wet ingredients. Skimmed milk has a low-fat content thus reducing the calories. Rapeseed oil is low in saturated fat and high in omega 3,6 and 9 which can help reduce cholesterol and maintain healthy heart, brain and joint function. I used this oil for all my cooking and baking.
A selection of nuts get pulsed in the food processor to achieve small pieces but not completely finely ground. Walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts get toasted then pulsed. Walnuts are high in antioxidants are heart friendly and high in omega 3. Cashews are high in protein, zinc and iron. They are also high in magnesium which can help delay age related memory loss. Finally hazelnuts, hazelnuts are high in vitamin E which protects the skin from harmful radiation and are also high in B vitamins. Sunflower seeds are scattered throughout these healthy loaves, they are high in vitamin E, selenium and they help lower cholesterol.
You can have your cake and eat it with this banana laced loaves. Goodness is abundant. Low in saturated fats, high levels of vitamin E , your skin will glow after popping the last crumb into your mouth.
These are best eaten fresh from the oven, whilst the banana on top is meltingly warm. Nothing bad about them cold, but I prefer them warm. If you want to snack on these or eat one for breakfast, pop it in the microwave if you have time..so good. Being baked into individual cases makes for great transportation. Wrap one of foil and into your bag it can go. These will keep you going through a long afternoon at work or for a general boost.
Super yummy, satisfying and healthy! You won’t find a better portable banana loaf, it’s much butter for you then a pastry from your local coffee shop. Swap the processed sweet for the homemade loaf of goodness. Who said skinny didn’t have to be bland and boring.
Yields – 10 Mini loaves
Ingredients
- 180 grams (1 1/2 cups) Plain flour
- 180 grams (1 1/2 cups) Wholegrain spelt flour
- 135 grams (2/3 cup) Light brown muscovado sugar
- 2 teaspoons Baking powder
- Pinch of Maldon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
- 4 Large bananas, 2 mashed the other 2 sliced
- 185 ml (3/4 cup) Skimmed milk
- 3 tablespoons Rapeseed oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Pure vanilla extract
- 1 Large egg
- 60 grams (1/3 cup) Walnuts, toasted
- 60 grams (1/3 cup) Cashew nuts, toasted
- 60 grams (1/3 cup) Hazelnuts, toasted
- 30 grams (1/3 cup) Sunflower seeds
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 190C, 375F and place 10 mini loaf cases on a large baking tray and set aside
- In a large bowl combine both flours, sugar, baking powder, salt and the ginger.
- In a large jug mix together the mashed bananas, milk, rapeseed oil, vanilla extract and the egg.
- Add the toasted nuts to a food processor and blitz a few times until you have coarsely chopped nuts. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the sunflower seeds.
- Mix the wet ingredients in with the dry and mix together until just combined.
- Spoon into your mini loaf cases and top each one with three banana slices.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Leave to cool or enjoy warm.
Notes
* Recipe adapted from Everyday Baking – Cooking Light
* These are best eaten the day that they are made but will keep for the day after.
* Store in a cake tin with a tight-fitting lid.
* Keep in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.
Tagged: Banana Bread, Bananas, Cashew's, Cooking Light, Everyday Baking - Cooking Light, Fresh Banana, ginger, Hazelnuts, Low Fat Banana Bread, Mini loaves, Mixed Nut Banana Bread, Mixed Nut Bread, Mixed Nuts, Rapeseed oil, Skimmed milk, Skinny Banana Bread, Skinny Banana Loaves, Skinny Series, Sunflower Seeds, Walnuts
