low fat banana bread

At any given time, there are usually a lot of bananas in our fruit bowl. Typically, we are pretty good about eating them while they are ripe, before they become overripe. This is especially true in the summer, when our blender gets a pretty decent workout. That said, there are times when we just aren’t fast enough, or perhaps it’s just too hot outside, or a combination of the two, and our bananas start to turn slightly dark and mushy. When that happens, there’s only one thing to do.

Make banana bread, of course.

The multi purpose quick bread is a bit of a culinary enigma. Is it breakfast? A companion for afternoon tea? Or dessert? I suppose it could be all three. Banana bread is my favorite type of quick bread, both to eat and to make. It’s so easy to whip up, and it almost always turns out perfectly moist, due to its necessary ingredients. I’d like to point out that Boyfriend’s mom makes, hands down, the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten. I could only hope to create something at least half as good as what she makes. And every time I use her special recipe, it’s just never quite as good as when she bakes it. I think it’s a special touch that only moms have, or something.

At any rate, I decided to create a low-fat version of a standard banana bread recipe. One of my favorite tricks of all time is replacing butter or oil with applesauce, and in fruit-based dishes, you really can’t tell the difference. This time, I went a step further and used greek yogurt in place of sour cream or milk.

These ingredients don’t compromise any of the taste, but take away the excessive fat and calories. It’s a win-win!

 Low Fat Banana Bread

(makes 1 loaf)

You will need…

• 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain or vanilla greek yogurt (I used Chobani)
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method…

1. Preheat oven 350 degrees, and grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, combined mashed bananas, applesauce, sugar, yogurt, vanilla, and eggs. Mix thoroughly until combined.
3. In another bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. Fold in walnuts.
4. Pour batter into loaf pan and bake approx 50 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let the loaf cool for approx 10 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!