Eileen's Best Banana Bread

 When life gives you speckled bananas, there's nothing to do but make some bread. Specifically, some heart healthy banana bread.  I haven't been at home very much these last several days and these babies definitely got a bit past the "flecked with brown and have a golden hue" stage. I was needing some comfort food last night, and banana bread fit the bill.

 Why heart healthy? I'm blogging from the hospital ICU waiting room these days. I took hubby to the Emergency Room last week (right after the Hachis Parmentier, I might add) where it was determined that he was having a heart attack and would need major intervention. Monday morning he was in surgery having a very talented man- to whom I will forever be thankful- bypass a few five badly blocked coronary arteries. He's all fixed up now, but groggy, sore and anxious to feel better.

 No butter or eggs in this banana bread, but still it was tender, moist and delicious. It was just sweet enough and full of chopped walnuts giving each bite a wonderful depth of flavor. I used this Cooking Light recipe containing ground flaxseed which adds heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. I think we'll be eating a lot more of those in the future. :)


Eileen's Best Banana Bread
adapted from Cooking Light (Eileen Solberg) October 2009
Ingredients
3/4 cup all purpose flour (fluff, scoop and level)
3/4 cup whole wheat flour (I used white whole wheat)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana (about 2 large)
1/2 cup plain fat free Greek (or regular) yogurt
3/4 cup sugar (I used a little bit less and it was plenty sweet)
1/4 cup light flavored olive oil (or canola)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

• Preheat oven to 325° F 
• Coat a 5"x9" loaf pan with cooking spray.
• Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups. Level with a knife. In a large mixing bowl, combine flours with flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• In another bowl, combine mashed banana, yogurt, sugar, oil, walnuts and vanilla.
• Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and mix just until combined.
• Pour into prepared loaf pan.
• Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Check after one hour.)
• Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and finish cooling on rack.