Lately, our bananas have been looking pretty sad not too long after bringing them home. Someone at work mentioned it was because of the humidity. This is what we’ve been ending up with.
I usually freeze overripe bananas for smoothies but I had amassed more than usual. When I searched for banana bread recipes, most were loaded with sugar. There is nothing wrong with that, depending on what your family likes and how often it’s being eaten. But I personally like less sweet and more nutrient-dense muffins and bread.
I remembered how well black beans worked in brownies and thought that maybe white beans would be good in banana bread. I did find a couple of recipes and came up with my own concoction.
This was really good on the first try. My real test was Little D’s reaction. I knew if he asked for more at snack time, it was a keeper. And he did! (I did have to nudge him by asking him if he wanted more but he did say yes.)
The whole house smelled wonderful when it was baking and the sweetness was perfect. I really like using whole wheat pastry flour instead of regular whole wheat flour (softer texture). Compared to the standard recipe, mine had just under 7g sugar per serving vs. 27g and more fiber and protein!
- 1 cup white flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup mashed white beans (Cannelloni white kidney beans drained and rinsed well)
- 1 cup mashed banana (about 2 overripe bananas)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ⅓ cup brown sugar (not packed)
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup apple sauce
- 2 eggs
- Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, add both types of flour and the baking powder and soda and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the beans and mash with a fork until mashed together or pulse in a food processor until well combined. When you are done with the beans, add the bananas and continue to mash mixing the two together.
- Add in vanilla, cinnamon, brown sugar, canola oil, apple sauce and eggs and mix well. Once mixed, add the dry ingredients and continue to mix with a spoon until it makes a consistent batter.
- Spray a 9X5 loaf pan with cooking spray and add the batter. Cook in the oven for about 50 minutes or when a toothpick runs clear. Let it cool 15 minutes before serving.
If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Want more easy meal ideas for the whole family? Check out Maryann’s book The Family Dinner Solution: How to Create a Rotation of Dinner Meals Your Family Will Love
We baked it last night and had it for breakfast today. My daughter said, “Yum!” and my son’s plate didn’t have a crumb on it. Thanks for sharing!
I’m glad it turned out. I was surprised how good it was….just had some for a snack!
I was skeptical I made them into mini muffins and wow what a treat. They are awesome for my 2.5 year old son who is very picky. My husband gobbled them up too. An amazing feat too! Thank you these are such a great breakfast or snack for my two favorite men.
Glad they turned out Nikki. I’m going to try muffins next time!
Made it this morning, absolutely DELICIOUS! Our 15 month old eat a BIG peace. Please more recipes with white beans 🙂
Greetings from Amsterdam.
I just made these with my son and he loves them! I used only whole wheat (that was all we had) and agave instead of sugar and they were so delicious! Thank you for sharing. 🙂
I made this recipe last night. I have 18-month old quadruplets, and feeding has been one of our toughest issues. All but one ate it up! Not many foods get that many clamoring for more. It tasted very good, and I love that it is so full of nutrition and low on sugar.
This is a great recipe. I tweaked it a bit and didn’t use canola oil but used 1/2 cup apple sauce instead. I also added some hemp seed and flax seeds in it. It turned out yummy!
Glad it turned out!
My mother is a diabetic, who loves pastry and breads, foods that are typically high in carbohydrates and low in fiber. I froze some overripe bananas earlier this week with the intention of making a tradition banana bread, but your recipe looks interesting! A nutritionist advised mom to eat foods that are low in carbohydrates and high in fiber. She said that mom should subtract the total fiber from the total carbs to determine whether the food is a good choice for her. I notice that your recipe lists the fiber info, but it doesn’t have the carbohydrate info. Do you know what the total carbohydrates per serving are?
Thank you!
Dawn,
Let me look for the recipe…I don’t know off hand.