Banana-Oatmeal Bread

As part of cleaning out my refrigerator and pantry in preparation to move, I knew I needed to find a couple recipes to use up my healthy supply of over-ripe bananas living in my freezer.

We almost always have bananas in the house. They seem to make a great topping for cereal in the morning, and some days there is nothing better than a peanut butter-banana-honey sandwich at lunch. The problem lies in the fact that I like my bananas green. If I can get the peel off, that's perfect. As soon as I see ANY brown spots on it, they are too ripe and get set aside for other uses. Thus, this banana bread.

 

I found this recipe here on the Cooking Light website looking for a "healthier" adaptation of banana bread. With minimal oil (and canola oil at that) and fiber from the oats, this recipe seems like it offers some nutrition beyond just fat and sugar. That said, I did throw in a half bag of cinnamon chips that I had in the pantry to use them up as well :-)

The verdict on the recipe - quite good. My husband really enjoyed it. I seem to like almost all of them, so I may not be the best judge :-) I found that I didn't need the full 70 minutes of bake time. I checked it somewhere around 62 minutes, and the crust was already quite brown. Next time, I would check it a little earlier. Other changes I made was to add a teaspoon of vanilla and swap canola oil for vegetable oil based on what I had in the pantry. If you've got that freezer full of ripe bananas like I did, try it out. It's a great way to use up produce that has gone a little south and makes a great snack!

(Printable Recipe)

Banana-Oatmeal Bread
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:
1 c. packed brown sugar
7 Tbsp. canola oil
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1-1/3 c. mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large, defrosted if frozen)
1 c. regular oats
1/2 c. fat-free milk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl, beat well at medium speed of a mixer. Combine banana, oats, and milk; add to the sugar mixture, beating well. Add vanilla and mix well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups and level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; stir with a whisk.  Add to sugar mixture and beat until just moist.

Coat a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spoon in batter and bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool ten minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove from the pan and cool completely before storing.