There is so much information about gluten and the damage that it can inflict on those who are gluten intolerant, allergic or who suffer from celiac disease that a real fact of the matter goes unnoticed; “Dwarf Wheat”
Einkorn wheat, the original grass eaten by our ancestors, has been genetically modified.
Norman Borlaug is credited with feeding the world with the super hardy hybrid, however, in it’s wake has been left a host of ills.
Even if you do not suffer from any number of gluten maladies you may be putting on weight, especially belly fat, experiencing mental fog and fatigue and suffering mild headaches.
Simply feeling bloated after eating wheat products was enough for me to investigate further and come up with a few solutions.
Giving up baked goods is not easy for me or for my family.
I like my girls to eat home made foods as much as possible but the idea of re-tooling my kitchen with gluten-free products seemed over whelming.
It turns out that it is not as difficult as I was making it out to be.
I took one of our favorite recipes, banana bread with walnuts and chocolate chips and adapted it to a wheatless recipe.
Ingredients
3-5 really ripe bananas
2/3 cup of coconut oil
2/3 cup of buttermilk
1 cup of sugar
3 eggs
2 1/3 cup coconut flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
opptional
finely chopped walnuts to taste
chocolate chips to taste
I used a cup of quinoa flour but next time I won’t. The flavor was a bit strong, almost bitter, so I’ll use only coconut flour next time.
Also, the batter was a bit dry and thick, however, you can see by the photos that it baked with a nice crust and was quite moist, actually.
Adding more coconut oil or another banana should remedy any dryness.
Method
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Grease and “flour” 2 loaf pans
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl
Pour into loaf pans and bake at 350 degrees for about 40-50 minutes
I am going to try this recipe again and attempt to make it vegan.
I would also like to eliminate the sugar adding applesauce or prune puree……I’ll keep you posted!
This certainly didn’t cook like the original recipe containing wheat, however, neither was it dense nor crumbly.
It didn’t rise much but it was still very good.
It has a nice crispy crust and only a mild coconut flavor…
…offset by the chocolate chips, I’m sure.
My daughter took one bite and said, “this is different”.
By the next bite she said, “I’m already used to it”
It didn’t take long for the girls to get on board.
It is not my intention to cook something that is simply gluten-free but healthy and nutritionally beneficial, as well.
Coconut oil is so good for you and I am finding ways to include in my diet everyday.
Coconut flour is high in fiber and contains protein for cell growth.
By turning our favorite family recipes into natural health boosters I hope to keep them smiling and satisfied for years to come.
