From Chef Oonagh Williams of Royal Temptations Catering

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp oil
• ¼ cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (for dairy-free, use almond milk)
• 1 cup sugar (use 2 tbsp less than this if you don’t want it too sweet)
• 2 large eggs (for egg-free, use 2 tbsp flax seed meal and 6 tbsp water)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup quinoa flakes (You can substitute 2/3 cup of gluten-free rolled oats.)
• ¼ cup almond meal
• ¼ cup Oonagh’s Gluten-Free Flour Mix
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp gluten-free baking powder
• salt
• 2 medium to large very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)
• 1/2 cup raisins (or other dried fruit)

Directions:

1. Do not preheat oven. Quinoa flakes and oatmeal need the extra 20 minutes of oven heating to temp for them to soften; otherwise, they stay hard, gritty and dry. The flakes also continue to soften as the cooked bread cools.

2. Beat oil, yogurt (milk), sugar and eggs (flax seed meal mix) together for 2 minutes until plenty of air bubbles are visible.

3. Add vanilla and stir dry ingredients into egg mix.

4. Add bananas, nuts, and raisins, and blend thoroughly.

5. Place dough in greased and gluten-free floured 8”x8” pan. Since many cooking sprays contain soy lecithin and people vary in their tolerance of soy lecithin, I use a paper towel with some olive oil to grease the baking dish.

6. Now turn the oven on to 350 degrees and place the pan in the oven. Let the pan sit for 20 minutes while the oven heats.

7. Once the oven has reached temperature, bake for about 45-60 minutes. As the cake rises, it gets darker, feels soft on top but not wobbly. Insert a toothpick to check when it’s done. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.

Tips & Alternatives:

Instead of bananas, use 1 large cored and shredded Gala, Fuji or Braeburn apple or pear.

If using gluten-free oats instead of quinoa, expect a softer, almost custardy banana bread.