When we moved into our New Orleans house, you may remember, we were without a working kitchen.  It wasn’t until the end of September we FINALLY got our kitchen squared away. I can’t remember the last time I was that thrilled: real counters, cupboards, a working stove top and a convection oven.

I went a little nuts experimenting with the oven. Even tried a few things I normally wouldn’t make. Between the food experiments and getting used to the oven I had some pretty amazing (awful) results. The thing that turned out the best after some tweeking was banana bread. In fact it is good enough that it is now added to my permanent collection of good foods.

Gluten Free and Sugar Banana Bread

1. Mix together “wet ingredients”
1. 3 bananas — very ripe and well mashed
2. 1/3 cup coconut oil
3. 1 egg (to make it vegan use 1/4 cup applesauce)
4. 2 teaspoon vanilla
5. 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
2. Mix together “dry ingredients”
1. 1 1/2 cup gluten free baking mix – Namaste or Pamela’s work well
2. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
3. 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
4. 1 teaspoon baking powder
5. 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6. pinch of salt
3. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the ingredients are mixed and relatively smooth
4. Add 3/4 cup chopped nuts and dried fruit
5. Bake in convection oven and 350 degrees for 40 minutes or in a conventional oven at 375 for 1 hour.  Baking times will vary with ovens so be sure to test with a toothpick for doneness.

The biggest thing to remember is that the riper the bananas the sweeter the bread.

A note about the nuts and dried fruit. I basically use what ever I have around or what catches my fancy. For nuts I have used almond, pecans and hazelnuts; my favorite is pecans. You could certainly use walnuts as well. When it comes to fruit I have experimented with raisins, blueberries, cherries, coconut and apricots in all sort of combinations. Apples, dates or figs would work as well.

Unlike a lot of things you bake, this recipe is very forgiving so it is fun to experiment with. Instead of a store-bought baking mix you can make one using brown rice flour and garbanzo flour. So just have fun and enjoy!