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Having more free time has inspired me to spend a little more time in the kitchen, investing in the art of baking. Oddly enough, I find it very empowering to cook for myself and loved ones. Knowing what the ingredients are and where they came from is priceless, and taking care of yourself by creating nourishing and good-tasting food brings a sense of self-empowerment. After all, we could all use a little extra self-love during these difficult times!

The reason I love this recipe is because it is a cross between a dessert and a snack - sweet yet hearty and filling! So tasty that even the dogs will be begging for a bite. This recipe happens to be vegan-friendly, but the ingredients are not unusual and tend to be found in most people’s cupboards. The other thing about this recipe is that it is very flexible - feel free to change it/swap ingredients to suit your needs or use ingredients you have on hand (see notes below). Give it a try and let me know how you like it!

*This recipe roughly adapted from www.thebakingfairy.net.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ripe bananas, medium sized
• ½ cup sugar*
• ¼ cup olive oil**
• ¼ cup unsweetened nut milk***
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt

*Any kind of sugar will work (even brown sugar). I used raw cane sugar this time and it turned out super yummy!

**You can use any vegetable oil if you don’t have olive oil on hand.

***Any non-dairy milk will work for this as well, as long as it’s unsweetened. Soy, almond, cashew, hemp...whatever you have on hand!

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan by greasing the bottom and sides with a dash of oil and then adding a sprinkle of flour.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl (lumps are okay).
3. Add in brown sugar, olive oil, nut milk, vanilla extract, and whisk to combine.
4. Slowly add in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, using a wooden spoon to mix.
5. Transfer mixture into prepared loaf pan. Bake in the oven for 45 minutes, then cover with tin foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Enjoy!!!