Breakfast-worthy Banana Bread

Banana bread is a great way to keep over-ripe bananas from going to waste, and to keep bellies from being hungry on busy mornings. I've had several different kinds of banana breads--rich ones with butter and cream cheese, super-sweet ones with icing on top,  "healthy" ones that tasted like cardboard and that I'd never eat again. What I really wanted though, was a bread deserving of being part of the most important meal of the day: not too sweet and sugary, hearty and filling, vegan, but also tasty because who wants to start the day with something that tastes like cardboard?

I blended a few recipes to create this "happy medium,"  super-stable (meaning you can play with it and be fairly certain to get good results) banana bread. I've made  it a few different ways: with applesauce or canned pumpkin instead of oil, with and without the topping,  or with fewer bananas in a pinch, and it came out great each time, so feel free to make it your own.

I like to make these in the evening and store them covered on the counter so they're easy to grab for breakfast and snacking for the next few days. They'll keep covered at room temperature for up to four days (if they hang around that long!).

To make Breakfast-worthy Banana Bread you'll need:

• 1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 T oats
• 1/2 cup dates or raisins 
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
•  4-6 bananas

Optional crumb topping (really good, but not advised if you plan to eat these on-the-go in the car!):

• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp coconut oil
• 2 T oats
• 1 T flax seeds, coarsely ground
• 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

First, puree the dates or raisins, bananas, and oil. Then mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Then, mix the pureed batter into the dry ingredients.

Spoon the batter into greased muffin tins. If you want to add the crumb topping, just mix together the oil, cinnamon, oats, flax, and sugar in a small bowl, and top each unbaked muffin with about little dab. Now pop them in the oven and bake at 350F until they spring back when pressed (about 12 minutes).

Golden-brown, hearty, and delicious.

Perfectly quick breakfast. And the best part is that there's no sugar!

 Bon appetit!