Easter Brunch Banana Bread

Weekends like these make my wonder how I got so lucky as to have so many wonderful people in my life.  It has been a weekend completely packed full of good food and good friends.  I can’t complain since these are two of my very favorite things, but after a rooftop dinner party with heavily flowing wine, wonderfully stinky cheese and all-you-can-eat homemade {alcoholic} gelato, thanks to an in-house liquid nitrogen tank and portable freezer… let’s just say that it wasn’t easy to get up this morning and make banana bread, and I wasn’t entirely sure how I could possibly fit more food or mimosas in my body.  Thankfully, by the time we made it over to the Pink Palace for Easter brunch, I found a way.  It probably had something to do with the spread: homemade pastries, fresh fruit with spent beer grain granola, turkey and spinach egg souffle cups…  Anyways, it was a lovely brunch surrounded by lovely folks who like to feed each other.  I’d write more about it, but I have to get ready for my next food related event: making Easter dinner with the family.  In the meantime, enjoy some photos and a recipe for an awesome new twist on banana bread!

A New Take on Banana Bread

Inspired by (Never Home)Maker

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup butter (easily made vegan with Earth Butter)
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 large banana
• heaping tablespoon peanut butter
• 2 cups wheat flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 teas baking powder
• 1/2 teas baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon all spice
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or more!)

Directions:

1. Blend chickpeas in a food processor; add banana and pulse until well blended.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and maple syrup. A couple of minute should do.
3. Add in the vanilla, almond milk, peanut butter, honey and banana/chickpea mixture.  Mix on high until everything is smooth.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and all spice.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix until well moistened.  Fold in the chocolate chips.
6. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease a bread pan and pour the mix inside.
7. Bake for 30 minutes, then check for done-ness. Add another 10 to 15 minutes to the bake cycle and keep an eye on the bread so it doesn’t over-bake.  Mine took a total of about 45 minutes.  Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Johanna