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Low Fat Banana Bread:
1 cup (250 grams) mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas)
1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking soda
1/2 cup (120 grams) low fat plain yogurt (you can also use non fat plain yogurt)
1/4 cup (60 ml/grams) flavorless oil (canola, vegetable, or corn oil)
3/4 cup (155 grams) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 large egg (50 grams) or 2 large (60 grams) egg whites, at room temperature
1 teaspoon (4 grams) pure vanilla extract
1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (65 grams) whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon (4 grams) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1 gram) salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Low Fat Banana Bread: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) and place the oven rack in the center of the oven. Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 inch (21.5 x 11.5 x 8 cm) loaf pan with a nonstick vegetable cooking spray. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix the mashed bananas with the baking soda and yogurt. Allow to sit, at room temperature, while you prepare the rest of the batter.
Next, in a separate bowl, whisk together the oil, sugar, egg (or egg whites), and vanilla extract.
In another large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.
Then combine the banana mixture with the oil mixture and then add to the flour mixture. Stir just until all the ingredients are moistened. Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or offset spatula. Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 to 15 minutes before removing the Banana Bread from the pan. This bread can be covered and stored for about three days, or it can be frozen.
Makes one loaf (about 12 slices).
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Banana Bread is very popular. Quick and easy to make, it has a wonderfully moist texture and has the flavor of sweet bananas. This quick bread is perfect with your morning coffee but it is also lovely with a tossed salad for a light lunch.
This excellent recipe is one I adapted from Canadian Bonnie Stern's "More Heart Smart Cooking with Bonnie Stern" This book was written in conjunction with the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. What I like about this recipe is that it cuts down on the amount of saturated fat usually found in banana breads. While most Banana Bread recipes contain 1/2 cup (113 grams) of butter, this recipe replaces the butter with 1/4 cup (60 ml) of a flavorless oil and 1/2 cup (120 grams) of low fat plain yogurt (can also use non fat plain yogurt). And, best of all, we do not have to sacrifice on flavor or texture. This recipe also replaces some of the white all purpose flour typically used in Banana Bread recipes with whole wheat flour, which adds texture and flavor to the bread, but also it adds fiber to our diets. Bonnie Stern gives the calories for one slice of Low Fat Banana Bread at about 200, with total fat at about 5 grams (saturated fat 1 gram). Of course, this can vary depending on the ingredients used so use this information as a guide only. Also, if you like, you could add 1/2 cup (50 grams) of chopped nuts to the batter or even 1/2 cup (85 grams) of dark chocolate chips.