A relaxing medicinal dessert for a late summer gathering. Gluten free banana bread with the added adaptogen ashwaghanda for a birthday picnic celebration.

This is another take on a recipe from one of my favourite cookbooks ~ The Art of Eating Well by Hemslely & Hemsley. Made from ground nuts and seeds this banana bead is delicious, satisfying and very easy to transport to picnics.

Ashwaghanda is said to help our bodies manage stress and restore balance. Adaptogens work by cleverly ‘adapting’ to our bodies, giving them what they need at the time and are often used in Ayurveda to promote homeostasis.

Read more about ashwagandha’s health benefits here.

This recipe calls for butter (organic grass fed preferably) but it can be substituted for coconut oil instead for a dairy free option. If you prefer you can swap the date syrup for a touch more vanilla and a few teaspoons of something sweet such as coconut sugar or erythritol.

Aswaghanda Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 300g ripe bananas ~ roughly 3 medium bananas or 4 small ones
• 30g butter at room temperature
• 2 tbsp date syrup (taste the batter and add more or less depending on your desired sweetness)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 220g ground almonds
• 30g ground flaxseed
• 3 tsp ashwaghanda
• A pinch of sea salt
• Handful of chopped nuts for decorating ~ pecans, walnuts and hazelnuts all work really nicely

+ a lined loaf tin

Recipe:

1. Preheat the oven to fan 170°C / Gas mark 5.
2. Oil and line a loaf tin with baking parchment.
3. Mash the bananas and butter in a mixing bowl to a pulp with a potato masher.
4. Add the date syrup, cinnamon, vanilla, eggs, bicarbonate of soda, lemon juice and the salt.
5. Mix well with a whisk.
6. Add the ground nuts and seeds and mix well.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepped loaf tin and sprinkle with the chopped nuts.
8. Bake for 60mins to 75mins (it’s ready when a fork is poked into the centre of the cake and comes out clean)
9. If the bread starts to look quite brown after the first 30 minutes, cover the top with baking parchment until it has finished baking.
10. Remove the oven and leave to cool a little.
11. Wrap it up and take to a picnic, or serve warm / at room temperature with some lightly salted butter.
12. Store the bread, covered, in the fridge for a up to a week or slice and freeze.
13. Enjoy :~)