Whole Wheat Vegan Banana Bread with Dry Fruits n Nuts

   Today I'm going to share with you a really healthy recipe, more precisely, a healthy bake. In today's world, a higher percentage of people are obese or in the borderline of obesity. And obesity signals you to the beginning of many serious illnesses. We all should control our sugar and fat consumption. That way, we can avoid to get obese or overweight.

 

My kids are very fond of cakes and bakes. In order to give them something baked but not overloaded with sugar and butter, I tried to make this Wholewheat Vegan Banana Bread loaded with dates, raisins, nuts and sesame seeds. 

     [[Remember to add nuts in your diet everyday. Even though, that fall under "Fat" group, nuts are high in healthy fats and fiber, and are a good plant-based source of protein. Nuts are also high in vitamin E and loaded with magnesium, a mineral that most people don't get enough of. Studies show that people who eat nuts tend to be healthier, and have a lower risk of obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes]]

 As I said, I wanted to omit the sugar and butter from the bake, I sweetened the cake with just banana and few tblsp. of jaggery powder. I excluded the butter and egg, instead used vegetable oil and flax seed powder to bind the cake. As flax seed flour has a high concentration of oil, we can use it as a substitute for eggs or fat in some baked goods.

  [[Flax seeds are also powerhouse of nutrition. Each tablespoon of whole seeds is rich in fiber, omega-3 fatty acids and essential nutrients like copper, magnesium, thiamine and manganese.]]

So, in this recipe, I have not used any kind of animal product and that's why, it is also a vegan-friendly recipe. Let's check out the recipe...............

You Need :

Whole wheat flour : 1 and 3/4 cup
Mashed banana (preferably overripe) : around 3 big sized bananas
Jaggery Powder : 4 tblsp.
Baking powder : 1tsp.
Baking soda : 1/2 tsp
Salt : 1/2 tsp
Vegetable Oil : 1/3 cup
Cinnamon, grounded : 1/2 tsp
Chopped dates : 1/4 cup
Raisins : 1/3 cup
Chopped mixed nuts(walnuts, almonds) : 1/2 cup
Flax seed, powdered : 2 tbsp + 6 tbsp water
Sesame seeds : 1 tbsp

How To :

• Pre-heat the oven at 150 degree Celsius
• Mix flax seed powder with 6 tblsp. of lukewarm water, stir well and leave it aside for at least 10-15 minutes, it will soak up the water a little and will become gooey. .
• In a bowl, mix your dry ingredients, take the flour, add baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and mix well. Now add the chopped dates, raisins, nuts and stir till together. 
• In a big mixing bow, mash the banana with the help of a back of a fork. Add oil in there. Add jaggery powder and mix well. Now add the flour mixture little by little in the bowl along with flax seed powder mixed with water. 
• Fold till everything is well combined. It’ll be a hard dough but do not add any more water. Do not over mix. Just stir till it forms a hard dough.
• Fold this into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle sesame seeds and some chopped almonds on top.
• Bake for 50 to 60 mins till the top looks golden on the outside and a toothpick inserted the center, comes out clean.
• Let it cool completely before cut. Devour this yummy bread in breakfast with tea or coffee or with evening tea/coffee. Kids can have this in their school lunch-box or as an evening snack or breakfast bread.

 This recipe I'm submitting to participate in KukClean's ( a facebook group promoting healthy and clean eating) in association with Sunreap, a brand name for Nowrangray Agro Private limited. They are one of the most trusted names in the Food & Beverages industry based in Kolkata, West Bengal and a government-approved Star Export house for wheat flour in India. Their flour milling expertise of over 25 years has made them a top manufacturer and exporter of wheat flour, wheat grains and rice grains.