Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

Banana bread! Whether as a treat with a warm beverage, a quick breakfast or the ultimate bread for a PB & Jelly sandwich, many of us have our favorite recipe and fond memories of this comfort food. When I switch to a cruelty-free diet, I had to reinvent many of the favorite foods in my culinary closet. I also went gluten-free after realizing a sensitivity and baking proved my biggest challenge, but it has now transformed into a newfound adventure skill. Here is one of my favorite ways to make banana bread now.

Mix together by hand or with electric mixer:

1/4 cup raw sugar (omit if you prefer a low-sugar version)
1/4 cup vegan butter, softened (like Earth Balance Soy-free)
3 mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup rice milk (or any vegan milk)
1/4 cup vegan sour cream (I use Wayfare) or vegan plain yogurt or apple sauce


Whip for 1 minute1 in food processor and add to banana mixture, stirring well:
2 Tbsp ground flax
6 Tbsp water


Combine in a separate bowl and then add to banana mixture, stir until just combined:
1 cup rice flour
1 cup oat flour
1 tsp baking soda (aluminum-free)
1/2 tsp sea salt


Fold in gently:
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Place batter in a lightly buttered loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test. Remove  from pan to a wire wrack after cooling for 10 minutes and cool completely (or at least as much as you can before devouring the loaf with a slathering of vegan butter on each slice!).