Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

Whole Wheat Banana Nut Bread

This is one very healthy recipe.

Ingredients

8 large overripe bananas. Roast the bananas if not overripe.

1 cup olive oil

2 eggs

1 cup milk or soy milk

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup plain flour

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup ground flax seed

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups raisins

1 cup of nuts, e.g.,  pecans or macadamias

2 cups banana chips (dried banana slices)

1 cup of artificial sugar

Instructions

Roasting bananas will make them easy to mash if they are not overripe. They still need to be sweet and ripe. Place the bananas on a baking pan. Cook for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees until the bananas start to turn black. Allow the bananas to cool a little and then peel and mash.

 Place all the ingredients in a bowl and  mix well.  Line the inside of three loaf pans with foil and place a tablespoon of olive oil in each of two loaf  baking pans.

Cook for about 40 minutes at 400 degrees.  Cook until a toothpick in the center of the bread comes out clean.


A thick slice served with french vanilla ice cream makes an excellent desert. Slices with some butter make an excellent breakfast if you have run out of time.

Queensland: Home of the Macadamia Nut.

One of my delights as youngster growing up in Queensland was to climb my grandaunt Nan's Bauple Nut tree and harvest the nuts. The scientific name of this nut is the Macadamia Nut. It has been noted that:

Macadamia nuts are closely associated with Hawaii, and for good reason. Hawaii is the largest exporter 

of macadamia nuts, providing ninety-five percent of the world's crop. Yet this buttery-tasting nut is 

native to Australia and comes from a tree that was originally grown for ornamental purposes.

 The tree was introduced to Hawaii in 1880 where it thrived in the tropical environment.

 California now also produces a sizable macadamia nut crop. 

For some the Macadamia Nut has magical properties:

Macadamia is originally an Australian plant from which the nut is derived for extracting oil. This nut oil is natural and has plenty of benefits in every drop. It has enormous utilities in daily lives where it is preferred over any other cooking oil. It has diverse therapeutic uses in maintaining good health. A huge range of skincare and hair care products are made from it.

The ground flax seeds in this recipe also have healthy properties:

Flax seed, also known as linseed, is one of the ancient cultivated crops since Mesopotamian times, grown for its oil seeds, and fiber. The chewy seeds are packed with full of nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, minerals, and essential vitamins. Off late, nutritional and health benefits of flax have widely drawn the attention of nutrition researchers as well as health enthusiasts alike across the planet.