Dairy, Egg & Nut-Free Banana Bread

Do you know what today is...? If you guessed National Banana Bread Day, you are right! While this may not be a day you have circled on the calendar, it's certainly a fun excuse to enjoy one of the most traditional breakfast (or snack!) treats out there. Who doesn't love a warm, delicious slice of banana bread? And, if you are managing food allergies, there is absolutely no reason why you should feel left out.

My sweet friend Kate (who guest blogged for me over the holidays with a delicious gingerbread cookie recipe - click here for her post) shared this dairy, egg and nut-free recipe with me years ago. And, it has been my go-to ever since! The secret ingredient in this bread is apple sauce, which works as a perfect binder in lieu of the eggs, but ensures that is perfectly moist. And, this recipe is super simple: everything can be thrown into a bowl and mixed by hand, and there are no hard-to-find ingredients, just the absence of the ingredients to which my kids are allergic.

This recipe is also perfect springboard for some fun. My favorite thing to add to this batter is blueberries, but you can add just about anything - dried fruit, chocolate chips, or pumpkin seeds, to name a few. Also, while I have not experimented very much with using gluten-free flour for this recipe, it is absolutely worth a try for my gluten-free friends (my go-to gluten-free flour mix is King Arthur's Gluten-Free All-Purpose Baking Mix)

Dairy, Egg & Nut-Free Banana Bread

1/2 cup canola oil

1/2 cup applesauce

3/4 cup sugar

3 ripe bananas (smashed)

2 cups flour (whole wheat flour is great in this recipe)

1 tsp. baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 tsp. of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, use a potato masher (or fork) to smash bananas until liquidy. Add canola oil, applesauce and sugar to bananas, and combine until well incorporated. Mix in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Once wet and dry ingredients are combined well, add mix-ins, like blueberries.

Grease bread loaf pan (9 x 5 x 3) with non-stick, dairy-free cooking spray. Pour batter into plan and bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until cake tester or toothpick comes out clean.