No Waste Banana Bread
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Banana Bread is a serious favourite of mine! There is something so comforting about a warm loaf straight from the oven, and when I have nice ripe bananas I HAVE to make bread- it would be sacrilegious not to! Recently however I was one banana short of a recipe that I found online. As I schemed and thought up other ingredients I could use to bulk it up, I was reminded of a recipe from Sarah Wilson (an awesome zero waste cook) who had made a loaf using the peels! I know this sounds absolutely insane, but she mentioned that in Australia 5 million bananas are eaten a day, and I imagine the number in North America would be the same if not higher! That is a whole lot of organic waste (that is if your region composts) and also a huge loss in potential nutrients!
Banana Peels are packed with great vitamins like Vitamin B6 and B12 as well as an excellent source of fibre! I was very skeptic of this concept as I looked at my very black peels, but I really enjoyed it and didn’t really notice too much of a difference! I highly recommend trying out this recipe I think you will be pleasantly surprised by the result, and may even make this a new addition to your staple banana bread!
I called this the No Waste Banana Bread because I not only added the whole banana but I also used almond pulp as flour! When I make my almond milk I always have a bag of the pulp leftover and so I simply spread it out on a tray, heat my oven to about 175/200, let it dry out in the oven for about 2 hours (great to do while you watch a movie or wait for laundry). I then take this dried out substance and throw it in the processor and it creates the most beautiful floury substance! Almonds are not cheap and so the fact that I can get a cup of flour out of each batch of almond milk was VERY exciting for me! It’s a great texture and really added something to this bread!
Though these may seem like small steps I do believe that this is how we can easily have an impact on our current climate crisis (it is a crisis). Food waste is a completely unnecessary problem that we encounter across the world each and every day. If we can begin with little steps in our own kitchens, we can feel empowered by our choices and also save some money! Check out my previous blog post on reducing your impact! This would be a great recipe as a starter!
No Waste Banana Bread
WET
2 ripe bananas peeled
2 banana peels
3 eggs
1 tbsp ACV
Heat oven to 350 Blend eggs, add bananas + blend , add peels + blend,
DRY
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
3 cups flour (I used 2 cups almond meal, 1 cup whole wheat)
¼ cup of fat of your choice (be sure to melt if butter/coconut oil)
Honey to taste
Vanilla to taste
½ tsp salt
3/4/tsp baking powder
Slowly add all remaining ingredients and blend until smooth, add a bit of water or milk of choice if it gets dry. Place in the oven at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Garnish with chocolate and coconut if you like that kind of thing!
Sarah Wilson Article on some kitchen zero waste tips
https://www.businessinsider.com/benefits-of-eating-banana-peels-2015-9