The last time I was looking through my recipe pages, one thing really struck me: I had no recipe for gluten-free banana bread. I thought that couldn’t be. If that was the case, it meant I hadn’t made banana bread in over 2 years, which seemed ridiculous because I can still clearly remember how soft and sweet and spicy and moist good banana bread should taste.

Somehow that was true and I realized I really needed to get with the program. As soon as some bananas turned brown, I mashed them up and made them into banana bread. Even without the gluten, this bread holds its shape with each thick, dense, moist and chewy slice and the flavor has just the right amount of spice and sweetness.

While I think coconut flour could make a texture slightly similar to regular banana bread, I used only almond flour in this loaf because I know what a hassle it is to go out and have to buy 15 different kinds of flour. I used vegetable oil but melted coconut oil would add a great boost of flavor and be slightly more healthy.

Almond Flour Banana Bread

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 loaf):

• 1 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar
• 3 medium bananas, mashed(about 3/4 cup banana puree)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup walnuts(optional)
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips(optional) 

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, eggs, oil, sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt until there are no clumps.
3. Fold the walnuts, chocolate chips, or any other mix-ins you might want into the batter.
4. Lightly grease a 5 x 10 or similar sized loaf pan and pour in the batter.
5. Bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.  

This is really great with butter, peanut butter, chocolate hazelnut spread, or even all on its own. You should keep it wrapped up in the refrigerator in between meals so it lasts longer.

Breakfast is almost never a planned meal around here. I’ll wake up and see what I can cook in the microwave and have ready to eat in less than 5 minutes. That works most of the time, but once and a while it’s nice to change things up and eat something that actually has some thought put into it, like this breakfast quinoa.

There’s no reason to just eat quinoa for lunch or dinner. It has a fairly plain taste on its own and can easily be made savory or sweet. It’s especially good as an oatmeal replacement for gluten-free people because you don’t need to worry about buying gluten-free quinoa the way you do rolled oats. For as good as it tastes, this bowl is really easy to whip up, too, using leftover quinoa from your last meal.

If you don’t have leftover quinoa for this but still want to make it, cooking a batch only takes 15 minutes. For each 1/2 cup cooked quinoa you’ll need 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa and 1/2 cup water brought to a boil and covered until all the water’s been absorbed.

Banana Breakfast Quinoa

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 0 minutes

Ingredients(Makes 1 serving):

• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 banana, plus more for garnish
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup(optional) plus more for drizzling
• 2 Tablespoons crushed walnuts

Method:

1. Using a fork, mash the banana in a bowl into a smooth puree.
2. Add in the quinoa, cinnamon, and salt and mix together. If the quinoa’s not sweet enough, add the maple syrup to enhance the flavor.
3. Move into a serving bowl and add on top the walnuts and more banana and maple syrup if desired. Serve as a cold breakfast or—if you prefer—heat it up in the microwave or oven like a hot cereal.

You can really top this with anything. It’s especially good served hot with a melting dollop of PB&Co.’s Mighty Maple on top.