You won’t miss the dairy, refined sugar, or butter in this Gluten Free Honey Orange Ginger Blueberry Banana Bread. It’s a perfectly flavorful, guilt free snack for your entire family…or just you!
I have an idea for an invention; a chewing gum, breath mint, mouthwash, toothbrush…I don’t care what…that immediately eliminates any aftertaste from your mouth following a meal. I also have another idea; somebody else but me should invent it.
Whatcha think about that???
But seriously, there are some amazing foods and flavors that I love that I just sometimes have to avoid simply because I am not in the mood to be tasting it two days later.
Examples?
- Garlic
- Onions
- Mexican food
- Italian food
- Peppermint (call me crazy, but I hate the aftertaste)
So there you go. Although I live for bold flavors, sometimes I opt for “less is more” when I know I’m going to be tasting my meal for a long while.
You know what this totally reminds me of? Have any of you ever tried those dissolving breath strips? I don’t even know if they make them anymore. I’m pretty sure I was in junior high or high school when they became popular. I can’t believe I ever even used those. How disgusting is that to have a gooey jelly-like strip of mint melting on your tongue. Ewww!
Anyway, Ben is constantly rolling his eyes at me because as soon as we’re done eating a delicious dinner with lots of flavor, I immediately pop a piece of gum in my mouth and chew away. He thinks I’m crazy for not wanting to relish the flavor in mouth a little longer. But, I’ve noticed that the faster I brush my teeth or chew on a piece of gum after a meal, the less likely I am to have that garlic/onion aftertaste linger in my mouth for hours.
And speaking of gum, why the heck have we still not invented a gum with flavor that lasts forever…or at least more than the typical 5 minute stretch. I mean, you would think after watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (which how creepy is that movie???) where the kids are arguing over everlasting gobstoppers, that somebody would actually figure out a way to make suckers and gum last forever. C’mon now! We’re way in the future here. Somebody is slacking.
When everlasting gum is a reality, I’m pretty sure I would pick blueberry as my flavor of choice. That or something with citrus. But seriously, how amazing would that be to have blueberry bursting in your mouth continuously??? Who doesn’t love a burst of blueberry?!
Actually, to be honest I am pretty picky when it comes to my blueberries. They can’t be too soft, too tiny, too sour, or too mushy. They have to be just right. But when they are just right, they are RIGHT! Love them!
Aside from eating blueberries plain, I have discovered another fabulous way to enjoy these berries. Check out this Gluten Free Honey Orange Ginger Blueberry Banana Bread.
Sounds like a mouthful, eh???
Well it is! A mouthful of absolute goodness! Imagine a perfectly moist and sweet dairy free, butter free, and refined sugar free banana bread flavored with orange zest and fresh grated ginger with pockets of warm juicy blueberries that pop in your mouth.
Are you with me???
Now continue imagining that amazing loaf of warm banana bread topped with a crispy crunchy, sweetened layer of old fashioned oats. Ahhhh…sit back, relax, and enjoy.
I honestly cannot believe that up until this last month or two, I have never ever cooked or baked with fresh ginger. The only time I’ve ever even seen fresh ginger is sliced up on a plate next to a few rolls of sushi. You bet I kindly passed on eating it every time I saw it.
Now I still can’t say that I would enjoy eating a piece of plain raw ginger, but by golly, that little root adds some phenomenal flavor when freshly grated. And this banana bread is definitely no exception.
So the next time you’re feeling adventurous and a simple loaf of banana bread just doesn’t seem to curb the cravings, go all out with this flavorful loaf Honey Orange Ginger Blueberry Banana Bread. You will enjoy it all morning long.
What flavors would you add to your banana bread?
- Banana Bread:
- ½ cup melted coconut oil, cooled to touch
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ⅓ cup honey
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 teaspoons orange zest
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup sweet sorghum flour
- ¾ cup brown rice flour
- ⅓ cup potato starch
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⅔ cup mashed banana (3 medium)
- 1 cup blueberries
- Topping:
- ⅓ cup blueberries
- ⅓ cup gluten free old fashioned oats
- 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease and flour (using brown rice flour or sorghum flour) 4 mini loaf pans. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil, coconut sugar, honey, and eggs until smooth.
- In a smaller bowl, combine orange juice, orange zest, ginger, vanilla, and cinnamon. Stir and let sit.
- To your egg mixture add sorghum flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, tapioca starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until well incorporated. Add orange juice mixture and whisk until smooth. Stir in mashed bananas until combined.
- Pour ¼" of batter into each loaf pan so blueberries don't get stuck on bottom of pan. Fold in 1 cup blueberries to remaining batter. Pour remaining batter evenly into loaf pans. Top each loaf pan with remaining ⅓ cup blueberries. Sprinkle tops with oats, then coconut sugar, and then a drizzle of honey.
- Bake loaves at 350 degrees for 40-45 mins until tops spring back at touch of a finger and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean (except for blueberry juice).
