Paleo Spicy Banana Bread - Between Two Forks

I want you to think of a thing that brings back a memory. Is it a song, a picture, a taste, or a smell? It can be all of the above. For me, the strongest memories are brought back by food. Food IS memory. Have you ever tasted a dish that triggers a distant memory? Usually these memories are tied to strong emotions. These memories are SO vivid that it seems as if it happened just hours ago. Personally, the smell of fried shallots and garlic instant noodles takes me back to being five-years-old, sitting in my grandfather’s room as I ate and watched cartoons at his desk. Dates, citrons and the smell of rum take me back to Christmas at my family’s apartment in Hong Kong. My mom, grandma and I would gather around our round dining room table, me standing on a chair, making fresh bread crumbs for our homemade Christmas pudding. I am a firm believer that our favorite dishes are not chosen because it was made with expensive ingredients or because it was prepared by a world-class chef. Our favorite dishes are chosen because that dish holds a special place in our heart. It is a dish that brings back fond memories. Each bite takes you back to that time and place, like your very own time machine.

In 1996, my family moved to Kansas City from Hong Kong. I was eight years old at the time. That year holds a special place in my heart. Being born in Hong Kong, I have never seen snow in my entire life. I remember it was an October afternoon. I was in school at the time and I looked out the window and saw little snowflakes falling from the sky. I could hardly contain my excitement! It was amazing. As well as snow, never in my life had I seen or even heard of banana bread. Sure, we had sweet breads and breads with creamy fillings, but never had I heard of fruit bread in a loaf.

It was my first Thanksgiving in the states and everyone, including myself, had stuffed themselves full of turkey, mashed potatoes and all other forms of Americana Thanksgiving deliciousness. The smell of fresh brewed coffee filled the air. My aunt walked in and asked if anyone was ready for dessert. As a child that loved food more than toys, I raised my hand eagerly. Minutes later, she walks in with a brown loaf of…something. “What is it?” I asked my aunt. “Banana bread,” she replied. Banana bread? What’s a banana bread? She had received it as a gift from one of her close friends and she suggested I try it with salted butter. Banana and salted butter. I was skeptical, but I was a food-lovin’ kid and was not going to turn down dessert. I took my first bite and was transported straight to heaven. It was warm, salty and sweet. Buttery with a hint of banana. I was instantly in love.

Fast forward to current day, I live an 80/20 Paleo lifestyle and I needed to find a banana bread fix! How do I create a banana bread that fits Paleo guidelines but actually taste and feel like a regular banana bread? After trial and error, I did it! It’s alive and delicious! Today, I would like to share this Spicy Banana Bread recipe with you, so that you can make your own memories.

First, let’s make some candied papitas and sunflower seeds. You can use whatever nuts or seeds and these make a wonderful snack by itself!

Candied Nuts/Seeds:

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Papitas

Sunflower Seeds

Palm Sugar

Butter (Preferably Grassfed)

Water

Optional:

Vietnamese Cinnamon

Ground Ginger Powder

Cardamom Powder

Ground Black Pepper

Ground Cloves

Lemon Zest

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1/4 Cup

2 Tbsp

1 tsp

1/2 tsp

1/4 tsp

1/2 tsp[/ezcol_1quarter_end]

1. Start up by heating the butter, water and palm sugar in a skillet over low-medium to medium heat

2. Once the sugar is melted and starts forming into a syrup, stir in papitas and sunflower seeds

3. If you want, add in the optional spices (I highly recommend this, the chai spice really adds to the banana bread)

4. Now continue cooking until it is very thick and close to almost no liquid is left.

5. Remove the skillet from the heat and transfer the glazed seeds onto a piece of parchment paper and spread them out in a thin, even layer. Now let them cool off completely while you prep the banana bread! If the glaze is not dry enough, you can spread the seeds on a lined cookie sheet and bake it at 350° for 5-7 minutes, stirring them occasionally.

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Coconut Palm Sugar

Coconut Flour

Almond Meal

Chestnut Flour

Tapioca Starch

Sweet Potato Starch

Baking Soda

Salt

Ground Chinese Cinnamon

Ground Ginger Powder

Ground Nutmeg

Ground Black Pepper

Eggs

Honey (Or syrup of your choice, agave works as well)

Butter (Melted & Preferably Grass-fed)

Ripe Bananas (Mashed)

Pure Vanilla Extract[/ezcol_3quarter] [ezcol_1quarter_end]

3/4 Cup

1/2 Cup

1/4 Cup

1 1/2 tsp

1/4 tsp

1 tsp

1/2 tsp

1/4 to 1/2 tsp

1/4 Cup

1/2 Cup

1/2 tsp[/ezcol_1quarter_end]

Note:I know this seems like a lot of different flours to purchase, but trust me, if you are paleo, these are all great things to have in your pantry.

1. First off, preheat your oven to 350° and mix all of the dry ingredients together thoroughly.

2. Add in melted butter, mashed bananas , eggs, honey and vanilla extract to the dry mixture.

3. Mix the ingredients together until all of the lumps are gone.

4. Now pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan and topped with the Candied Seeds you made earlier

5. Depending on what size loaf pans you use, coated or non-coated pans. Personally, I used dark mini loaf pans and baked it at 350° for 42-43 minutes. If you are using a regular size dark loaf pan, you can bake it for 1 hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes.

Baking Note: Baking time can vary depending on the temperature in your home, the altitude you are baking at and the humidity of the day. Just adjust the time until you insert a toothpick or paring knife comes out clean when you poke it in the middle.

Chai Spiced Butter:

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Butter (Room temp and preferably grass-fed)

Coconut Palm Sugar

Ground Vietnamese Cinnamon

Ground Ginger Powder

Cardamom Powder

Allspice Powder

Ground Cloves

Lemon Zest[/ezcol_3quarter] [ezcol_1quarter_end]

1/2 Cup

1 tbsp

1/2 tsp

1/4 tsp

1/8 tsp

1/4 tsp[/ezcol_1quarter_end]

1. Make sure your butter is at room temperature, so it is soft and easily mixed

2. Mix all of the ingredients together thoroughly

3. Use some on the banana bread that just came fresh out of the oven!

I hope you have enjoyed my recipe. Now, go, create some food memories!

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