That’s right, raw banana nut bread! As i’ve said plenty of times before, banana bread is one of my weaknesses, a breakfast, snack, and dessert that is constantly on the brain. This week I stayed at a lovely AirBnB in Raleigh, North Carolina with an old friend of mine; the place was so cool! An adorable little loft above a swanky garage in Mordecai, a little subdivision in Raleigh, surrounding by cozy cafes, banging bars, and rave-full restaurants. The only downside, no stove in this loft. Not a problem usually, for a weekend get-away however, I was staying for a week. For someone who enjoys home-cooked meals, keeping the wallet closed, and the idea of staying in on rainy days, the idea of no stove or oven did not sit well with me. I was worried my friend would be turned off by the place instantly; what would we eat with no stove? I was afraid he’d think. To my surprise, he blurted out
“well, guess we’re raw vegan for the week!”
I smiled, happy as ever that he brought up the thoughts that were running through my mind. I reassured him it wouldn’t be bad at all, because luckily I had some delicious recipes up my sleeve that I had just been dying to try.
And with that, came this in-fact delicious recipe! A dairy-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, no-bake banana nut bread! This bread was a hit! I couldn’t get my friend to stop eating it- breakfast, lunch, and dinner this bread was in his mouth. Him assuring me that being raw vegan was definitely NOT as difficult as he thought it’d be, this recipe being our saving grace.
Hopefully you find it as enjoyable as him!
raw banana nut slice
in a food processor, blend:
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw almonds
10 soft pitted dates
1 ripe banana
a pinch of sea salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
once a sticky dough forms, add to a parchment paper lined loaf pan and freeze for 4 hours-overnight. At our AirBnb we didn’t have parchment paper or a loaf pan so we put it in a plastic Chinese soup container to harden over night, that’s why our bread is circular! Feel free to use whatever method that suits your situation!
frosting/glaze:
1/2 cup almond butter
1/4 cup coconut oil and coconut butter mixed (just because I do not particularly like the taste of coconut oil I use the butter as a buffer, but feel free to use either/or as you wish)
a pinch of sea salt
add the above into a blender and blend until well combined, then pour over the frozen batter. Place back in the fridge or freezer to harden. When completely hardened, remove from freezer/fridge and cut into desired sized pieces!