Lowfat Banana Oatmeal Bread

I don't know about you, but I can't eat a banana once any spots have made their appearance — it's just too sweet for my taste. Bananas in such a state, however, are perfect for baking and don't necessarily need to end up in the trash!

They have a lot more character with their spots too, don't they?

For our last monthly staff meeting (which turned into a breakfast meeting), I wanted to bake up a couple of things to add to the spread. I decided to make something naughty and something nice — the bananas were used for the nice recipe, of course.

I actually made a Weight Watchers recipe for banana oatmeal bread. It was very enjoyable!

Now, before I go any further, let's just have a little heart to heart. If you're expecting a buttery, cake-like quick bread, this isn't the recipe for you. But...if you want a recipe for a tasty, hearty, and healthy treat, give this a shot. The oats give a really nice, chewy texture, and there is very little fat and flour. It's hearty enough to stand as a breakfast option but also makes a nice snack.

Banana Oatmeal Bread (makes 1 loaf — about 10 slices)

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup unpacked brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 cup uncooked old-fashioned oats
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 large, ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
1 extra large egg
1/4 cup natural applesauce
2 extra large egg whites
1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan.
• In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (flour through cinnamon). 
• In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork or potato masher. Then add the oil, 1 whole egg, applesauce, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just combined. Add the walnuts (optional) and give it another stir.
• With a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, use a whisk attachment to whip the 2 egg whites and a pinch of salt until medium stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a spatula until just combined. Be careful to fold the egg whites in gently so you don't deflate the egg whites.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 5 minutes. Flip out of pan and cool on a wire rack for another 10 minutes.