Blueberry Banana Bread

[lavender_tea]

Blueberry Banana Bread
(Adapted from from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero.)

I used to make banana bread a lot, particularly before I cooked very much and felt inept. I guess I got caught up in more complicated recipes and forgot about it for several years. 8 bananas, hot summer days, and the ensuing RIPE!!!1ONE bananas certainly brought it back to mind, though. Whatever recipe I used to use, I no longer have, so when scrambling around this morning, I remember that I've actually got some cookbooks that have EVERYTHING in them, like Veganomicon. Except I didn't have applesauce and wanted to use some frozen blueberries, so I came up with the following. Also, given the oven in my house, next time I'll bake the bread for the full 50 minutes - the bread was completely delicious, but the center was a little gooey.

Makes 1 loaf, which serves 8

2 large OR 3 medium bananas
1/4 cup milk of your choice
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour (though I used whole wheat)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen

Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas well. Add the sugar, milk, oil, and molasses. Whisk briskly to combine.

Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla extract. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined. Fold in the blueberries.

Transfer batter to the loaf pan and bake for 45-50 minutes. The top should be browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool before cutting.