The Colour Purple - Blueberry Banana Bread

My favourite range of colours is on the purple and pink spectrum. So its fortunate that the current thinking in healthy food comes in the same shades.

Red cabbage, eggplants, beetroot, blueberries and purple potatoes are, we are told, what we need for long lasting health and vitality. Why? because they contain an enormous amount of antioxidants.

Hard to believe just 1/2 a cup of blueberries has the same amount of antioxidants as 2 1/4 cups broccoli, 2 1/2 cups corn 2 1/4 cups spinach. That's why my favourite fruit at the moment is blueberries. 

It is so easy to include a handful in breakfast cereal, pancakes (check out my blueberry recipe here) and now I've added them into my banana bread, to give it a little more goodness and lift it from ordinary to power packed. As well as being antioxidant rich, this recipe is vegan as it contains no butter or eggs.

Blueberry and Banana Bread

Ingredients

1.5 cups blueberries

3 ripe bananas peeled and mashed

2 cups plain flour - could be gluten free

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup agave syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup milk - could be cow, soy or almond

2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Pre heat oven to 180/350º. grease and or line a loaf tin 9 x 4 or 22 x 10 cm.

• Combine all dry ingredients in one bowl.

• Add lemon juice to milk and allow it to curdle. Then add the agave syrup and mix.

• Add the ripe bananas to the flour, alternating with the wet ingredients and mix together  until you have combine all ingredients. Don't over mix.  Gently mix in the blueberries.

• Turn the mixture into your prepared tin and bake in a moderate oven for 45 - 55 minutes.

• Keep checking to make sure the bread is not browning too quickly. If it is adjust your oven temperature down a fraction.