Monday Mash-up

I know. You are likely thinking the world does not need another banana bread recipe and you might be right. But you've never met this banana bread.  It's a mash-up of all the banana breads I have ever met and by met I mean eaten, read about, tweaked, donated to a bake sale, bought from a bake sale, duplicated from my mother, sisters, friends, favourite blogs and dog-eared, tried and true cook books. This is my version.  You have one too just waiting to be mashed-up.
Banana bread is pretty forgiving.  It doesn't shy away from additions or omissions. Great opportunity to experiment a bit here.

Quite simply in one bowl I mash up 3 nice brown, speckly bananas-- 4 if your bananas are smaller.  Whisk in a 1/3 cup of sugar, a tablespoon of vanilla and 2 large eggs.  Stir in 1 and 1/2 cups flour (any combo will do), a 1/4 cup ground flax seeds, a teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of both salt and cardamon. Finally stir in a 1/4 cup melted coconut oil mixing quickly if it's hot so you don't cook your eggs! And that's it. Grease your loaf pan, pour in your mash-up and bake for about 55 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool, enjoy, repeat or begin again and re-create yet another luscious loaf.

If you want to get fancy, before baking sprinkle the top with chopped nuts, oats, flax or course sugar. Sink a few thinly sliced banana slices down the middle of your loaf.  Add in a handful of nuts, seeds, chocolate or blueberries. Swirl in a spoonful of molasses or maple syrup.
Slice it, toast it, spread it with peanut butter or butter or enjoy it naked.
Got a few slices just before stale? Dip it in egg and make french toast.
Freeze it for a rainy day.
Make muffins: pour batter in a muffin tin and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Need another excuse to bake some banana bread today?  Click here to watch this movie trailer with a compelling reason to find some over ripe, speckly bananas to put to good use today!