Banana Bread with Fresh Cherries

The farmers market in Del Ray has been wonderful for the past few weeks.  Tons of berries, gorgeous tomatoes, and beans!  I haven't been able to resist buying a few pepper plants, and gerber daisies to put in the garden as well. 

Cucumbers... from a long ago garden!

Little Bread Toddler helps me by picking the heads off the flowers and pulling up everything I've just planted.  But that's just the reality of life with a toddler.  That said, I can't help but melt when he runs over to the sugar snap pea plants and excitedly asks "peas? peas?" until I pick one off and give it to him.

Anyway, last Saturday I bought a ton of fresh cherries.  I had been thinking about what to do with some past-their-prime bananas, and I had the idea of making banana bread, and throwing in some cherries just to spruce it up a little. 

Did you know you can throw bananas in the freezer and they will keep? It's true.

I got this recipe from this website: http://www.ahastylife.com/2011/03/banana-bread-yes-it-is-low-calorie.html. 

However, I made a few changes, one of which was the addition of cherries.  I also used brown sugar instead of regular white sugar, and threw in a handful of rolled oats.

You will need:

1/4 cup sugar (white or brown)
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (a generous 1/4 cup)
1 cup ripe bananas, mashed (3 small)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cherries
3 tbls rolled oats

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, egg, and applesauce.

  3. Fold in the bananas.

4. Lightly spoon the all-purpose flour and whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine the two flours, baking soda, and salt in a separate large bowl.

5. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, 1/2 cup at a time, mixing after each addition until moistened.  Add the oats and cherries right about now as well. 

6. Coat one loaf pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the loaf pan.

7. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in center of the bread comes out clean.

8. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove the bread and cool completely on a wire rack.

 So, obviously this bread is not the prettiest thing out there.  If you did manage to swing by A Hasty Life, her results were much prettier.  But it IS tasty!

Little Bread Toddler approves.  I've been microwaving it and spreading butter on it for breakfast, but it's also great on its own.  A solid recipe!