You’ll find this recipe along with 59 other mouthwatering recipes in Emily’s new book Fibre Power, which I highly recommend. And don’t miss her latest appearance on the Feel Better, Live More podcast: The Simple Nutrient That Could Transform Your Gut Health, Brain Power & Longevity

‘Just-Ripe’ Banana Bread

This delicious bread is filled with fibre for a healthy breakfast, dessert, afternoon treat or energy snack. Most recipes ask for overripe bananas but this uses them when they’re still yellow (even slightly green) because they contain more resistant starch. Serve warm with some yoghurt and/or nut butter and berries for a hit of protein and antioxidants. 

Makes 10 slices; prep time 15 minutes; baking time 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 250g pitted dates
• 100ml hot water
• 4 just-ripe bananas (yellow skin, no green or brown)
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100ml olive oil
• 180g wholemeal spelt flour (or a gluten-free alternative)
• 4 tbsp ground flaxseeds
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 100g walnuts, roughly chopped
• 100g dark chocolate (85%), roughly chopped (optional)
• sea salt

To serve, per person:

• 1 heaped tbsp almond butter, warmed
• 120g skyr/Greek yoghurt or 2 tbsp hemp seeds
• 1/2 banana or a handful of blueberries
• a drizzle of honey (optional)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 190°C/170°C fan and line a loaf tin with baking paper.
• In a bowl, combine the dates and hot water and leave to soften for a few minutes.
• In a separate large bowl, mash 3 bananas and mix in the eggs. Roughly dice the fourth banana and set aside.
• In a blender, whizz the soaked dates with their water, the vanilla extract and the olive oil until smooth, then stir into the banana and egg mixture.
• Add the flour, flaxseeds, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Stir gently until just mixed.
• Fold in the chopped walnuts and chocolate, if using, along with the diced banana.
• Pour the mixture into the lined loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes until golden and a skewer poked into the centre comes out clean.
• Leave to cool slightly in the tin, then turn out onto a plate or rack before slicing.
• Serve with almond butter, yoghurt and banana, or with blueberries and hemp seeds – however you like it.

Contains 7g fibre and 8g protein per slice.
(With almond butter, yoghurt and banana contains 11g fibre, 27g protein. With almond butter, blueberries and hemp seeds contains 11g fibre, 21g protein)