With a quick show of hands, who considers banana bread to be a staple of life?

That's what I thought. Yeah, I agree, banana bread always needs to be within my reach. Actually, that holds true for anything containing bananas. My blood runs banana yellow.

But back to this bread I teased you with in order to get you over to my blog. Guys, it gets better than just bananas and bread. Are you ready for this...it has coconut.....and almond...and is gluten free....and vegan *gasp* Not only is it scrumptious, healthy, and hearty, but it is as moist as you could ever dream a cake, eh I mean, bread to be. Okay, lets be honest with ourselves here. Banana bread usually is pretty much the twin sister of cake in disguise as a breakfast food. But not this banana bread. Its oil free and refined sugar free. This banana bread is so healthy that it may taste like breakfast cake, but it is totally all healthy banana business.

Like most breads, this puppy will need a good hour(ish) in the oven, so this won't be an ideal last minute breakfast on a busy Monday morning. But it would go lovely with an almond milk latte and a fuzzy bathrobe on a lazy Sunday morning. Make sure you cool your jets and your banana bread before slicing into it. It needs to cool for 30-45 minutes post baking before diving into it so it doesn't fall apart on you (though banana bread crumbles are also not a bad thing).

This recipe is not just my gift to you, but is adapted from my beloved friend Morgan's recipe. So let's virtually high-five Morgan before we get to mashing bananas.

2 Tbsp ground flax meal

6 Tbsp warm water

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, ground into flour in a blender or food processor

1 cup almond meal

1/4 cup applesauce

1 Tbsp maple syrup (or honey for non-vegan)

2 tsp baking powder

2 very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup almond milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.

2. In a small bowl, combine ground flax meal and warm water. Stir and allow the mixture to sit for at least 5 minutes. This creates "flax eggs"

3. In a large bowl, mix together all the other ingredients and stir until well combined. Add flax eggs to the bowl and vigorously stir mixture until the batter is smooth and even in color and without lumps (minus a few expected banana chunks).

4. Pour batter into lined loaf pan and bake for 60 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

5. Cool in the loaf pan 30-45 minutes before removing and slicing bread.

6. Store in an air-tight container in fridge for a week or freeze.

Super Moist Coconut Almond Banana Bread