Banana Bread

Oat bran adds extra fiber to this recipe, making it a heart-healthier bread. The bananas impart a hearty enough flavor that few will notice the difference, but if the sweet taste of oat bran isn’t to your liking, you can omit it and use 2 cups of flour instead.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup oat bran
• ¾ cup sugar
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 ripe bananas, mashed
• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• ¼ cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 ¼ cups walnuts
• Nonstick spray

1. Add the flour, oat bran, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a mixing bowl. Stir to mix.
2. Add the bananas, butter, eggs, yogurt, and vanilla to a food processor; pulse to cream together.
3. Add the walnuts and flour mixture to the food processor. Pulse to combine and chop the walnuts. Scrape down the sides of the container with a spatula and pulse until mixed.
4. Treat the slow cooker with nonstick spray. Add the batter to the slow cooker, using a spatula to spread it evenly across the bottom of the crock. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the bread comes out clean. Allow to cool uncovered before removing it from the slow cooker.

Spiced Banana Bread

For cinnamon-spiced banana bread, in Step 1 add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon each of ground cloves, ground ginger, and allspice; and nutmeg to the flour.