Maybe it was the Salt & Straw vegan mint chip ice cream with a coconut base. 

Due to a series of missing ingredients for my go-to banana bread recipes, an abundance of limes from my dad’s tree, and an expired can of coconut milk, I cobbled together this concoction of substitutions, bracing for disaster. 

Instead, it was fantastic. Not too sweet. The limes brighten the flavor without being totally noticeable. As a bonus, it’s accidentally dairy-free. 

Ingredients

3 ripe bananas, mashed

½ cup white sugar

1 tablespoon molasses 

3 tablespoons coconut cream (scoop the solid white stuff from a can of separated coconut milk)

1 tablespoon lime juice (approx a squeeze from ¼ lime)

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

½ cup spelt flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon lime zest (approx 1 small lime)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 F  

Spread olive oil on a 9-inch loaf pan and dust it with flour.

In a medium bowl, use a whisk or fork to combine bananas, sugar, coconut, lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, egg, and vanilla. Top with flours, baking powder, and baking soda, giving the dry ingredients a little stir with a fork, and then combine into the batter with a spatula, creating a custard-y texture. 

Pour batter into the loaf pan. Bake for around 40 minutes. It’s done when the top bounces back when pressed or a toothpick comes out clean.