Almond Banana Bread with Raspberry Coconut "Frosting"

I was craving a soft homemade bread the other day, so grabbed for a few ingredients and came up with this nutritious almond banana bread! It's easy on the banana, so suitable for my paleo, ketogenic, low-sugar friends.

Note: While these are dairy-free, they are not vegan. I've started to re-introduce eggs (just went through a period where they weren't sitting well with my stomach and I stopped craving them). The Birch Blender mix that is used in this recipe contains eggs. However, you can substitute this mix with Almond & Coconut flour, add baking soda to the recipe & flax / chia eggs (1 tbsp seed + 3 tbsp water).

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Ripe & Mashed Banana
• 1 TBSP Tahini
• 1 TBSP Creamy Almond Butter
• 2 TBSP Cacao Nibs
• 3/4 cup Birch Benders Paleo Pancake Mix (or substitute with 1/2 cup almond flour + 1/4 cup coconut flour + 1 tsp baking soda + 1 chia or flax egg)
• Dash of Cinnamon
• 1/3 cup water + 1/3 cup nut milk
• Optional : if you have Tigernut powder, I added 2 TBSP for a pre-biotic and fiber boost (if you're intrigued or curious about Tigernut powder, check out my favorite brand from Pressed Vibrance)

Raspberry Coconut "Frosting":

• 1/3 cup coconut water
• 1/2 cup frozen raspberries
• 1/2 TBSP coconut butter (or any nut butter would work)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil (I use coconut oil) a bread loaf pan (I used 8x4)
2. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients well
3. Add banana, tahini, almond butter, water, and milk
4. Mix until well combined
5. Spread the dough evenly into the bread pan 
6. Bake for 16-20 minutes or until edges are brown and the dough has risen (if you poke with a fork it should come out clean)
7. Topping: Blend ingredients in a blender until thick and smooth. Drizzle over bread!
8. Note: if you plan or storing it in the fridge (will store up to a week), the frosting may make the fresh baked bread soggy, in which case, consider saving the frosting and dipping / drizzling when you consume it!

ENJOY!!