. wAlnut . dAte & peAr . bAnana breAd .

i lOve fruit . but . banana's wouldn't be my first choice . or my second . in fact they come pretty far down the list . but they do have their uses . last year's hUge trend of making a healthier ice cream for example . & . they are great for smoothies . & . then, of course, there is banana bread . 

i think every healthy food blogger & writer has their own interpretation of banana bread . my first foray into this healthier treat was this lOvely recipe from bbc gOod fOod, aptly titled healthy banana bread . & to be fair this recipe did me well . i've adapted it . added to it . tried it with berries . tried it with apples . & a fair few other variations as well . 

then i ventured through a few more recipes via pinterest . before settling for a while on the Hemsley and Hemsley sister's recipe . 

but then i got itchy feet again . which i blame in part to a wonderful breakfast i had at sAssafras cAnteen whilst in brisbane . a huge plate of walnut & date toast with ricotta, hazelnuts & honey . it was sO good . & i wondered if i could somehow recreate it in banana bread form . or something similar . well however it was going to turn out there's something lovely about the combination of walnuts & dates & wholegrains & i couldn't resist adding sliced pear to the top as well . 

am i alone in buying banana's simply to let them ripen to the point of spoiling just so that i can make banana bread ?

& now i'll leave you as i pop off to cut myself a slice of this . to top with ricotta & honey & hazelnuts . it might not be quite that breakfast from sAssafras but it's a not far off .

. have a happy day .