Strawberry Banana Bread...can't you just smell it?

 

Strawberry season is in full-swing in the midwest, so we have been consuming LARGE quantities of berries the past two weeks! I hate to waste a single moment when strawberries are in season; there's so much to make/do before they are no more! Yesterday, I tried a new recipe that is definitely going to go into the "tried and true" category in my recipe notebook: Strawberry Banana Bread. So ridiculously good!

 

Strawberry Banana Bread

(adapted from http://galexicupcakes.blogspot.com)

 

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 banana, divided (mash half and slice the other half into thin slices)

1/4 cup canola/vegetable oil

one egg, beaten

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups diced strawberries

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9 X 5 loaf pan. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugars and baking soda.  Add the mashed banana and stir.  Add the oil, beaten  and vanilla.  Stir until just combined.  Gently fold in one cup of the strawberries.  Pour batter into prepared pan and top with the sliced bananas and remaining strawberries, pressing them gently into the batter.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  You may need to bake for 40-50 minutes, as the batter is extremely moist.  Allow to cool before removing from pan. Yum, yum, yum!