As you might have noticed on social media, October is fair trade month. For the past few years, I’ve donated a post to the promote this cause because I think it’s important. So many ingredients we can source locally (which is great) but what about those that we can’t? I love my coffee, chocolate, and spices but most of those items aren’t grown around me. Looking for the fair trade logo is the best way to know that your supporting small farmers and good ingredients through your purchases! If you want to know more, be sure to pop over to the Fair Trade site to learn more about Buy Fair. Be Fair.Β
This year, Fair trade asked if I would share the story of just one of the farmers that is supported through fair trade. I was sent along Madhav:
Madhav Murah, 32, Engine attendant at the Maud Tea Estate, with his wife, Savitri Murah, 28, a seasonal worker in the tea estate, with their younger son, Prasanta. Madhav Murah is also the head of the local chapter of the tea workers’ union…In 2012, Madhav Murah bought a cow and built a cowshed with a loan from Fair Trade premium money. Today, he has 3 cows and has developed a business selling milk in the village and compost material back to the tea estate. The profits from this small business pay for his elder son’s education in a nearby residential school.
Murah says, “I am happy that Fair Trade has allowed me to self-start this business, helping both my family and the tea estate in the process. As the first in the village to bring about such a scheme, other tea workers have also taken loans to start their own enterprises, inspired by our success story. In the future, I plan to take a second loan with Fair Trade support to grow our business.”
So in honor of fair trade month, I thought I’d share my favorite banana bread recipe. I’ve been working on this recipe for some time now and it all stemmed from my favorite pumpkin bread recipe (good for fall!) I was able to include three of my favorite fair trade ingredients in this bread: bananas (duh), chocolate chips from Guittard, and vanilla extract from Frontier Natural Products Co-op. This bread is moist and I find doesn’t even need an extra slab of butter to serve (but that hasn’t stopped me before.) It’s made with whole wheat pastry flour, no refined sugar, and a bit of oat flour to help keep it moist. I know there’s a lot of banana bread recipes out there, but this one is now my go-to anytime I need a treat, we have guest, or are prepping for a road trip!
Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup banana puree (2-3 bananas)
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup pecan or walnut oil (or melted butter)
- 2 eggs
- oatmeal and nuts to top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350Λand generously butter/oil a 8 or 9" loaf pan (or use parchment paper.)
- In a food processor, pulse oats until almost flour- I still like little pieces of oats left. Pour into a large bowl and add wheat flour, baking soda, nuts, and chocolate chips.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together banana puree, maple syrup, oil, and two eggs. Pour into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined (don't over stir!)
- Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with oats and nuts. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Top should spring back lightly and when a knife is entered, it should come out clean. Let cool and slice!
by Erin Alderson
I like making baked quinoa with honey, cinnamon and cocoa, topped with bananas. All fair trade when I can get my hands on them π
Would love to get Sarah’s recipe for the baked quinoa!
My favorite way to use quinoa is in veggie burger sliders!
my favorite way to use fair trade ingredients are right out of the box. so many chocolate bars. so many cups of tea.
I like using spices to make my mom’s home-made Indian recipes. Comfort food, family tradition, and ethical products all in one!
hi! hands down, chocolate chip banana bread. happy just thinking about it!
im a HUGE spices fan-i love to make a dish pop with various regional spices.
Coffee, for sure. π
My favorite way to use fair trade chocolate is to eat it straight! It’s so good on its own, I can’t bring myself to do anything else with it!
My favorite fair trade purchase–or at least the one I make the most often–is coffee. I always buy fair trade coffee and I drink it almost every morning!
I like my fair trade coffee fresh out of the French press every morning.
Guittard chocolate chips to make THE BEST brownies! π
While not the best at cooking quinoa from scratch, I do enjoy combing it with beluga lentils to serve as a bed of savory goodness for a roasted chicken breast or pork loin.
I love fair trade coffee on its own (or with a bit of whiskey post-dinner during the winter holidays!)
I love fair trade coffee! I find it so delicious to add coffee to anything with chocolate, especially cake or cookies.
Put honey and bananas on or in everything!
Fair trade coffee in my morning espresso for everyday, and fair trade dark chocolate sipping cocoa for cool fall/winter nights as a treat!
I loooove fair trade products! I use them whenever I can!! I use the chocolate for Brownies, cookies, bread, and eating them straight out of the package. I drink tea almost every night and the coffee is AMAZING. I also love the spices, I try to use spices in every thing I make it brings out flavor and makes the dish!
I like to use fair trade cocoa powder and cinnamon in a spicy hot chocolate!
I like to eat chocolate right out of the box! Preferably paired with coffee. Or IN coffee. Yum!
I love using quinoa in my pumpkin spice granola!
Fair trade coffee! I drink it every morning.
Fair trade dark chocolate is best eaten straight from the wrapper!
This banana bread looks delicious! Chocolate is definitely the main fair trade product at our house — and I use it by breaking off a chunk of the bar of my choice and putting it in my mouth. π No cooking necessary! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
often over-looked, I enjoy fair trade (or slavery-free, rather) tomatoes all the time!
Fair trade chocolate bars as an after dinner sweet treat most nights! π
Coffee!!!
I like to use fair trade cinnamon to make a zucchini bread.
Straight up! Morning coffee and chocolate for an afternoon snack.
My favorite way to enjoy one of my fair trade products: I sit down & have some time to myself w/ a cup of cocoa after the kids go to bed.
Hi!
Favorite fair trade item: Tea, Bananas and Chocolate. And coconut oil.
Tea (Chai with nut milk and honey, or hibiscus!)
Bananas (nothing better than banana with peanut butter. Simple and SO FILLING π
Chocolate (by itself, in a brownie, hot chocolate with cayenne, as it comes…)
Coconut oil (scrambled eggs cooked in coconut oil=YES, baked sweet potato with melting coconut oil=YES YESS!)
I like to use organic quinoa to make breakfast bites ( in a muffin tin with eggs, cheese, and veggies ). Yum.
sorry it posted twice on accident!
Of all of the great foods out there, I have to pick straight up chocolate. I love the Equal Exchange 80% chocolate.
Quinoa in my vegetable friend quinoa.
I absolutely love your blog, but you need to do some more research before promoting fair trade products. It’s fairly well known that there’s a lot of debate about fair trade; these policies, contrary to their slogan, in many industries siphon profits from the poor farmers to often corrupt governments.
My favorite way to use bananas is melted into oatmeal. Maybe topped with a little fair trade chocolate, too! π
A mug of fair trade coffee, the New Yorker, and a Sunday morning sound pretty much perfect to me!
This looks gorgeous – I always try to buy my oils and teas fairtrade!
This bread is gorgeous! Oatmeal is fair game for all fair trade! I like mine loaded with spices, fruits, chocolate if I’m feeling decadent (there are thousands of combinations), along with some tea or coffee to start the day. There’s no better way, especially when I know that doing good for myself is doing good for someone else.
Such a pretty bread. Love the big oat flakes on top π
This banana bread looks and sounds really lovely π
Hands down, my fair trade chocolate but of course my coffee everyday!
Coffee addict here! Hope I win! Thx for giveaway.
3 of my favorite things all in one: banana bread, chocolate, and fair trade! Thanks, truly, for honoring fair trade month with this great recipe. My favorite? Equal Exchange baking cocoa for making brownies, yum.
My favorite is the chocolate. I use it in breads, brownies and cookies. That is when I don’t eat it right out of the wrapper. I am going to make some of your banana bread. It sounds delicious. I love your website. The recipes are so good but I especially like your stories that are with the recipes. I hadn’t heard about Fair Trade before now. I will start buying these products.
Of course, I love my coffee! Organic fair trade chocolate is a daily treat.
Fair trade coffee is my go-to, but chocolate never hurts either! Banana bread with chocolate chips is my favorite way to make it too!
It is sugar-free! And with chocolate and bananas! I am yours forever!))
I love my ft cinnamon and vanilla. I also love my new fair trade bird house made of felted wool! Fair trade spices and coffee everyday in my kitchen. I love percolating cinnamon in the coffee. Good for digestion too
I love bananas and each a bunch (har-har) a week cut up on breakfast (nut butter toast, granola, etc.). I love that if I don’t get around to eating them they can turn into tasty banana bread!
I start my day with a cup of fair trade coffee
I enjoy using fair trade chocolate chips when I make chocolate chip cookies.
I only buy fair trade coffee, tea, and chocolate! I love this recipe! thanks for sharing.
I’ve never heard of chocolate-coconut chips, but those sound fantastic for baked goods, or even a homemade candy! Ohhh, or a delicious add in to homemade granola.
I use cocoa powder all the time and make hot chocolate, chocolate milk, chocolate pudding, marbled cake and BROWNIES!!!! β₯β₯β₯
One of my favorite ways to use these ingredients is chocolate banana bread, so I’ll definitely be trying this recipe!
My husband loves using fair trade honey on his peanut butter sandwiches – I’m a big tea drinker, so my morning tea is my favorite! I just had Rishi for the first time a couple of weeks ago – it’s the best!
Most often it’s coffee in the morning! But, next time I make Ella’s stuffed peppers, I will look for F.T. quinoa.
This recipe looks great. Thank you for this great site!!!
I will be honest with you, I’ve never used any of the ingredients that you listed above, but I do love making Banana nut bread, and your addition of chocolate chips (yum!) and whole wheat flour sounds absolutely delicious. I plan on printing up your recipe for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, and the next time I make banana nut bread will be with your recipe.
I would melt the Guitard Chocolate chips on bread and add sea salt and a little olive oil for a snack.
I love the idea of Fair Trade and do try to buy that way whenever possible. Specifically, Bananas and Chocolate come to mind (wow great things together as made evident in this recipe!). I have read interesting things about Fair Trade as an effective tool for protecting farmers though. Quinoa shortages in some regions stem from farmers’ desire to sell as much high-price product as possible and actually lead to shortages locally! How counterintuitive…
THat said I think I’ll be making a Banana Chocolate chip bread this weekend with some frozen fair trade fruit begging for a use!
I love going to the chocolate aisle and picking out one of the uniquely flavored organic, fair-trade certified bars. Sure there’s plain or mint chocolate, but I prefer the ones with spices, dried fruits, and/or nuts. It’s the perfect afternoon snack when my concentration starts to fade.
I chop up Chocolate coconut chips from Dang Foods, and put them in my bananna bread- Yum !
Hey! I’m a first time reader and I’m so happy to hear you’re promoting Fair Trade! I was on the Fair Trade Committee at the University I attended and helped to organize the Fair Trade Expo for our region. One of my favorite breakfasts/snacks is simply Fair Trade coffee with yogurt and blueberries from the local farmers market topped with honey and cinnamon. Of course you can throw some delicious Fair Trade bananas in there as well. π
Bananas of course, every day! And I have a feta, quinoa, garbanzo salad recipe that can be served year round.
I love quinoa for breakfast with blackberries (or blueberries), toasted walnuts, and a bit of agave drizzled on top.
I take fair trade cocoa powder (dutched and unsweetened — my favorite is Lake Champlain Chocolates), and mix with just enough maple syrup. Then, I heat up whole milk and add for rich hot chocolate, the elixir that gets me through the day some days!
Can’t wait to make this recipe. Chocolate and coffee are my favorite fair trade items and those two are great together in chocolate cake made with local olive oil with a hint of almond extract.
Coffee is my favorite, preferably either with a frothy whip of milk or an indulgent drop of half and half.
My favorite way to use BarkThins is to go to Costco when they are out for a sample and walk by more than once…maybe twice. And if the sample lady is in a generous mood…three times. And if I’m brave and can keep my child quiet…four times and just to hone my stealth skills,..five times.
Heaven forbid I would buy any. We all know what would happen…
I love using fair trade vanilla in my homemade vanilla ice cream. It tastes amazing and I feel great eating it!
I love breaking up the chocolate and using them in cookies or scones!
I love using (and drinking) fair trade coffee.
A good friend is a local beekeeper so I use honey on EVERYTHING … and happily!
I love freezing bananas and blending them with strawberrys or peanut butter and making it into ice cream! Yum!
I have found some excellent fair trade chocolate at Whole Foods, love to have just a little bit of dark chocolate to get me through the day sometimes! Also, I eat a lot of bananas and try to get organic and fair trade – banana and peanut butter (on toast, in a smoothie, in oatmeal) is one of my favorite flavor combinations.
It would definitely have to be a quinoa bowl–Something perfect for a chilly fall breakfast, with the quinoa cooked in almond milk and pumpkin puree, and can top it with all sorts of yuminess-bananas, with lots of spices, and maybe some chocolate (all fair trade). Just throw that in with some good quality tea and life is good!!
I love using quinoa as a base for breakfast, substituting for oatmeal. Then I add nuts, dried fruit and some fair trade chocolate!
My favorite way to use fair trade ingredients is nibbling on fair trade chocolate, straight from the package! Delicious!
The fair trade items I buy the most are tea and chocolate – both of which I drink/eat on their own!
Fair trade honey with organic milk at bed time, like my mom used to make. Especially love real honey – not that fake-o water and sugar they call honey in the supermarket.
Iβm really a chocolate straight up kinda gal. Thank you for hosting this giveaway!
Fair trade coffee, cold-brewed with cinnamon and brown sugar. Add two ice cubes and creme (on a day when I’m treating myself) and you’re set to have the best day ever.
Favorite way to use fair trade – cold brew coffee! π
eating the chocolate fresh out of the wrapper. and i’m thinking of making your pumpkin bread recipe w/ the chocolate chips.
Fair trade coffee and chocolate are the items i use the most.
Love fair trade coffee and chocolate all the way! Preferably together!
My favorite way to use fair-trade chocolate bars is to break them into little squares and serve for a sweet bite of dessert. It doesn’t get any easier or more delicious!
I love bananas and a crumbled larabar on top of my oatmeal!
I have a cup of fair trade coffee every morning and I love to eat fair trade chocolate too!
Chocolate banana bread!
My favorite fair trade food is coffee – freshly ground and brewed with my aeropress. π
Very boring, potentially, but my favorite breakfast is banana oatmeal- I cook the banana with the oatmeal so it softens and naturally sweetens the oatmeal, then add a ridiculous amount of (fairtrade) cinnamon and a little (local) honey- then top with in-season berries or swirl in some almond butter. Hungry just thinking about it (and I just ate breakfast, shoot.)
I will drink all that fair trade coffee! Yum. PLEASE!
Coffee, for sure! What would we do without it?
Lately, my favorite way is to use fair-trade cocoa powder in a vegan chocolate pudding mousse recipe I’ve been experimenting with.
a banana gets me through the afternoon every day at work!
Baking something yummy like banana bread.
wowza. my afternoon coffee is begging for a slice of that banana bread! i love baking and gifting so i’ve made it tradition to assemble baking kits including as much fair trade as possible, including chocolate, brown sugar, white sugar, ground cinnamon, coconut oil and fair trade vanilla extract!
Well, I love my coffee every morning – brewed fresh in my Chemex coffeemaker (thank you for that, Erin π ) with distilled water and sweetened with maple syrup, just a bit. In fact (!), I’m drinking some right now. Simple. Delicious. Fair Trade.
Thank you for the give away.
I love keeping a Larabar in my purse for on-the-go snack attacks!
My favorite way to use fair trade coffee is to brew it in a french press. Amazing!
Believe it or not, I use fair trade coffee with Tropical Traditions coconut oil Gold Label in it – Both to help my brain. I need to stir the coconut oil to emulsify it. My father has Alzhimers and I am doing my best to keep my brain healthy. Using Fair Trade spices as well. Turmeric is also very healthy for your brain. Dementia related disease is becoming an epidemic, and we can be proactive-and educated.
Coffee, every day, sometimes twice.
I just found your blog (via Cookie and Kate). I’m very much looking forward to checking out your recipes!
I like to use fair trade chocolate is by putting it in my belly π
I’m pretty sure this recipe will be my new fav way to use fair trade bananas and chocolate!! Yum!
Looks delicious. I love making one bowl quinoa dinners.
Baked and drunk. Coffee in the moring and afternoon with a sweet bread is the best.
I love fair trade coffee!
Chocolate chip cookies!!
Eating chocolate!
Wow, I didn’t realize bark thins are fair trade…I’ll have to try them, I’ve always eyed them. I love fair trade chocolate. Straight up, dark chocolate, of course π
I love using fair trade chocolate chips to make chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches! And fair trade coffee is delicious, all the time.
I love fair trade chocolate and coffee! Two weeks ago I decided to make major changes to my diet- i.e. no red meat, no refined sugars, no fast food, etc. There’s a lot I’m willing to give up, but never chocolate or coffee. : )
I brewing fair trade tea, then cooling it to add flavor to smoothies!
In summer I like making ice tea with some honey.
Fair trade coffee. For sure!
OMG! Your recipe looks so good I want to eat my laptop screen π Seriously, though, I love dropping by here and just seeing your recipes and gorgeous photos (and your wooden table, which I LOVE). Thank you so much. Mari.
I love to bake with fair trade chocolate…or just eat it straight π
I love the Alter Eco chocolate bars, especially the one with brown butter with sea salt.
Fair trade chocolate bars. Right out of the package. Especially raspberry chocolate π
This is some fantastic banana bread. It’s nice and filling, perfectly sweetened and doesn’t feel too heavy on the stomach. I love to spread a bit of peanut butter on a slice and savor it as a dessert!
Hi,
I can’t wait to make the bread. I am having breakfast now eating a slice of my mom’s recipe of banana nut bread. It is good, but your bread sounds a lot healthier! On your recipe my computer has a little square in front of the nut oil, so I do not know how much to use. I checked your pumpkin bread recipe and my computer is doing the same thing. I have not idea why!! If you would be so kind as to send me the amount of oil to use I would greatly appreciate your time! I am subscribed to your blog so I won’t miss your recipes. Many thanks!!!