Gluten Free Banana Oat Bread

Delicious gluten free orange scented banana bread made with garbanzo beans? You heard right! I've been experimenting with the humble chickpea as a wheat substitute and have to admit that this is my favorite flour replacement so far. Besides banana bread, I made pear bars and an excellent chocolate cake. They all had great crumb texture and came out deliciously moist. Best of all, none of my "test subjects" could tell that I had used garbanzo beans in the batter. You'll see, that there is absolutely no noticeable chickpea taste. If anything, the beans will add a sweet nutty flavor to your baked goods. I used 2 tablespoons of coconut oil in my versions, but you could very well make them fat free. They're also great for vegans, since they don't contain animal products. Depending on your taste you could add nuts, raisins, cranberries or chocolate chunks to the banana bread. The one I made is simple and plain, because I really wanted to get the full taste and make sure there was no lingering garbanzo bean flavor.

Ingredients
2  1/4 cups canned or cooked garbanzo beans
2 tablespoons coconut oil (liquid form)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon orange rind, finely grated
1 cup mashed bananas
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon 
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup quick cooking gluten free oats
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda



Preparation 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a loaf pan with cooking spray.
Using a food processor or blender grind garbanzo beans with orange juice and oil until smooth and creamy.
This may take a while and you'll have to scrape down the sides of the bowl several times. It's essential that the bean mixture is as smooth as possible. Transfer to a large bowl.
Add mashed bananas, beaten eggs, vanilla extract, orange rind, and brown sugar to bean mixture. Stir until well combined.
In a small bowl mix together cinnamon, cornstarch, oats, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add dry ingredients to bean mixture and gently stir to combine.
Pour into loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 5 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack.