A few weeks ago, my husband spotted a mourning dove sitting in the corner of our back patio. The bird was hiding in a shadow behind a planter, standing very still, trying its best to go unnoticed. When we approached the dove startled, but didn’t fly away. We could tell her wing was injured. We watched her, wondering what to do. We’re both animal lovers, and the thought of this little bird in pain broke our hearts. I considered trying to capture her so I could bring her to the vet, but she was very skiddish– each time we got close, she spooked and hobbled away. In the end, we decided to give her food and water, hoping for the best.
We lined up a few planters to give her more protection. We have three parrots, so food wasn’t a problem– I scattered some birdseed near the planters and placed a small dish of water nearby. After making sure she had plenty to eat and drink, we walked inside and spied on her from our kitchen window. Several minutes later, she timidly hobbled over to the dish and sipped the water with her beak. She drank for a long time, then began to peck at the seeds. My heart bloomed, as it always does when I see a child or animal eating. The mother in me loves nothing more than giving nourishment to others.
For the next week we kept a close eye on the dove, feeding her and refilling her water daily. My dog Marley was banned from the back yard, which made him very unhappy, but the last thing an injured dove needs is a big goofy labrador sniffing at it. As the week progressed, other birds discovered that our patio was an endless source of manna. Blue jays and robins made frequent appearances, tucking into the birdseed like they’d won the lottery. Little mourning dove cowered in the corner quietly, waiting for them to steal their share. We always made sure that she had enough. A few times, we saw her stretching her wings and walking around, as though testing her newfound strength. She became more adventurous, toddling out beyond the planters to the edge of the patio.
And then, one morning, she was gone. I panicked, wondering if a coyote had gotten to her. We live in the Hollywood Hills, where any number of creatures might have seen the mourning dove as an easy meal. We searched the entire back yard, but she was nowhere to be found. We hoped that perhaps, by some miracle, her wing had healed and she’d been able to fly away. Maybe we would never know for sure.
Then, a couple of days later, there she was– perched on the back of a patio chair, calm as can be, as though waiting for us to come out and say hello. I didn’t want to get too close and startle her, but I was able to get a picture with my zoom lens. Here she is:
She stayed for a few hours. At one point she hopped to the planter and nestled there, peering down at the corner where she’d spent her recovery. I scattered birdseed and she nibbled at it. Then, as the sun began to set, she flew away. We haven’t see her since.
I believe she came back to say thank you. She knew what we’d done to help her. Such a simple moment, but it reminded me of how every creature in our world is connected. What a gift that we could offer this little bird shelter, nourishment, and ultimately life. It was a blessing.
This story has very little to do with baked goods, but I wanted to share a recipe with you today – Greek Yogurt Banana Nut Bread. I’ve cut most of the butter and added Greek yogurt, applesauce, smashed bananas and nuts to my standard quick bread recipe. The result is a super moist, spongy, low fat banana bread with a terrific texture. It’s a tasty and foolproof quick bread that is lower in calories than traditional banana bread. It’s also terrifically yummy– sweet, but not overly so. If you like your banana bread cake-sweet, add another 1/4 cup of sugar. I like it as written.
If our little mourning dove still lived on our patio, I’d treat her to a few crumbs in with her birdseed.
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Greek Yogurt Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1 pound very ripe bananas, mashed (about 3)
- 1 cup Greek yogurt (whole, 2% or nonfat)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Dash cloves
- Dash nutmeg
- 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
NOTES
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Cut the butter into small chunks and place in a large mixing bowl along with the sugar and brown sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar for a few minutes. Make sure the butter is fully integrated into the sugar and the mixture becomes small, even sized crumbs.
- Add the eggs and applesauce to the bowl and continue to mix till smooth.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork till smooth. Add the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, and vanilla to the bowl. Use a spatula to stir the mixture till smooth.
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet to make a thick batter. Don't over mix-- a few lumps are okay.
- Fold in the chopped walnuts.
- Grease two loaf pans with nonstick cooking oil spray. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans.
- Bake the banana bread for 45-55 minutes, turning once halfway through baking, till the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. If the top of the bread browns faster than it bakes, cover with foil for the remainder of baking time.Let the loaves cool for 10 minutes in their pans, then put them on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Serve warm... with tea, perhaps, or a pat of melty butter. This bread is so comforting, a wonderful baked treat to have on hand for unexpected guests. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil to keep moist; store in the refrigerator if you will be keeping it longer than a few days.
Abigail Sable Roberts says
LOVE and shard!
Dorie Fugate says
I’ve made this one before – it’s a winner!
Heather Menges says
Have done this and it was great!
Marilyn Orens says
Love the story!
Chareen Glass Kramer says
Just made this….im sure it will b delicious
phyllis lebowitz says
thank you for the beautiful story about a beautiful creature…I think he did come back to say thank you and let you know he was ok….you are a very special person…love your receipes as well…must try the banana bread….will be including you in my prayers…
Tori Avey says
Thank you Phyllis!
Martina Durdovic says
You always have so beautiful pictures! Not only the food is atractive. You use nice colors and base for food, original dishes…
Tori Avey says
Thank you Martina!
Stephanie Smith says
Thank you for sharing your story Tori. It must have felt so gratifying to watch the dove fly away.
I love this recipe and can’t wait to try it. I have a great banana bread recipe with no added sugar, instead it uses rehydrated dates chopped small and the bananas to sweeten the bread. The recipe comes to me from Israel too, I would be happy to share it with you if you would like to see it.
Tori Avey says
That sounds lovely! Yes, please share and let us know the source.
Stephanie Smith says
It’s my pleasure, here it is:
No Sugar Banana Bread
4 Bananas peeled and mashed
Heaping 1/2 cup of pitted dates
1/4 cup melted coconut or canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 3/4 cups flour (Whole wheat, spelt or white)
Optional extra chopped dates and/or chocolate chips to mix into the batter before baking.
Directions: Soak the dates in water for at least 4 hours. Preheat oven to 350. Chop the dates and blend with the mashed bananas, vanilla and oil. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Mix in wet (don’t overmix) Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf tin and bake 50-60 minutes.
This recipe was given to me by Chaya Fish last November in Jerusalem. Enjoy.
Tori Avey says
Sounds great Stephanie! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m looking forward to trying it. 🙂
Rosemary Wilcher says
I can’t wait to get some unsweetened applesauce, cos I’ve tried so many banana recipes & I’m always trying for a better one! This one I hope will stop my looking! Sure looks & sounds yummy!
Evelyn says
Such a sweet story. It’s nice to know there are people in the world who are compassionate. I’ll be looking forward to trying your recipe. Could you substitute vanilla Greek yogurt for a sweeter taste?
Tori Avey says
Hi Evelyn – that should be fine, although the bread is already sweet on its own. Enjoy!
Zalma Eterravan says
Se ve muy rico mmm….
Judy says
Do you happen to have the nutrition information?
Tori Avey says
Judy, I don’t currently offer calorie breakdowns on my recipes. The nutrition calculators available online are not always reliable, and nutrition stats of various ingredients can vary from brand to brand (sodium content, calories, etc.). There are calorie calculators online you can use where you can plug in the specific brands you use. Just Google “calorie calculator” and you should get many results.
Christina says
I love your recipe. So delicious. I was wondering if you could make this as pumpkin bread instead? Take out the bananas and at pumpkin instead?
Tori Avey says
Hi Christina, I think that you probably could, though I haven’t tested it with this particular recipe. I would substitute 1 lb of pumpkin puree for the bananas. Just be sure you’re using pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling.
Beverly says
I love this recipe. I modify it by making whole grain flour in my Vitamix. I take 1 1/2 cups green wheat kernels, 1/2 cup steel cut oats, 1/2 cup organic long grain rice, and two tablespoons of flaxseed. I am pre-diabetic. I do use the brown sugar but substitute splenda and agave for the white sugar. I also add dried cranberries and raisins. I make one large loaf….still working on my cooking time. I like to serve with cream cheese.
Pamela Snyder Wright says
I love your recipe.. We are on weight watchers.. I did not use any butter. I used Chobani pineapple yogurt and 4 oz of strawberry applesauce. Also added some low fat granola this IS wonderful!
Tori Avey says
Great modifications Pamela!
Helen says
This was a hit at my house. I used banana yogurt and almond slivers and had to bake again the next day because they didnt last the night. Since I was out of banana yogurt I used lemon and hid one loaf so I could share it at work. Thanks for the inspiration and the recipe.
Tori Avey says
Awesome Helen! Thanks for writing.
Bati Tepper Prince says
HeyTory ,I also baked Banana Bread today ,gluten and sugar free!Delicious!
Janet-Lee Nadas says
I´ve made this! It´s so easy and so delicious. I added chocolate chips to mine!
Allan Dunn says
Lovely story about the bird, dear Tori – and the banana loaf looks braw (Scots word for ´really good.´ Now looking in the fruit-bowl for a couple of black bananas, but they seldom last that long. Shabbat shalom to you and yours 😉
Candace Karu says
This looks so moist and yummy. I’m sharing it with our Cabot Facebook friends soon!
Tori Avey says
That would be so awesome Candace, thanks!!