Every baker has her set of no-fail, go-to recipes–the old standbys that always seem to turn out right, and this is mine for banana bread. It’s moist, not too sweet, hearty enough to get you through a long morning, and it happens to be low-fat as well. I originally found it on Joy the Baker’s blog, which is a great resource for learning new techniques in the kitchen.

First, gather your ingredients: 1 1/4 cups flour, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, 3 tsp. canola oil, 1 large egg, beaten, 2 medium egg whites, 3 large ripe bananas (the browner the better, and 1 cup oatmeal. You’ll need an 8″ by 4″ loaf pan, but you could also use a 9″ cake pan (which I used because I don’t own the former).

In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. In another bowl, mash your bananas, mix in the sugar, and stir in the canola oil, the egg, and the vanilla extract until all of the ingredients are fully combined. In yet another bowl, whip the egg whites using a hand mixer set to high speed. This takes between 3-5 minutes, and you’ll know the egg whites are ready when they’ve tripled in volume. They will also form stiff peaks when you lift the beaters.

Combine the banana mixture with the flour mixture and then gently fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

You might want to try spreading a tablespoon (or more) of creamy peanut butter on the bread and topping it off with a drizzle of honey. Delicious.