ginger chocolate-chip banana bread

    Last weekend showcased the best of Seattle. It's a closely-guarded secret, but Seattle actually has beautiful weather during the summer. The sky finally sheds her winter coat of grey clouds and reveals herself, in all her bright blue, naked glory. It's never too hot or humid (like people have told me the Northeast is during the summer - I'll just have to endure it this July!), but always balmy and just-right. The trees always seem the greenest in the sun, and their leaves cast dappled shadows on the asphalt. People flock to the parks and beaches. I went with my mother last weekend to Matthews Beach to go jogging on the Burke-Gilman trail, and it seemed as if every cyclist in Seattle passed by me.

     Alas, it was a short-lived dream. This past week almost made me believe that it was still January. It's rained almost every day. I pulled out the coats and boots I thought I could finally get rid of, and jogged in the constant drizzle. In the early morning, while I struggle to extricate myself from sleep's gauzy veil, I listen to the soothing onomatopoeia of raindrops on the roof.

     Poor weather always has the effect of making me want to cook. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for that feeling of coziness and security, but nothing says comfort to me like a homey quickbread, still steaming and fresh from the oven. Today during my violin lesson, all I could think about was how wonderful a banana bread with melty chocolate chips, kicked up with a dash of ginger, would be. And as soon as I came home, I baked this.

     Moist doesn't even begin to cover this banana bread. Because there are equal volumes of bananas and flour in the batter, it's overwhelmingly banana-y. The chocolate chips melt and ooze into the bread, and seems to permeate throughout the an entire slice. The ginger isn't really prominent in the flavor profile, but you can taste it occasionally, a gentle heat that tickles the back of your throat. This banana bread is perfect for a rainy weekend. As I write this, it's still cooling on the kitchen counter, but a third of it is already gone.  

Ginger Chocolate-Chip Banana Bread
adapted from Allrecipes 
makes one 9"x5" or 8"x4" loaf

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a loaf pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and grease again.
Sift together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ginger. In a separate bowl, beat together banana, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the yogurt. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture until just combined. With a light hand, stir in the chocolate chips. Pour into loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. Take loaf out of the pan and let cool before serving. Enjoy! To store, place in an airtight container or bag.