Vegan banana bread with fresh figs

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Dry:

1 cup whole wheat flour (almond flour would work well if you want to go gluten free) + about a tablespoon for the pans
1 cup golden flax meal
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tbsp of brown sugar (or turbinado) (optional)

Wet:

5 dates and 4 dried apricots or figs, rinsed and soaked in warm water for 1/2 hour
1 large apple (Or 1/2 cup apple sauce)
1/2 cup avocado oil (you can use any vegetable oil or coconut oil)
3 very ripe bananas
1 tsp vanilla
About 20 small figs or 10 large ones
A little coconut oil for coating the pans

Method:

Preheat over to 350F
Grease the pans with coconut oil and dust with flour
Combine all the dry ingredients except walnuts in a large bowl
Puree the soaked dates and apricots with about 1/4 cup of the soaking water
Peel and cut the apple and puree in a blender (or use apple sauce)
Peel and mash the ripe bananas
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl and use a hand mixer to mix thoroughly
Mix in the walnuts
Scoop in to the prepared loaf pans and shake to even the surface
Cut off the stems of the figs and cut them vertically in to halves
Press in to the batter, cut side facing up
Bake in oven for around 45 mins to an hour until a toothpick or knife inserted comes out clean
Optional step: About 5 minutes before the end of the baking cycle, sprinkle about a tablespoon of brown sugar or turbinado on top of the figs in each loaf pan and continue to bake
Place on a cooling rack to cool, slice and enjoy