Bananas are one of nature’s best fruits! They come in their own packaging, they’re packed with nutrition, they’re easy to eat (even if you have teeth problems), and they can be used in treats. In fact, no other fruit is quite as versatile as a banana.
I grew up eating bananas a little on the green side…some bright yellow in the middle, yes, but both ends were green, and they don’t stay that way long in Central Texas heat. So, that’s the way I prefer them. Friends of mine LOVE them once they get little brown spots on them because they say they are sweeter (which, in fact, they are – watch out diabetics).
But did you know there is actually a difference in what that one banana provides depending on whether you eat it green or fully ripe? TRUE – Check it out here!
Bananas are truly best eaten fresh. BUT if they turn on you faster than you can eat them, here are some other uses to consider.
TIP: Never store your bananas and apples together…they will ripen each other super quickly with the gases they give off. Don’t store them with other fruits either unless you NEED to ripen those fruits! Then you can put a banana or apple in a brown paper bag with them (like pears for example), and they should ripen a little quicker than just sitting on the counter.
Banana Bread
Well, this one was obvious, and it’s probably the favorite (I know it’s one of mine though not when I’m on the W30). There are a gazillion recipes out there, but I challenge you to try my favorite at least once (check out recipe here). Once I found this one, I have never made another. It makes two moist, yummy loaves at a time, freezes easily, and EVERYONE loves it. I simply don’t need any other banana bread recipe…EVER.
Don’t have time to make bread today and yet your bananas are REALLY ready? Remove peel and freeze them whole in a freezer bag. They defrost to a beautiful mush perfect to stir into your banana bread batter.
Banana Smoothies
You can throw just about any combination of fruit in with a ripe banana and some yogurt and whip up a luscious, creamy smoothie. Really get creative…you simply cannot do it wrong. TIP: If you’re doing a bigger quantity, use a blender. For smaller quantities (like a single serving), go for a small bullet-type blender. Otherwise, the small quantity will just have your big blender blades spinning for no purpose. And could burn out your motor!
If you hear a grinding noise and see the contents aren’t moving, you need to add a little liquid. Any juice, water or milk will do. My favorite is full-fat coconut milk (Chaokoh in the can – not an ad but I saw a Thai blogger chose this one as best and I figured she probably knows better than me!) as it keeps the mixture thicker.
Blend mixture until you see it turn over on itself. I’m sure you’ve seen this. If you have pieces of fruit in there, they’ll bounce and jump until they break up a bit, then suddenly something magic happens, and a thick liquid forms and begins to turn into the middle and back up the sides. Go a couple of seconds more, turn it off, check for lumps with a spoon, and you should be done!
If there are novices here, make sure you put the lid on tight and hold it down while you blend. Blenders have been known to bounce around a bit processing chunks of fruit (particularly frozen ones), and a loose lid could have smoothie bits decorating ALL of your kitchen cabinets and walls. You just don’t wanna go there (my dad did once when I was younger, and it was quite a sight).
Frozen banana bites
Slices of frozen banana make a great treat…even for a teething baby (only do this AFTER you have introduced banana into their diet AND let them defrost a little to guard against brain freeze or simply freeze it 2-4 hours before serving – see the details and some great dipping ideas here).
Peel the banana about halfway, then cut the slices toward you with a table or butter knife using your thumb in front for control (these knives aren’t sharp). Line up slices flat in a single layer with space between them on a wax paper-lined baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the banana.
Freeze for a couple of hours, then load into freezer bag and put back in the freezer. This should keep them separate rather than freezing them all together in a big lump. And mine didn’t turn dark either.
If you choose to dip these in chocolate for an extra special treat, I would freeze the bananas first, then dip in the chocolate and freeze again with the above method. Almond bark might not require freezing, but I haven’t used that in this application.
Nothing but fruit banana ice cream
YES, you CAN make ice cream with bananas alone, and it’s delicious. Vi from @cavikitchen did this when she came for a visit and WOW…so fabulous. She used whole bananas (which is much harder but it’s what I had at the time), so she did end up adding some coconut milk to make it work. But with slices, it can be done without if you wish. The texture of banana is perfect for ice cream, and again, you can add other fruit to this if you wish (more on this next week).
Get the kids in on the fun!
Here’s where kids could enjoy helping out and choosing what to make with these beauties. They can even cut the slices if you peel the whole banana and lay it out on the cutting board (teens might be able to master the adult method above).
No other fruit is as fun and versatile as that sweet little banana! Get in on the action! Let me know in the comments below how you’re using bananas and if you’ve done something else fun with them that I’ve missed!
