6.21.2010

Seriously Bananas...

Why is it that when my roommates, my boyfriend or I have over-ripe bananas I feel the strongest need to rescue them from their lives ending in the trash and an anxious feeling that I need to make something with them?


"Don't throw them out, I'll make banana bread!"

This happened again the other night, three over-ripe bananas at Paul's place and I was already re-arranging my schedule to make time to bake banana bread. This is starting to happen quite often, why can't I just throw the bananas away like the average person that has expired fruit?!

It's just so easy, so delicious, and makes everyone happy. So before bed on a Monday evening I find myself in the kitchen again, baking banana bread. For a little twist, I added dark chocolate discs to one loaf.

Now, I am just not ready to give away my mom's banana bread recipe secret, but I will list some of my favorite baked things with banana in them:

  • Wheatgerm banana pancakes
  • Banana bread (obviously), but try adding semi-sweet chocolate discs, a peanut butter swirl, or pecans
  • Banana cake with white chocolate frosting
...And grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich
(You don't even have to know how to bake a thing with this one!)


Ingredients:
  • Two slices of your favorite bread (day-old honey wheat or challah are great choices)
  • Your favorite peanut butter
  • Banana sliced into thin discs (you want a banana that is just starting to speckle for this, a "ripe" banana --> )
  • Butter (or margarine)
  • Cinnamon and sugar (or Splenda sweetener) mixture

Instructions:
  • Assemble sandwich with as much peanut butter as you like and lay as many banana discs flat as you can fit over the peanut butter
  • Close up the sandwich and lightly butter both pieces of bread on the outsides of the sandwich
  • Sprinkle cinnamon/sugar over the buttered outside pieces of bread
  • Grill in a pan on the stove like you would with a grilled cheese
  • Eat it! I do this with a knife and fork ;)
All you ever wanted to know and more about bananas on the Natural Health Blog: Learn Ripe Banana Facts About Nutrition and Calories. (I did a bit of Googling and the information seems to check out for the most part- Bananas aka SUPERFRUIT!)