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Bananas
are a wonder food
August 4, 05
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
Bananas
are about as close to a wonder food as a food can be.
For starters, bananas are rich in potassium, fiber, and vitamin
C and contain no saturated fat, cholesterol or sodium. They’re
low in calories – only 100 in one medium banana.
They’re inexpensive, and they’re available year
round.
They’re also easy to digest, which is why bananas are
one of the first solid foods babies eat.
But their versatility is what puts them at the top.
One of my favorite uses for bananas is as a replacement for
eggs in muffins, pancakes and quick breads. One small, ripe,
mashed banana can replace one whole egg in virtually any recipe
in which you wouldn’t mind banana flavor.
Use bananas in baking once they become overripe, which to
my taste is as soon as brown spots appear. (You can also keep
ripe bananas in the refrigerator to delay further ripening.
The cold will cause the peels to turn brown, but the bananas
will hold their flavor and texture for a few days).
A quick, easy and delicious way to use too-ripe bananas: a
muffin recipe adapted from the Moosewood Collective’s
Moosewood Restaurant Book of Desserts. These muffins are a
staple in my house.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line or oil a 12-cup muffin
tin. In a large bowl, hand mix until smooth a half cup of
vegetable oil, one cup of packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons
EnerG Egg Replacer (found at natural foods stores) mixed with
4 tablespoons water and 3 cups of mashed bananas (about three
large bananas). Next, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour (or
use half white and half whole wheat if you’d like to
add some whole grain), one teaspoon each of baking powder
and baking soda, a quarter teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons
of vanilla extract. Stir until everything is blended. I toss
in a half cup of chocolate chips, and you can add a handful
of chopped nuts, if you’d like. Spoon the batter into
the muffin liners and bake for about 20 minutes or until the
muffin tops are browned.
They’ll disappear in about a day.
Other ways to use bananas:
* Freeze them in the peel or keep peeled bananas in freezer
bags. Eat them as is or blended into smoothies. Some heavy-duty
blenders and juicers will transform frozen bananas into a
creamy, soft-serve-like treat that is out-of-this-world good.
* Cut bananas up and add them to fruit salads. Dip banana
pieces into citrus juice to delay their browning.
* Use them in peanut butter and banana sandwiches on toasted
whole wheat bread.
* Mix mashed banana into refried black beans, a good side
dish or burrito filling.
* For a healthier alternative to an ice cream bar, dip the
tip of a banana into melted chocolate, roll it in chopped
nuts and freeze it.
Try different varieties of bananas, too. In addition to the
common yellow banana, some grocery stores carry red bananas
and yellow or red finger bananas that are only four inches
in length.
Plantains are a close relative of the banana but are larger
and more angular in appearance. They’re starchy and
are usually eaten cooked. Green or yellow plantains are eaten
as a vegetable and ripe brown ones are usually eaten as a
sweetened side dish.
If you need any help getting your five to nine servings of
fruits and vegetables each day, give bananas another look.
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