Ask The Chef
Lots of uses for Ripe Bananas
The average family of four will consume more than 27.5 pounds of banana per person each year. Unfortunately, our eyes are usually bigger than our appetites.
The first few bananas we buy are perfect for snacking or sliced onto cereal; then fatigue begins. Bananas are a great source of vitamins and minerals and trace amounts of unsaturated fat which are easy to digest. One medium banana has about 110 calories and is packed with carbohydrates, vitamins, and potassium. No matter how many bananas we eat, there are always a few speckled bananas everyone looks over. Here are some ways to use older bananas in everyday meals...
- Convert over-ripe bananas into a quick breakfast smoothie
- Add ripe bananas to pancake or waffle batter
- Use pureed bananas and cream cheese as a glaze for sticky buns
- Add banana to sweet custards, quiches or stratas
- Make a vinaigrette style salad dressing
- Add banana to a tropical chicken and rice salad
- Use pureed bananas as an all-natural sweetener in marinades
- Grill bananas in foil packet with brown sugar and butter and top with ice cream
Bananas are great way to get the essential vitamins you need to function everyday. No matter how you like to eat your bananas, think outside of the box when creating meals to incorporate fruit and vegetables into a healthy diet.
