According to the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), bananas are tied with apples for being the most popular fruit sold in 2019. Bananas are a universal fruit that can be used for baking, desserts, toppings, or a simple snack. Bananas were one of the first foods that coined the term “superfood”. They are a good source of Potassium and Fiber, as well as Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Vitamin C, and Manganese. Also, bananas can often help improve digestion! Bananas can be tricky, they may ripen too fast, or too slow. Here are a few tips that can help with both.
- To slow down the ripening process, place golden yellow bananas in the refrigerator in a storage drawer. This will help the bananas stay fresh up to another week.
- To speed up the ripening process, place bananas in a brown paper bag. Avoid putting bananas in a plastic bag, this will trap moisture and promote rotting.
Bananas are very universal. Based on the condition of the banana it can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few different ways to incorporate bananas into your life.
- If the banana peel is mostly brown, mush or chop the banana and add it to baked goods or freeze it to use at a later time.
- Slice a ripe banana into a fruit salad, then add a bit of acid like apple cider vinegar, orange juice, lime, or lemon onto the bananas to prevent darkening too quickly.
- Substitute an equal amount of mashed banana for butter for baked goods like muffins and cookies. Using bananas may cause the product to bake faster, so check for doneness several minutes earlier.
- Bananas can be great desserts as well! Slice a peeled ripe banana in half and insert a popsicle stick or skewer into the flat end. Dip banana into yogurt and sprinkle with nuts, chopped fruit, cinnamon, chocolate, or any of your other favorite toppings. Then freeze for several hours.
Cuisine for Healing Banana Nut Muffin, Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup Mashed Banana
1/2 cup Sweet Potato
5/8 cup Maple Syrup
2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 Eggs
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 3/4 cup Oat Flour
1/2 Tsp Turmeric
1 cup Walnuts, Toasted and Chopped
Directions:
- Peel the skin off your sweet potatoes and dice into small pieces and bake until soft enough to be able to blend.
- In a blender add your oat, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and turmeric until well incorporated and resembles flour and pour into a bowl.
- Then add your banana, sweet potato, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla into a blender and blend into a smooth texture. Add toasted, chopped walnuts in last, sprinkle some on top as well.
- Then divide equally into a lined muffin tin, sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
