Dean Goes Bananas!!

Something has been happening to me of late. I swear I haven't been doing anything differently, but each week the number of bananas in my fruit bowl seems to grow. Don't get me wrong, I love bananas - in fact I start everyday with one - but no matter how much I eat, someone or something seems to keep replenishing the fruit bowl's stocks (I'm looking at you, Mother). So how is this a bad thing? Well, I suppose its not - my vitamin C and potassium levels must be through the roof - but it has got me thinking of ways I can use up these bananas before they turn towards the darkness (their skin that is) and make there mushy mushy way towards the Tuesday morning rubbish collection. So here's what I've come up with:


Option 1: The Classic
Grab one perfectly ripe banana. Peel & Eat.

'The Classic' is for those with a fruit bowl lucky enough to be graced by a Goldilocks banana (read: not to firm, not too soft...its just right!*). The banana may only maintain this 'goldilocks' state for a very small period of time, so please act with haste! No time for recipes, no time for nothing, just get that bad boy into your mouth pronto (yes, an innuendo). If you are feeling a little American, and want to find a way to turn something perfectly healthy into a high calorie (yet obviously delicious) snack, grab a packet of Peanut Butter M&M's (or Reese's Pieces) and push them into your bananas flesh. Enjoy

Note: Reese's Cups do not work

*beware of bears

Option 2: The Smooooth Operator
Grab one ripe-to-overipe banana, various ingredients (see below), and blend.

'The Smooooth Operator' is for those looking for something a little more substantial, and whose banana may be just beyond the Goldilocks zone. It's quick, it's filling, it's nutritious and it's perfect for summer. Traditionally I have tended to stick to a tried and tested low-fat health smoothie I have made for years, but of late I've tried to incorporate everyone's (read: my) favorite summer fruits - mangoes and blueberries! (Of course, being me, I pick the most expensive fruit around) The result? A delicious breakfast that holds you for most of the day! So check it out:

1 cup of skim milk
1 banana
1 mango cheek - (I use canned mangoes for basic affordability)
1 handful of blueberries - (I use frozen, again for affordability)
1 small handful of ice cubes
1 teaspoon of malt
1 big scoop of low - fat mango frozen yoghurt (or natural yoghurt if you want to limit sweetness)
1 teaspoon of honey

At this point I personally add a small handful of rolled oats and just a sprinkling of pumpkin or sunflower seeds, but that may not be everyone's cup of tea. Blend it all up and enjoy getting your daily requirement of fruit, and the majority of your recommended dairy intake, all at breakfast and in about 2 minutes. How smooth!



Option 3: The SNAB (Sensitive New Age Baker)
Grab some over-ripe, mushy, black skinned, grandma's of bananas and get baking.

So, finally getting to the original point of this post, what does one do with a banana too far gone to even consider eating 'raw' (so to speak)? One bakes my friends, one bakes. Our house is very much a banana cake house, but I recently decided to strike out from tradition and veer wildly into the world of banana bread - crazy I know. One thing I always tend to do is attempt to incorporate my favorite flavors at the time into pretty much anything I cook. These 'flavors of the month' can, and have, varied from the rich yellow coloring of turmeric, to chorizo, to cream cheese - making for some spectacularly different (read: not so great) dishes that I would probably have never mentioned to any of you. BUT, this time success was to be had! The last few weeks I have been obsessed with the Asian flavors of Coconut, ginger and lime (as Hana and Jackson will no doubt have picked up on at the Good Food & Wine show. Mmm lime olive oil). Admittedly my tasting of these flavors were limited to thai curries, asian stirfry's and salads, but that was all about to change. My 'New Age' banana bread was about to be born, and after widespread rave reviews (...a couple of people liked it) I suggest it is reborn in your kitchen next time you have neglected the bananas in your fruit bowl to the point of spontaneous implosions (or, preferably, a little bit before this stage). For the creation of the 'New Age' banana bread I took a basic banana bread recipe, and made quite a few changes in order to incorporate the flavors and make it work. Check it out:

1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup desiccated or shredded coconut
270ml coconut cream (I use light)
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup of glace ginger chopped
1/4 cup of coarsely chopped dates
1/2 cup of coarsely chopped walnuts (or less depending on preference)
The juice and rind of 1 lime

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Lightly grease and line a loaf pan with baking paper.

2. Sift flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda into a bowl. Add sugar, coconut, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, glace ginger, walnuts and dates. Stir to combine.
   

3. Place coconut cream, eggs, banana, vanilla and lime juice and rind in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Gently fold into flour mixture. Spoon into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

The lime flavor tends to get a little lost in the cooking process, but this can be enhanced if served with a vanilla and lime marscapone, or a lime cream cheese frosting. Personally I enjoyed this banana bread best when served warm with a dusting of icing sugar, and a little bit of butter.



Now who ever said going bananas was a bad thing?