Bunches Of Ways To Benefit From Bananas
One of the most well-known of tropical fruits, bananas are great powerhouses of fiber, nutrients (such as Vitamin C and potassium), and flavor. Although they are only grown in certain parts of the world, thanks to modern mean of shipping and transportation, they can be enjoyed by people around the globe. Here are several ways you can add bananas to your diet and reap their many benefits.
Bananas are probably most often eaten raw. Even though you can simply peel and banana and eat the fruit as is, there is so much more you can do with a raw banana. Cut it up into slices and lay them on a piece of bread covered with peanut butter. The resulting open-faced sandwich is both delicious and nutritious. Or, puree the banana in a blender with ice to make an icy banana treat, or with yogurt or ice cream for a creamier drink, or with other fruits (and either yogurt or ice cream) for a colorful and flavorful smoothie. Whole bananas can be put on the ends of skewers, dipped in chocolate or yogurt, rolled in chopped nuts and frozen. Yum! And, you can cut up a banana and toss in a bowl with other fruit for a light and tasty fruit salad.
Bananas are often mashed to be used in other dishes. The mashed bananas can be mixed in with your basic pancake mix for an extra-flavorful, extra-nutritious breakfast. Mashed bananas are also often incorporated into batter to make breads and muffins. Or the mashed fruit can be turned into a delicious and creamy pudding or filling for a pie.
Baked Or Fried
A simple way to cook a banana is to bake it. Just peel it and bake for about 15 minutes in a moderate oven. When it’s cooked, add a bit of your favorite yogurt and/or a bit of cinnamon and enjoy! You can easily make fried banana fritters by dipping chunks of the fruit into a pancake-like batter and deep-frying them.
- A cluster or bunch of bananas is called a “hand”. It has anywhere from 10-20 bananas in it, all of which are known as “fingers”.
- Bananas don’t grow on trees; they grown on plants.
- Bananas originated in Southeast Asia.
- There are over 500 varieties of bananas.
- The American public was introduced to bananas at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.
Bananas are the number one fruit in the U.S. where over 95% of households buy them at least once a month.
Baked Bananas. Bake peeled bananas at 375 ° F for 15-18 minutes. Add a little yogurt of your choice and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Enjoy!