TheFugitive

TheFugitive

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

GO BANANAS

By Stephanie Lee
Bananas are the Swiss army knife of the culinary universe, the jack of the fruit trade. This scrumptious yellow fruit can be eaten alone, sliced into other foods, mixed into ice cream, blended into smoothies, and added to myriad baked goods recipes.
If there's a fruit that's as versatile, as universally loved, and as ubiquitous as the almighty banana, I haven't heard of it yet and, quite frankly, I don't even care!
Bananas were one of the first foods you probably ever ate, but if you think you've outgrown them, you should reconsider. If we take their low cost into account in addition to how nutrient-packed, tasty, and rich with energy bananas are, they stand out as the one healthy snack to rule them all.
If bananas have a downside, it's that their exterior can get, shall we say, unappetizing in the blink of an eye. I've heard about some people actually disposing of bananas at the first signs of spotting—the horror!
Rather than doing something so barbaric and wasteful, why not use your overripe nanners to concoct guilt-free noms?
And since we're all fit-minded folks here, they'll pack heaps of protein as well.

1
 BANANA BREAD

Banana bread is a timeless way to dispose of ripe bananas, but old-school banana bread recipes are often riddled with staggering amounts of sugar and butter. This au naturelbanana bread, inspired by Protein Pow's protein-baking wizardry, will taste so banana-y and delicious that you wouldn't believe it's not terrible for you.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Mash the bananas up really well, and whisk in the eggs and milk.
  3. Blend the rest of the dry ingredients into the mix until it takes on a batter-like consistency.
  4. Spray a loaf pan and pour in the batter.
  5. Bake the banana bread for about 35-40 minutes, or until a fork comes out clean when you stab it. One loaf makes about nine 1/4-inch slices.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition Info Per Slice
(without nuts or other additives):
Amount per serving
Calories 102
Total Fat3g
Total Carbs11g
Protein10g
Banana Bread PDF (38.4 KB)

2
 TWO-INGREDIENT PANCAKES

Whaaaat? Two ingredients are really all you need to satisfy a hankering for some flapjacks—who'da thunk it? The lack of flour and other pancake recipe staples might seem alarming at first, but I promise you everything will be OK in the end, especially once you throw peanut butter or sliced bananas on them.
Ingredients
  • 1 Whole Egg plus 2 Egg Whites
  • 1 small ripe Banana
Directions
  1. Mash the banana and crack the eggs in it, stirring until the mixture becomes somewhat homogenized.
  2. Heat a greased griddle or frying pan on medium heat and pour about a 2.5-inch wide puddle of batter.
  3. Delicately flip the pancake after about 25 seconds or when it browns. The recipe makes 3-4 small pancakes.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition info for entire batch 
Amount per serving
Calories 215
Total Fat5g
Total Carbs30g
Protein18g
Two-Ingredient Pancakes PDF (26.3 KB)

COOL FACT

THE ANTIOXIDANT LEVEL IN BANANAS RISES SLIGHTLY AS THEY RIPEN. THEY ALSO GET SWEETER AS THE STARCHES CONVERT INTO SIMPLE SUGARS. BANANAS ALSO ACT AS BRILLIANT SUBSTITUTES IN RECIPES WHICH CALL FOR BUTTER OR OIL!

3
 TWO-INGREDIENT COOKIES

You really need only two ingredients to form the foundation of this cookie, but you can add additional items like protein powder, raisins, cinnamon, walnuts, and whatever else you need to imitate your favorite type of cookie.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Mash the banana in a large bowl and mix in rolled outs and protein powder, stirring in more oats if needed until the mixture is less runny.
  3. Take a small goop and mold into a shape you desire; lay atop a cookie sheet.
  4. Bake for about 15-18 minutes depending on your desire of doneness. Just be sure to keep an eye on them. The recipe makes about 6-10 cookies depending on how big you made them.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition info per cookie (out of 9)
Amount per serving
Calories 90
Total Fat1g
Total Carbs17g
Protein7g
Two-Ingredient Cookies PDF (26.6 KB)

4
 FROZEN YOGURT

When in doubt, toss your bananas into the freezer. Seriously! By doing this, your bananas never go to waste. Frozen bananas can always come in handy when you want to make something cold and sweet like this amazing and simple frozen yogurt recipe.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Blend all ingredients together.
  2. Put in a plastic container and place container in freezer for 30 minutes.
  3. After 30 minutes, churn the concoction with a spoon to break up the ice crystals and replace in freezer.
  4. Wait another 30 minutes, remove container from freezer and churn it once more.
  5. Now if the consistency is to your liking you may consume it now; otherwise, put it back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition info for whole batch
Amount per serving
Calories 290
Total Fat3g
Total Carbs37g
Protein29g
Frozen Yogurt PDF (26.6 KB)

5
 CHOCOLATE BANANA SOUFFLE

Fluffy, decadent, chocolatey, and quick—these are just some of the winning ways to describe this money dessert. You don't even need an oven. Just use a microwave and about 5 minutes of your time.
Ingredients
Directions
  1. Blend everything in a bowl until it looks folded in together. (It's not supposed to look appetizing initially.)
  2. Grease a deep coffee mug and transfer the mix into the cup.
  3. Set the microwave power level to about 60-70% of max and cook cup for about 3 minutes. You'll see the souffle really start to puff up near the end.
  4. Let it cool and enjoy! If you wish, you may top peanut butter on that bad boy. Each cup equals 1 serving.
NUTRITION FACTS
Nutrition info per serving
Amount per serving
Calories 210
Total Fat2g
Total Carbs16g
Protein21g
Chocolate Banana Souffle PDF (74.2 KB)
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