Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C, manganese, potassium, and iron. One new catch phrase, probiotic “friendly” bacteria, is old hat to the banana; this fruit has been “friendly” to our digestive systems long before we heard the term.  Along with other fruits and vegetables, consumption of bananas may be associated with a reduced risk of a variety of cancers, including colorectal cancer and breast cancer.

Some studies have found that banana ingestion may increase the ‘feel good’ chemicals, dopamine and serotonin, in the brain. Other studies have shown positive results using bananas in the diet to treat jaundice and kidney stones. Many people who workout or play sports know the benefits of eating a banana after their workout is over. Bananas help prevent lactic acid from building up in the body after we quit exercising, preventing sore muscles. You can’t go wrong with the humble banana when it comes to eating healthy.

Fun Facts

The word ‘banana’ usually refers to the soft, sweet dessert variety. By contrast, other countries grow and eat bananas with a firmer, starchier fruit, called plantains or cooking bananas. The terms ‘plantain’ and ‘banana’ in these countries are widely interchangeable which means you need to be careful when asking for a banana – you never know which one you might get.

The banana plant is a very large flowering plant and is often mistaken for trees. Their main ‘trunk’ is actually a pseudo-stem that grows almost 25 feet tall. Each pseudo-stem can produce a single bunch of bananas, which actually grow point up rather than hanging down, making them look upside-down.

Bananas are slightly radioactive due to their high potassium content with a naturally occurring isotope, potassium-40. Proponents of nuclear power sometimes refer to the ‘banana equivalent dose’ of radiation to support their arguments for safe nuclear power.

How to eat

If you can peel it, you can eat it. Every culture has numerous ways to eat bananas, from deep frying, baking in their skin, or even steaming with rice. Banana pancakes are a favorite of hikers along the Southeast Asian trails. When dehydrated, banana chips make for a great snack and can even be used as special treats to train dogs.

Bananas may be relegated to snack time or dessert time in many households, but try thinking outside that pie pan. Bananas can perk up a spinach salad with vinaigrette dressing like nobody’s business.  Grilled bananas can add a very interesting flavor and aroma as a side dish with grilled pork. Of course, you’ll want to keep a bunch hanging around for your morning smoothie. There are countless ways to enjoy bananas daily.

Grab a bunch of bananas and begin to experiment with different recipes. Not only do bananas taste great, they offer a whole bunch, pun intended, of nutrients. Any time you feel tired, run down, exhausted after a workout, grab this easy snack and you’ll feel better fast.

Bananas Cookbook: 101 Recipes with Bananas~ G & R Publishing ~
Just like the title says, you’ll find 101 recipes that will get you cooking and eating bananas like never before.

Strawberry Split Banana Boat 

What You Need:

1 banana
2 tsp. strawberry preserves
2 tsp. whip topping
1 tsp. raisins

How to Make It:

Peel and split the banana down the center.
Place the banana in a boat shaped dish.
Fill the middle with the strawberry preserves.
Add the whip topping over the top.
Sprinkle with the raisins.

1 Serving

Pineapple preserves work well also.  Add a few chopped strawberries for a little extra treat.

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Passionate Strawberry Sundae

What You Need:

2 passion fruit, split in half and pulp removed
2 C strawberries, chunked and divided
2 peaches, chunked
2 C low fat vanilla yogurt

How to Make It:

Place 1 C of the strawberries into the blender.
Puree until smooth.
Place the mixture into a bowl.
Place the passion fruit pulp into the pureed strawberries and mix together well.
Place 1/2C of the yogurt into each of 4 sundae dishes.
Place the remaining strawberries and the peaches equally into the sundae dishes.
Pour the sauce over the top and serve.

4 Servings

What a great way to surprise the family.  Other fruits mixtures such as pears, pineapple, mango or oranges also taste great in this sundae.

If you haven’t spent a lot of time in the apple growing regions, you may not know how versatile this fruit is. Apples come in all sorts of shapes, colors, and tastes; not just the two or three you may know from your local grocery store’s bagged produce department. Apples grow in just about every corner of the globe.  Apples can be used in a variety of dishes from appetizers to main dishes to desserts. Let’s get down to the core and see where apples come from and how they earned their rightful place in almost every aspect of our dietary lives.

What is it?

Apples are the fruit borne from, well, apple trees, of course. They come in various shades of red, yellow, and green and most have a white flesh that varies in texture from crisp to soft. Spanning the taste spectrum from sugary sweet to pucker-up tart, apples are one of the more versatile foods in the marketplace.

History

Apples have been around in one form or another for over 4,000 years. They were first brought to the United States in the early 1600′s by explorers and settlers. Apples were highly valued and became a staple food in most households because they stored well fresh and were easily dried, then became the star of the home-canning world. Today, apples are still treated the same way –  with appreciation for their versatility in recipes, ease of storage,  and variety of preservation methods.  For these reasons, apples are enjoyed by thousands around the globe.

Health Benefits

Apples have proven to be beneficial in every health aspect from bone protection to alzheimer’s prevention, and even diabetes management and cancer prevention. The reason apples are linked to all of these health benefits is because of the two integral layers – the skin and the pulp – both being an excellent source of vitamin C, just to name the most obvious and well known nutrient.  Along with the added nutrients, the things that are missing from apples also make them noteworthy under the ‘health benefits’ tag; namely, apples are fat free, sodium free, and cholesterol free.

Pectin in the meaty part of the apple helps manage diabetes by supplying galacturonic acid which lowers the body’s need for insulin. Phloridzin, a flavanoid found only in apples, may help protect menopausal women from the frightening occurrence of osteoporosis. A nutrient found in apple skins, boron, has been found to strengthen bones.

Fun Facts

Apple trees can live for many years; sometimes well over a century. There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown in the world and about 2,500 of those are grown in the United States. Red Delicious is the most popular and well-known apple in the USA, with Golden Delicious following behind in a close second. Granny Smith apples are fast approaching these two powerhouse apples in popularity. The average American eats more than 70 apples a year, and considering apples are free of fat, salt, and cholesterol, as well as being a good source of dietary fiber and vitamin C, it’s no wonder our doctors are trying to get us to eat one a day.

The Illustrated World Encyclopedia of Apples: A comprehensive identification guide to over 400 varieties accompanied by 60 scrumptious recipes
~ Andrew Mikolajski ~
This is a comprehensive guide to growing, harvesting, storing, and cooking an array of apples from around the globe. It truly is an encyclopedia, complete with full descriptions and beautiful pictures.

How to Eat Raw Apples

Eating a raw apple is as simple as diving teeth-first through the crisp skin right into the sweet or tart insides, and letting the juice run down your chin. If you wish to give your teeth a more gentle approach, and keep a neater smile, you can also core and cut the apple into wedges. Once you have these juicy little wedges, you’ll be looking for goodies to dip them into.  You don’t have to look much further than peanut butter for a classic snack.

Apples can be diced and added to a fruit salad, tossed into a crunchy tuna salad with celery, or dipped in chocolate and caramel and topped with nuts. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of ways to eat a raw apple.  If you are lucky enough to be around an apple orchard, then there is nothing like picking a ripe apple from a tree, still warm from the sun, and enjoying each bite right in the shade of the branches of the apple tree.

How to Eat Cooked Apples

You can get as fancy as you want or as down-home simple as can be with apples. From apple pie to apple crisp and apple pastries to apple omelets, cooked apples are a favorite food around the world. Looking for something simpler than a pie?  Just simmer the apples until they get soft, throw in a little sugar and cinnamon, and mash them into, you guessed it, applesauce. Eat it as it is or serve over ice cream.

What if you don’t have a sweet tooth?  Apples are often found in side dishes with cabbage, collard greens, spinach, or other savory vegetables.  You will find a delightful mix of flavors when you add apples to a skillet full of harvest vegetables, onions, and a splash of balsamic vinaigrette.  And, don’t forget to try your hand at an apple glaze for your next pork tenderloin. Think beyond apple pie and you’ll discover a whole world of recipes for your next bag of apples.

No matter how you decide to eat your apples, just remember the old adage, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’  Now we have the scientific studies showing all the nutrients there are in apples, so there’s no excuse not to add this versatile fruit to your diet.  Of course, that cool, crisp crunch of an apple alone should convince you to take a bite!

This is a great recipe for when it’s just too hot to cook. If you are taking this dish to a potluck dinner, wait until you arrive to add the fresh fruit. It will not have to be heated or refrigerated.

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked long grain rice

2 Tablespoons of olive oil

2 Tablespoons of orange juice

1 Tablespoon of vinegar

2 teaspoons of chopped shallots

¼ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of pepper

1 cup of chopped fresh peach

¾ cup of fresh blueberries

¾ cup of fresh strawberries

3 Tablespoons of toasted almonds

Preparation:

Heat a small, dry skillet, add almonds and stir until toasted.  Whisk together the oil, juice, vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Add the almonds, cooked rice, peach and berries and toss gently.
Prep Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 servings