Did you know the banana plant is not a tree? It's actually the world's largest herb! There are two types of bananas: the fruit or sweet banana and the plantain. The fruit banana is the one we are most familiar with. We eat it when it turns yellow and develops a sweet taste with the soft texture. The plantain is a cooking banana that contains less water and thus tends to have a dryer texture.Banana seem to change from green to yellow to black almost overnight. This change in color represents the ripening process of bananas. Unfortunately, many kids don't care for bananas once they get those dark spots. Once the banana has turned yellow, you can slow down the ripening process by placing them in the refrigerator. The skin will turn black, but inside the banana is still fine for up to about two weeks. Another option to save those browning bananas is to peel them, cut them into chunks, and then wrap them in plastic. Tuck them into the freezer and use as needed for smoothies, or defrost and masah for baking. I usually wait until banana is overripe so I can make a delicious banana bread which is my DD's favorite. When baking, you can substitute an equal amount of pureed banana for the same amount of oil in the recipe. For example, if brownie recipes call for 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, try a 1/2 cup of pureed banana instead. You'll save 120 grams of fat or 1,080 calories in the recipe.
