Delicious uses for over-ripe bananas

INSTEAD of the predictable and accustomed use of over-ripe bananas into cupcakes, cakes or bread, why not turn it into something different?

One thing is for sure though, we all love bananas. Aside from the health benefits it can give, it can also be used as filling. And according to studies, it can even help us lose weight.

Sometimes, we may get weary of eating a banana as it is. What happens then? We get overripe bananas, and oftentimes we simply throw them away or feed them to the farm animals.

So I would definitely say, let’s all take the banana to a higher level. We can make the most of it in our daily culinary routines.

For the soft but fairly firm bananas, they can be sliced and turned into some of the following gustatory pleasures.

Banana fritters. Dip the banana slices into a thick batter and deep fry. This is best enjoyed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Voila! You now have a delicious dessert!

With wrappers (such as lumpia wrappers, egg roll wrappers or even crepes), they can be fried or left raw. Sprinkle it with nuts, coat or dip in chocolate or caramel sauce with a little whipped cream, and this will surely be a hit!

Day old bread plus over-ripe bananas with egg, milk and sugar equals banana pudding!

I am pretty sure everyone knows how to make the very well-loved Mango float. So why not substitute it with ripe bananas and make it into a banana cream float? Eaten semi-frozen would be heavenly.

Cheesecakes! Whether they are pureed and incorporated into the mixture or sliced and lined into the crust or even both can be very tasteful and refreshing.

Pancake with bananas would be another great idea for breakfast, snacks or even after meal dessert. It can be mashed, sliced or cubed then added to the batter. What about banana waffles? Banana oatmeal for breakfast would be a great idea. Blend or mix it, and sprinkle with some nuts or cereals for some extra crunch.

For cakes, it can be an additional flavor to chocolate cakes, butter cakes or other fruity-types.

Banana brownies and banana butter cookies with a cup of milk or blended coffee would be a superb combination.

Blended coffee! Bananas would sure taste nice with coffee when blended. How much more for a banana shake or smoothie?

Banana ice cream or sorbet, anyone? Banana ice candy! Or even frozen bananas, then eaten like an ice drop!

Dipping frozen bananas in chocolate then sprinkled with nuts or dried fruits is an awesome idea for parties.

Meat balls with bananas should be a hit with everyone - young and old people alike. Is it like having a main course (or appetizer) and dessert in one, you ask? Maybe! We can call them... banana burgers.

Meat loaf or embutido mixed with banana is another way to use them.

Turn them into Banana sauce (no, not the banana catsup) with the addition of other favorite ingredients. It can be used as dipping for chips or hor’d ourves.

There must be a lot more but we will just make use of these for the meantime.

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