Sautéed Bananas!

foodI think I have a new favourite cooked fruit dessert. It’s easy to prepare, healthier than a lot of other desserts, plus it’s gluten-free and dairy-free. Not to mention that it tastes good.

Last week, among the six of us at Friday night dinner, there was a new mix of  food restrictions. An interesting challenge for me, because I like trying new recipes, and I like to make food that everyone at my table can eat. My dinners are usually low in gluten and lactose, but this time I also had to avoid alcohol, and there was a possibility that one person would be restricted to soft foods.

I thought of sautéed bananas right away, but the recipe for Bananas Flambé that I’ve made in the past (from Bonnie Stern’s Simply HeartSmart Cooking) calls for rum.

I felt I was on the right track when I found a YouTube video for Betty’s Luscious Fried Bananas. It looked wonderful, but I wanted to tone down the richness and the sweetness.

I substituted coconut oil for butter, increased the number of bananas, decreased the ratio of sugar to bananas, and added a couple of spices. It still turned out delicious and sweet. There was a small amount left over, and we enjoyed it two days later.

My one caveat – I find there’s a big variation in taste among different coconut oils, so use one you like. When I started to sauté the bananas, I thought the coconut oil might overpower the banana flavour. I decided that if I sprinkled toasted coconut on top, the flavour would seem more intentional. Everyone seemed to like it.

We ate the dessert on its own, but it would also be great as a warm topping for ice cream or plain cake.

Here’s the (non-)recipe. No amounts needed, and you can play with the spicing. It’s quick enough to prepare last-minute.

Frances’ Fried Bananas (inspired by Betty)

unsweetened flaked coconut (optional)

coconut oil (enough to coat the bottom of the pan, plus a little more)

ripe, but not over-ripe, bananas (I used 6)

lemon juice

brown sugar (I used 2 or 3 tablespoons)

cinnamon to taste

nutmeg to taste

sea salt

1. If using flaked coconut, toast in non-stick pan on low heat until coconut starts to turn brown. Set aside.

2. Cut bananas in diagonal slices.

3. Heat coconut oil in large frying pan on medium heat.

4. Add bananas, and sprinkle with a bit of lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon,  nutmeg, and a bit of sea salt.

5. Saute, reducing heat, and stirring carefully, until cooked but not too soft.

6. Sprinkle with toasted coconut, if you like.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

No Gluten, No Dairy, No Sugar… Oh My!

I’ve never considered it a burden to cook vegetarian, or lactose-free, or nut-free or gluten-free. A number of my friends and family members have allergies, food sensitivities and/or diet preferences, so I’m used to working around food restrictions.

This week, and for the next two weeks, I’m dealing with some new restrictions, and it’s been interesting. I’m on an elimination diet (eliminating foods that might be problematic) in an attempt to figure out if I have any food sensitivities. There are a lot of restrictions on this diet, including no gluten, no dairy, no refined sugar, no alcohol, no chemicals (which I try to avoid anyway), and no eggs or nightshades (potatoes, eggplant, peppers, and tomatoes). It is not a calorie-restricted diet.

After the three weeks are over, I’ll add back one food or category of food at a time, to see what happens.

Still trying to figure out what I’ll post on my Chocolate Sunday blog, but I have a few ideas.

I’ve always figured that there are so many foods you can eat when you’re on a restricted diet – why focus on the ones you can’t?

Whitefish, ready to go into the oven.

So on Monday, the day after I started the diet, I made a pot of red lentil soup, roasted two pounds of beets, cooked up some quinoa, sautéed leeks and mushrooms (oops, didn’t realize that mushrooms were on the verboten list), and baked whitefish brushed with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkled with fresh lemon, and generously topped with dill. Those dishes have been my staples this week, along with green salad, fresh fruits and vegetables, some leftover broccolini and sweet potatoes, and rice cakes and almond butter.

I haven’t felt deprived at all, and within a day I noticed that I had more energy.

However, on Tuesday night I went out with a couple of friends for dinner and realized that of all the items on the extensive menu, there were only two I could eat. And they were out of one.

Sigh.