Moo and I LOVE bananas...I know they're not for everyone (one of my best friends is literally terrified of them...not sure why, I'd understand if they moved independently...) but I think they're oh so tasty.
Unfortunately Moo has a bit of a love/love-less relationship with them and some weeks I end up with a couple of extras. Now, my husband is the sort of person that thinks nothing of tossing a couple of brown bananas away. He hates them and they're only a few pence, get them out of the kitchen before the new grocery shop arrives. Nooooooo!! Don't do that! I can ALWAYS find a use for an over-ripe banana and here are my top five...
1. Banana Cake.
My personal favourite. Because in case you hadn't noticed...I love cake. Here's my go-to recipe for a tasty banana cake with cream cheese frosting. It makes a great loaf or single-tier cake, or twelve lovely cupcakes! You'll need...
-125g unsealed butter/margarine.
-125g light brown sugar.
-150g self-raising flour.
-1tsp baking powder.
-2 eggs
-1 banana mashed until smooth (if it's chunkier it's not a big deal but it will make the cake more moist).
Pre-heat your oven to 180c/gas mark 4 before mixing together your butter, sugar, flour, baking powder, flour and eggs. Yes, just whack it all in there!! Mix it all thoroughly until nicely combined and then add your banana, mixing in until its nicely combined. Now's the time to pop the mixture into your greased tin or your cupcake cases. Bake for about 20 minutes (varies slightly depending on what you're cooking) until its golden brown and firm to the touch. Bingo! Banana cake!! It's not the most earth-shattering recipe, it won't win any awards but I love it. The flavours aren't so complex that younger children will be put off also. If you wanted a more complex favour, you could try adding ground almonds and/ground mixed spice.
For the yummy cream cheese icing you'll need...
-80g unsealed butter.
-40g cream cheese.
-200g icing sugar, sifted.
-1tsp vanilla extract (or flavouring ;))
Cream the butter and cream cheese together before gradually adding the sifted icing sugar until it's 'light and fluffy'. Add the vanilla and mix in before chilling for at least 30 mins. This will make quite a bit of icing, keep it refrigerated if you have excess (and make carrot cake the next day).
2. Smoothie.
Strawberry and banana smoothie? In this weather? Yes. Please!! Toss your banana with a handful of strawberries and a splash of apple juice into your blender and whizz it up. If it's too thick, add a bit more juice. Lush and refreshing, one is never enough!
3. Shampoo.
I have been doing this for literally years. I was a Brownie when I first made it so that really should date it for you.
Mash up your banana (do it really, really well...use a blender if possible as trust me, you do not want to spend hours combing chunks of banana out of your wet hair). Add to the banana mash a desert spoon of vinegar and the yolk of one egg. Mix it up and slather it on your hair. I normally leave it on for fifteen minutes or so before combing it through and washing it out in the shower. I follow it up with a nice conditioner just in case of any lingering vinegar smell. It is a very nice treat for the hair.
4. Milkshake.
Yes, I know...similar to the smoothie but not the same so we're going to roll with it!
Plonk your banana into the blender with three-quarters of a glass of milk (or soya if you're intolerant to dairy like me) with a couple of cubes of ice and whizz to make a nice cold milkshake. You could substitute the ice cubes for ice cream if you fancy something creamier.
5. Exfoliator.
Add mashed banana (it doesn't have to be as smooth as for shampoo or cake) and add some brown sugar as an abrasive to make a handy exfoliator that's good for fake tan, dry skin, rough lips, hard feet and peeling sun burn. If you or your children are sensitive to chemicals in toiletries then this is a great shout as it contains only two natural ingredients. It's super cheap, too!!
Yes. I do really do all of those things on a reasonably regular basis. I hate waste.
Do you have any go-to uses for an over-ripe (or even a rotten) banana?
Clare
Oh...his banana hatred didn't stop him from eating my last slice of banana cake on Sunday night while he was up late for the wrestling.
Doughnut.
Labels: banana, beauty, food, home made, How to, recipe
