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I have a very sweet tooth and adore chocolate. Unfortunately I have a chocolate-intolerance and it brings me out in massive lumpy spots – I do still eat it occasionally but I almost always regret it a few days later. Also, with being ill for the past year I’ve not been able to exercise much so have piled on a good few pounds and am trying to limit my calories a little in a bid to slim back down again.
So recently I have been trying to find ways to satisfy my sweet tooth without involving chocolate or sugar or big calories.
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Enter baked bananas!
They have really been a revelation for me and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. Any time we have a summer barbecue, I always make barbecued bananas and I must say they are usually my favourite part of the meal, so I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to think of doing them in the oven. It really is so simple…
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Preheat oven to a moderate temperature
(this is approx 180 degrees C or 350 degrees F or gas mark 4).
Put bananas (1 per person) on a baking tray and pop it in the oven.
No need to grease the tray or peel the bananas or anything – super easy!
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Cook for about 10 minutes and then turn. They will look horribly black – don’t worry about it.
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Cook for a further 5-10 minutes (this depends on how ripe the bananas were to start with – the riper they are, the less cooking time they need) and remove from the oven. They will now look completely black and the skin may have split.
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Run a sharp knife lengthways through the centre to open up the skin to expose the yummy hot sweet banana flesh inside.
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Baking them like this makes the flesh soft and slightly gooey and much sweeter than when eaten raw, almost caramel-like in flavour. You can eat it immediately like this, or remove it from the skin and place it in a bowl with some healthy toppings. My current favourite is to add a spoonful of low-fat natural yoghurt, a sprinkling of sunflower seeds and a small handful of chopped dried dates. It makes for a yummy breakfast but I’ve also had it as an afternoon snack and as dessert.
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So a little bowl of healthy sweetness,
with less than a minute of prep time and 15-20 mins cooking time.
Bliss!
Do you have any easy ways to combat sweet cravings but stay healthy?
I’d love to hear your ideas.
Vohn
xx