What To Do With Overripe Bananas (Besides Making Banana Bread).

There are endless recipes and coooking ideas for making the most of your fresh fruit, but what do you do when your ripe produce, like bananas, become discoloured and mushy after sitting a little too long on the kitchen counter? If you’re like most, you throw away the overripe offenders, but sustainable foods advocate says you shouldn’t be so quick to turn toward the trash can.

Jenny McGruther, food educator and author of The Nourished Kitchen, is all about cooking with simple ingredients that are inherently flavourful, and says that overripe fruits fall beautifully into that category. You just have to know how to use them. Her favourite combination? Overripe bananas and smoothies.

“You can absolutely use overripe, brown bananas in a smoothie,” she says during an interview for the web series #OWN SHOW.

The only thing McGruther suggests being cautious about is how the ripeness of the banana changes its flavour. “Overripe bananas can be sweeter than bananas that are just yellow,” she says. “So you want to cut down on any additional sweetener you might add.”

This natural sweetness makes bananas an ideal ingredient in smoothies, but McGruther points to two other big benefits in blending this fruit. “They’re also super creamy, so they can add a creamy texture to your smoothies without necessarily adding dairy,” she explains. “Another benefit to adding bananas to smoothies is that they are a binding ingredient. That means that they help the emulsification process, which helps all the ingredients blend together and stay together.”

Bananas aren’t the only overripe fruit that McGruder says are great in smoothies. She also suggests incorporating mushy peaches, plums and strawberries as well — with one caveat.

“You don’t want to add anything that’s clearly ‘off,’ like molded, for example,” she says. “But any of the other fruits that are slightly soft are really great in smoothies because they’re extra sweet, which is nice, and also because of their soft texture, they blend together really well.”

1.  Banana And Pineapple Smoothie

This smoothie has all the tropical flavour you need for a bright morning. The recipe includes banana, pineapple and orange juice. If you prefer a creamier, less tart smoothie, feel free to replace the orange juice with yogurt.

Ingredients

• 1 ripe banana
• 1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple
• 1 1/2 cups orange juice
• 2 cups ice cubes, about 12 cubes

Directions

• Peel banana, break into chunks, and put in blender with crushed pineapple, orange juice and ice. Blend until smooth.
• TIP: If you love orange juice in the morning, this smoothie is for you. If you prefer a less acidic start, add yogurt to this smoothie to mellow it out.
• TIP: Fresh pineapple is delicious (and works well in this smoothie), so give it a try. If you need a quick morning fix, canned pineapple does the trick.
• TIP: If you like your smoothies ice cold, put the pineapple in the fridge. Or, better yet, put all the ingredients (except the ice) in the blender the night before, refrigerate, and give a quick blend in the morning. Talk about your 30-second breakfast!

2.  Silken Tofu And Berry Smoothie

This quick-and-easy smoothie features silken tofu for a kick of protein in the morning. Feel free to use your favourite fresh mixed berries or frozen. Sweeten with agave nectar or honey.

Ingredients

• 3 cups mixed berries
• 1 cup silken tofu
• 2 1/2 cups vanilla soymilk
• 2 cups ice
• 1/3 cup agave nectar or honey

 Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into tall glasses and serve immediately.

3.  Purple Berry Smoothie

Get all your antioxidants in this smoothies, which is packed with dark berries. Feel free to use raspberries, blueberries or blackberries. Sweeten with honey if you prefer.

Ingredients

• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup ice cubes, about 3 cubes
• 1 tablespoons honey, if needed

Directions

• Put raspberries, blueberries, yogurt, ice and honey (if needed) into a blender vase. Blend until smooth. Pass through a mesh strainer to remove the raspberry seeds, if desired.
• TIP: Before adding the honey, taste the berries to see if they are tart or sweet. If sweet, omit the honey. If tart, add it. You can also taste the smoothie after you’ve blended it to see if it needs a sweet boost.
• TIP: Use frozen fruit instead of fresh, and omit the ice. When fresh berries are out of season, frozen is the best choice. The berries will be sweeter and less expensive than out-of-season fresh berries. 

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