We all know that bananas are cheap and easily accessible, yet highly nutritious. If you want to enjoy bananas in a whole new light, why not turn them into chips? It’s really easy!
Below you will find a very simple recipe for making baked banana chips. Yes, baked — no splashing scorching-hot oil! More importantly, you can enjoy crispy snacks that are low in calories as they are not deep-fried. It’s no secret that baking is one of the healthiest cooking methods around.
Some banana chips are actually dehydrated slices of bananas. While still very healthy and delectable, there are a few cons to dehydrated banana chips. First, they are not as crispy as baked ones. Second, it takes a really long time for those slices of bananas to get dehydrated, depending on how thick each slice is. Clearly, baking is the way to go if you want crispy homemade banana chips that are healthy and a delight to snack on!
But baked or not baked, everyone knows that bananas are good for you. These tropical fruits are loaded with nutrients such as potassium, manganese and B vitamins. They also contain good amounts of protein and lots and lots of fiber that’s definitely good for your gut! Because of the impressive nutritional profile of bananas, it’s a wonderful idea to snack on them on a regular basis to enjoy:
- Lowered blood pressure and risk of heart disease
- Healthy digestion and regular bowel movement
- Reduced risk of suffering from deadly colon cancer
- Increased satiety which promotes healthy weight loss
- Improved insulin resistance and lowered diabetes risk
Definitely, everyone should go bananas over bananas! And if ever you do get tired and bored of eating bananas, there’s no need to turn your back on them as you can easily rekindle your love for bananas by turning them into chips!
By the way, banana chips are healthier than regular ripe bananas because of the use of a particular ingredient: lemon juice. There’s no denying that lemon juice is teeming with vitamin C that is good for the gums and overall oral health. Vitamin C, which is also an antioxidant, helps keep your skin from all sorts of problems, including premature aging. It’s no secret that vitamin C is important for warding off infections and allergies as it’s an immune system-booster!
So why is lemon juice used in making baked banana chips? Primarily, it is used to keep the slices of bananas from turning brown and mushy. Again, it has something to do with the fact that vitamin C in lemon juice is a powerful antioxidant — it saves the slices of bananas from reacting unfavorably to oxygen in the atmosphere.
While keeping slices of bananas from ending up brown, lemon juice adds more nutrients and some flavor in the process. Just make sure that you use freshly-squeezed lemon juice for best results.
Excited to make your first batch of baked banana chips? Here’s the super simple recipe:
Ingredients:
- 2 medium-sized bananas (plantains are the best)
- 1 cup of freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- Cooking spray
- Honey or maple syrup
Procedure:
A few minutes before you start making baked banana chips, peel your bananas and stash them in the freezer. Doing this will make it easier to have the bananas sliced thinly.
Just before you slice up the bananas, preheat the oven to 200°F.
Take the bananas out of the freezer and, using a sharp knife, slice them thinly. Be very careful!
Dip them in freshly-squeezed lemon juice and neatly place them on a large baking sheet that’s sprayed with cooking spray.
Spray the banana slices with cooking spray and place the baking sheet in the oven.
Let them slow-cook in the oven for about 3 hours, flipping them over halfway.
While still hot, drizzle with a little honey or maple syrup.
Once cool, store your baked banana chips in an airtight container. Enjoy!
Source: pinterest.com
