Happy Love Day: Crispy Cinnamon Banana Chips Recipe

Happy Love Day everyone!!! I hope you’re all having a beautiful day with your friends, family, and loved ones. I’ve had a pretty fab day already. It started with an amazing Thai Massage from Sharla Brower.

Now in addition to my sweet massage I’ve also been busy in the kitchen doing some recipe development. I started by playing around with some Toasted Pecan and Chocolate Coconut Clusters, which will be posted shortly, and ended by perfecting today’s recipe:

Crispy Cinnamon Banana Chips!

This recipe is super simple, elegant, and deliciously satisfying! I like making a batch post-yoga and eating it with a handful of walnuts or pecans to fill me up. You could also drizzle it with some homemade chocolate sauce and toasted nuts if you’re feeling really decadent, but for today I’ll just share the base recipe.

Our delicious all-star cast of ingredients. Three is definitely a magic number!

Bananas

Bananas, like avocados, are one of the best food sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. In addition, bananas contain pectin, a soluble fiber (called a hydrocolloid) that can help normalize movement through the digestive tract and ease constipation to ensure that one of your most important detox pathways remains active and healthy. And who doesn’t want a snack that also helps you poop? 😉

Coconut Oil

At this point, dear readers, do I even need to tell you why coconut oil is pretty much the best thing ever? 😉 Just in case I have any new readers who haven’t yet been introduced to the magic that is coconut, I’ll give a brief little summary. This fruit (yes coconut is technically a type of fruit) is one of my favourite all round kitchen staples. From the milk, to the oil, to the yummy shredded meat, all coconut contains medium chain triglycerides (MCTs), which is a type of fat that provides energy for the liver and increases the beta-oxidation of stored fat to help us maintain our svelte figures. It also has sweet anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal properties thanks to its caprylic, capric, and lauric acid content. Capric acid in particular has antiviral and antimicrobial effects because it is converted to a substance called monocaprin in the body. Monocaprin is somewhat of a superhero because it fights off evil bacteria, viruses, and even Candida albicans, which helps take some of the heat off of our immune systems.
Adding healthy fats to your foods also increases nutrient availability and absorption, specifically of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, & K. Like fibre, healthy fats also help decrease the glycemic index of certain sweet foods, limiting their impact on blood sugar levels ensuring a steady flow of energy without the dreaded afternoon crash and burn. Look for virgin, cold-pressed, and organic sources, such as Costco’s Carrington Farms brand.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is great for helping your cells more effectively absorb and use sugars, such as those found in bananas! Combining these two foods not only tastes great, but also ensures that the banana doesn’t cause a huge spike in blood sugar. Maintaining blood sugar prevents you from experiencing the dreaded spikes and crashes that leave you reaching for the donuts or bag of chips and it helps you avoid that dreaded afternoon slump where all you want to do is crawl under your desk and take a nap. Additionally, it turns out that the volatile oils responsible for that delightfully homey and delicious scent also have amazing antimicrobial effects that help ward off any nasty bacteria that may be weakening your immune system.

Now that we know why we’re eating these delicious treats, lets figure out how shall we?

Ingredients

• 1 banana, it works better if they’re still slightly green
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil, or enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan
• ½ tsp. cinnamon

Directions

1. Heat coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Don’t turn it up too high or you’ll burn the outside of the banana slices!
2. While the oil is heating, slice the banana crosswise into rounds. The thinner you make them the crispier they will be. I’ve had them thicker which is also nice because the outside gets crispy and you get a delicious, gooey banana center!
3. Once oil is heated lay banana slices into frying pan in a single layer.
4. Grab a pair of kitchen tongs and when the edges start to brown slightly flip them over. This should take approximately 2-3 minutes.
5. Let bananas crisp on the other side, approximately 2-3 minutes, keeping a close eye. It could go faster depending on how hot your stove and pan are.
6. As bananas are ready, transfer to a small plate. If you want you can place a piece of paper towel on it to absorb the extra oil, but I love me some coconut so I just leave them be.
7. Sprinkle with cinnamon and enjoy!!

Well there you go friends! A super simple treat for when you’re craving something sweet, crispy, and delicious. Now I’m off to watch LOTR with the ladies and indulge in homemade chocolate—gotta do something with those test batches ;)—and fancy bacon. Could Love Day get any better?! Have a wonderfully whimsical weekend everyone!

Cait 🙂