Go bananas for these 5 extraordinary uses for bananas

As if a perfectly ripe banana didn't taste great on its own, now you have five ways to make it more special.

1.  To save overripe bananas, remove the peels, wrap the whole unpeeled banana in plastic wrap and store them whole in the freezer to make smoothies later. If you don't peel them first, it's a chore to remove the frozen peel. Slice them into chunks and add into a blender with berries, milk or yogurt and fresh orange juice. Blend until smooth. Bonus: frozen bananas make a cold smoothie so you don't have to add ice cubes, which will dilute it.
2. For a homemade tropical ice cream that will cool you down in the summertime, peel two bananas, wrap them in plastic, and freeze until solid. Then place them in a food processor with 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) heavy cream, 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) canned coconut milk, two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) vanilla extract, 125 millilitres (1/2 cup) fresh or frozen blueberries or strawberries and two millilitres (1/2 teaspoon) ground cinnamon or nutmeg. Blend to the desired smoothness (or chunkiness). Pour into a shallow metal pan, cover and freeze until firm. Scrape out servings with a spoon. Cover leftover ice cream tightly with plastic wrap to prevent freezer burn. Keeps for up to two months.
3. For complex-tasting blueberry muffins with less fat, replace the butter in your favourite recipe with a mixture of mashed bananas and vegetable oil.
4. To give the kids a more nutritious frozen treat, make chocolate-covered frozen bananas on a stick. Peel whole bananas and skewer each one with a wooden craft stick or chopstick, then freeze until solid. Dip each banana into 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) melted chocolate (melted chocolate chips work fine). If you like, quickly roll in chopped nuts or sprinkles before the chocolate firms ups. Place on wax paper and return the chocolate-covered bananas to the freezer for 15 minutes.
5. Add a banana to a bag of peaches, which will help ripen the fruit faster. The ethylene gas emitted by the banana speeds the ripening process.

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