This Grilled Banana Maui Bagel is an easy-delicious recipe to squeeze into your busy week. If you are like me, you probably usually just use raw banana on top of nut butter toast. But this recipe uses a grilled banana spin with some delicious results.
Maui House. Whip this up and I promise, your whole house will suddenly become thick with tropical aromas. Toasted coconut. Sticky sweet grilled banana. Warm cinnamon. A hint of citrus. Melted cacao. And a fuzzy undertone of toasted bread. Melty-rich nut butter on top. Try this simple idea on your next nut butter toast.
This one is just so deliciously-messy and fun...
Last week I attended the Dole Banana Summit, held at Disney's California Adventure Resort. Tommorrow I'll post my wrap-up from the event and hopefully pass on some wellness-infused, nutrition-savvy, banana inspiration to you. But today, I was aching to make something using grilled banana. Since I ate so many delicious grilled banana things at the event.
So I whipped up this superfood bagel. Not only does it make your whole house smell like Maui, but it includes a nice slew of healthy topping options. Nut butter. Chia seeds. Bananas galore. Omega-3 fatty acid rich flax seeds or oil could be drizzled on top. A side of citrus and whatever else you'd like to cram in there. You could even pile on some baby spinach and make this a savory-meets-sweet bagel. (Because greens go well with just about anything, in my opinion.)
I tested out two nut butter varieties..
Almond butter bagel..
Vegan chocolate hazelnut bagel..
Grilled Banana Toast. Usually I just toss a raw banana on top of some peanut butter and toast. But I got all fancy trying a grilled banana trick. And it was the BEST banana toast/bagel I have ever made. Try this recipe and start your own banana-a-day (or two, or three...) habit.
..And don't forget to see my complete Banana Summit post. I have some fun tidbits and photos to share with you all! Like this one (right->left Me, Brooke from Cheeky Kitchen and Julie from The Little Kitchen)..
Grilled Banana Maui Bagels
vegan, serves one
Bagel Base - toast and spread nut butter(s) on top:
1 bagel or 2 slices toast (any variety)
1 tablespoon chunky almond butter (Barney Butter brand used)
1 tablespoon chocolate hazelnut butter (Justin's brand used)
(Peanut butter or another variety of nut butter will work as well. Macadamia nut butter would be AWESOME.)
Maui-Grilled Banana:
1 large banana (Dole used)
1-2 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan butter OR extra virgin coconut oil + pinch of salt
2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
a few pinches of cinnamon
a few pinches orange zest
optional:
a few drops vanilla extract
dash of cayenne of some heat
chia seeds
Flax seeds or flax oil
Directions:
1. Melt your oil or vegan butter in a saute pan over high heat.
2. Thinly slice your banana into about 3-4 long strips. Place in pan.
3. Add the cinnamon, coconut and optional vanilla and cayenne over top. Allow to cook for a good few minutes until the oil absorbs and the pan is really sizzling.
4. Flip the bananas - they should be nice and blackened with the edges getting crispy. Add more coconut and cinnamon over top and cook for a few more minutes - just before the edges become overly blackened. A bit of black color and burnt edges is what you want.
5. Turn off heat and quickly add the orange zest to the hot pan so that the aroma warms and infuses the banana. Next, shake the pan so that the toasted coconut spread in the pan mingles with the cinnamon and orange zest to coat the hot, soft banana in Maui essence. Set pan aside.
5. Toast the bagel or bread, spread with nut butter and add warm banana over top.
6. Add leftover toasted coconut from the pan over top along with chia seeds and or flax seeds or flax oil. Apple slices, citrus, baby spinach, berries, mango, avocado and more would compliment this plate.
Serve warm.
