Banana

Taste the tropics in minutes with the flavors of banana, apple, mango and creamy French Vanilla in this delicious Apple-Mango Madness smoothie!

Few travel experiences are more American than eating dessert at a roadside diner. My order? A slice of banana cream pie: the topping whipped high, the creamy filling offering comfort far from home. To elevate this classic in my own kitchen, I add sliced bananas to the hot (and simple) custard to infuse it with flavor. And did I mention chocolate's involved? It's my take on diner deluxe. —Janet Taylor McCracken

A delightful option for a mid-morning snack or brunch, our Teff Banana Bread is also gluten-free and dairy-free. We slice ours with a serrated knife, first lengthwise down the middle and then across into 12 slices, for a total of 24 one-ounce servings per loaf.

To make this creamy shake, blitz together Medjool dates, yogurt, vanilla, and cinnamon with ice and water, then top it with toasted nuts and seeds.

A twist on bananas Foster, this parfait is made with rye instead of rum and finished with caramelized-maple pecans. The parfaits can be made ahead and look great layered in freezer-proof rocks glasses or mason jars.

Tasty, and healthy, too: Coconut water is high in potassium and other electrolytes. And Flaxseeds are a good source of beneficial omega-3s.

With a tropical flair really sweetens things up. Chop fruit in advance; assemble day of. Done!

A sweet blend of ripe bananas, brown sugar, and nutmeg that only tastes decadent, this dairy-free, low-calorie smoothie uses almond milk to pump up the protein. Add a touch of almond extract to increase the flavor, or use chocolate almond milk and a tablespoon of peanut butter.

Sometimes the simplest things are the most delicious. Epicurious member JynnJynn of Louisville, Kentucky, ensured these moist cookies are easy to make and easier to enjoy. Follow JynnJynn’s advice and add coconut, or use white chocolate and other fruit or nuts. Save a few cookies for the next day, as the banana flavor truly comes out the day after baking.

Epicurious member Marsha Klein of Barrington, Rhode Island, shared her everything-but-thekitchen-sink banana bread with our community, and it quickly became popular. Toasted walnuts and chocolate chips add texture, but this flexible recipe can easily be adapted to a baker’s whim. The chocolate-averse can substitute dried fruit—golden raisins or blueberries—for the chips; the nut-allergic, shredded coconut; the health-conscious, white whole-wheat flour.

Fluffy buttermilk banana pancakes get a unique makeover with the help of salty macadamia nuts and zesty orange butter. As the orange butter melts into each pancake, the bright, refreshing citrus notes lighten up this rich morning meal. Add some chocolate chips or use different nuts to customize your breakfast.

The key to this recipe is using a ripe, in-season peach. Here in Arizona, we get amazing peaches from the farms in the city of Queen Creek, as well as from Utah. It's always good to get to know the produce guys at your local grocery store because they will tell you when peaches are in their prime. Peaches contain numerous nutrients that are good for your body, including niacin, thiamin, potassium, and calcium. They are also high in beta-carotene, which promotes healthy hearts and eyes. The darker the peach's color, the more vitamin A it has in its pulp. Peaches may also help in maintaining healthy urinary and digestive functions. There's some evidence that flaxseed oil, which is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, may help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke, and even diabetes.

This cake is perfect for beginners—it's moist, forgiving, and easy. Jif creamy peanut butter is our favorite for the decadent frosting.

When frozen, bananas become so creamy they can almost pass for sorbet or even ice cream. Coat them with chocolate and sprinkle them with homemade peanut brittle—there will be plenty left over for snacking—and you've got a refreshingly cold treat that feels almost as virtuous as a serving of fruit. Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Summer Fair Favorites. Menu also includes Fried Onion Dippers with Balsamic Ketchup and Turkey Meatball Garlic Bread Heroes.

Banana breads tend to be high in fat and sugar, but this wholesome loaf relies primarily on bananas to keep the bread moist and flavorful. Walnuts and a generous amount of ground flaxseed add texture and plenty of nutrients; substitute toasted pecans for the walnuts if you like, or omit the nuts altogether.

When you want a chile with distinctive flavor and a blast of heat for a salsa with Caribbean roots, the habanero is an obvious choice. It is native to the Caribbean basin, which includes the Yucatán region of Mexico. The flavor of habaneros has tropical overtones that perfectly complement fruit like mangoes and bananas. A little goes a long way—despite its diminutive size, it is the hottest of all chiles available in the United States and Mexico. This salsa makes a great condiment for pork, chicken, or fish.

The key to this gelato is to use super-ripe bananas—the blacker the better. Liz Hong, one of our line cooks who tested this recipe, let the bananas ripen for over a week before they were as black as we wanted them. Roasting the bananas before puréeing them is a little trick I use to prevent the bananas from turning brown when they’re added to the base.

Steel-cut oats (also called Irish or Scottish oats) take longer to cook than rolled oats but are creamier and chewier.