let's go bananas: decadent fried bananas with cinnamon & walnuts!

i'm often reminded by friends of this blog that i need to add more recipes to my dessert category. believe me, i am well aware of this fact. it's not that i don't want to, i do...but i've never been one to make them (unless we're talking berries with lightly sweetened cream or the occasional cake or brownie for a birthday celebration)! i think the main reason i don't do desserts is because baking requires measurement, precision, and my undivided attention-even the thought of it makes me anxious!! cooking has always been a fun, instinctive, and relatively fluid process for me, and i don't even know where my measuring cups or spoons are most of the time. as a child, i remember sitting on the kitchen counter watching (with my mouth watering) my grandma meticulously and with such pleasure create a favorite dessert: what she called the Napoleon (nuppeleeownnn) : unbelievably delicate, buttery, and flaky, and tediously prepared home made puff pastry layered with real sweetened whipped cream laced with ground cardamom, and carefully topped with ground pistachios- also known as the "most heavenly dessert ever!" i’m going to have to challenge myself and tackle this one soon…my mouth is watering at the thought of it! yesterday, in an attempt to save several bananas that had not made it into the morning smoothies, i decided to make an easy, relatively low calorie, potentially good for you dessert that admittedly hit the spot (okay, it was not quite the napoleon, but it came kind of close...)! the ingredients are as simple as it gets: bananas, cinnamon, virgin unrefined coconut oil (or butter-which I find myself using more frequently of late), coconut milk, & raw walnuts. see what i mean? take out your skillet....here we go: cooking minette ventures on the sweet side!

ingredients for 4-6 servings:(prepare right before serving)

• 4-6 bananas, peeled, sliced in half, then sliced in half again, horizontally

• 1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1-2 tsp virgin unrefined coconut oil (or butter, preferably)

• 1 tbs or so chopped raw walnuts

• 2-3 tbs coconut milk

• a small squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1. heat the butter/oil in a heavy skillet, then add the bananas and fry on one side on medium/high heat until golden (about 3-5 minutes), sprinkle with 1/2 of the cinnamon. turn the bananas carefully with a spatula, sprinkle with remaining cinnamon, and fry the other side. turn them (very carefully) back up. reduce the heat slightly.

2. add the walnuts (scatter over) to the skillet and shake carefully to distribute them and allow them to incorporate for a minute or two.

3. add a squeeze of lemon juice over the bananas, allow the liquid to be absorbed (1-2 minutes), then add coconut milk. remove from heat as soon as the sauce thickens (2-3 minutes). serve right away with another fresh sprinkle of ground cinnamon . voila!