Have a healthy feast with these banana cinnamon rolls! Guaranteed to make YOU ooh and aah!
Tip: use ripe bananas in this recipe before they go bad! The riper they are, the more sugar they contain. That pertains to all fruits, not just bananas.
As some of you may know, I'm a big fan of raw food—good old greens and salads and fresh fruits and veggies. My friend, Andrew Perlot, and his friend, Brittany Taylor, shared this recipe on their Facebook page.
Brittany made these for Andrew's birthday—with inspiration from their friend Alicia Ojeda (a great raw vegan chef)
I'll be the first to admit that Alicia's version looks MUCH better than mine, but my only excuse is that I'm not a chef(!) and that it was my first attempt! LOL
Please also note that this is MY variation of the recipe as Alicia hadn't posted the exact recipe—so this is how I interpreted the photo and I worked off the ingredients and info. that Brittany gave me.
I gobbled these up in record time. Warning! Warning! Warning! They are VERY good AND healthy too!
Just remember, when eating more fruits—you need to cut your fat intake to 10 - 15% of your total calories. Why?
So that the sugars that our bodies need to live off can get through our bloodstream and give us the energy nature provides.
Plus, you don't want to get diabetes. After being "raw" for a few years, I switched over to a low-sugar/carb Keto Diet (see my other website: FinallyKeto.)
The dates I used are dried dates, as the photo shows. If you have juicier fresh dates, there probably won't be any need to rehydrate them. Keep on scrolling down to see the sliced bananas on the dehydrator!
Remember to chill your bananas first if they're VERY ripe and a bit on the squishy side. Bananas are best eaten when they have speckled skins, about 40% covered with speckles at a guess.
I used FOUR dehydrator trays (read more HERE about why four trays are the minimum to use).
In the photo below, you'll see the bananas after they've been on the dehydrator for a couple of hours.
Next, we mash up the dates and then add the raisins. Now it's time to put the mixture on the bananas and roll 'em up!
Actually, the stuff is pretty sticky, so it was easier to do than I imagined it would be.
Don't worry if your bananas split apart; the mixture and the banana at this stage are quite sticky and act like glue. I actually used my fingers to put on the spread.
Now they go BACK on the dehydrator on the TOP tray of my Nesco with the three empty trays below it. Why? Nesco states you should NOT use their dehydrator with less than four trays SO THAT THE AIR can circulate properly.
As stated earlier, if you have an Excalibur dehydrator, this is not a problem, as their trays are easily removed, so you can create plenty of "headroom" between trays.
Admittedly NOT as pretty as Chef Alicia's, but absolutely every bit as delicious!
We have other sweet tooth delights! Namely: Apple Sauce, Delicious Carrot Cake, and my Mom's borrowed recipe: Cranberry Pineapple Pie.
The carrot cake was my dad's favorite... I can't believe he ate the frosting too. That is one thing he'd normally push off to one side of his plate!
Regarding the cranberry pineapple pie - it's quite decadent. I love it for special occasions. It does take quite a while to make, but is TOTALLY worth it!
Susan Gast began Easy Food Dehydrating in December 2010.
Read Susan's story of what sparked her interest in all things related to "food dehydrating."
She is featured on the Mother Earth News blog, and on Solo Build It! (SBI!) who hosts this site. Read her first SBI! interview and her second SBI! interview.
Since 1980, Susan's involvement in publishing - in one form or another - led her to create ePubTechReviews which reviews a variety of products related to the publishing industry - if you're at all interested in AI and self-publishing. The website is also hosted by Solo Build It!
Susan also runs her namesake site SusanGast.com on Solo Build It! that showcases the books she has written since 2012.
Do you want to send Susan a quick message? Visit her contact page here. She'd love to hear from you!