Banana corn fritters make healthy, vegetarian meal

The banana is an obliging do-it-all fruit, capable of playing many more roles than peel-and-eat snacking. Bananas can go far beyond typecasting as cereal toppings and lunchbox staples.

That's the message in a feature in the February-March 2006 issue of EatingWell magazine. It suggests roasting bananas and serving them with yogurt cream, slicing them into a tropical salad, or, among other savory options, mashing them with cornmeal in fritters.

Savory, smoky and slightly sweet, these fritters would make a great vegetarian meal with black bean soup, coleslaw or crusty whole-grain bread. Dotted with creme fraiche, they would make an exotic appetizer if you're entertaining.

And you can feel so healthy while you eat bananas: They have practically no fat, sodium or cholesterol.

Banana Corn Fritters

(Preparation 20 minutes, start to finish 30 minutes)

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili (see note) or cayenne pepper

1 1/4 cups roughly mashed bananas (about 3 medium)

1 large egg

2 tablespoons milk or buttermilk

2 tablespoons canola oil

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Whisk cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and chipotle (or cayenne) in a medium bowl. Mix banana, egg and milk (or buttermilk) in another medium bowl. Add the cornmeal mixture to the banana mixture and stir until just incorporated.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium; using 2 tablespoons of batter for each, space 5 fritters evenly in the pan. Cook until golden brown, 30 seconds to 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Cook a second batch with the remaining oil and batter, adjusting heat to prevent burning.

Transfer the fritters to the oven and bake until puffed and firm to the touch, 8 to 10 minutes. (If you wish to make ahead: Reheat at 350 F for 15 to 20 minutes.)

Makes 5 servings, 2 cakes each.

Nutrition information per serving: 243 cal., 8 g fat (1 g saturated), 43 mg chol., 41 g carbo., 5 g pro., 4 g fiber, 326 mg sodium.

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeno peppers, often used to add heat and a smoky flavor to foods. Ground chipotle can be found in the specialty-spice section of most supermarkets.