With National Banana Day coming up on April 20th. we’re adding a new and different banana recipe to our repertoire: a spicy banana dip recipe to serve with crackers, crudités, or tortilla chips. It’s from Dole.

While the bananas should be ripe, a dip is a good use for overripe bananas, too.

You can use bananas even when the peel turns black. The blacker the peel, the riper the banana, and the sweeter it is.

Other uses for overripe bananas, mashed or puréed: baking, puddings (including bread pudding), shakes and smoothies, made into ice cream†, added to pancake batter, stirred into yogurt and oatmeal*. Check out these banana meatballs!

Banana trivia: The U.S. imports most of its bananas from Guatemala, followed by Ecuador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, with smaller amounts from other countries. See this chart.

> The history of bananas.
 
 
RECIPE #1: DOLE SPICY BANANA DIP

Serve this dip with whole-grain cinnamon crackers, or vegetables such as celery and carrots.

You can buy cinnamon crackers, or bake your own with the recipe below. You can also serve it with plantain chips, tortilla chips, and pretzels.

For a dessert dip or sweet snack, leave out the savory ingredients, sweeten to taste, and serve with plain cookies and fruit.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. MASH the bananas with a fork. Stir in the lime juice, cilantro, mint, ginger, and green chile. Transfer to a serving bowl.

2. REFRIGERATE in an airtight container until ready to use.
 
 
RECIPE #2: HOMEMADE WHOLE GRAIN CRACKERS
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. Combine the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, chia/flaxseed, salt, and baking powder.

2. ADD the water and olive oil, and mix until the dough holds together. If necessary, add one or two more tablespoons of water. Transfer to the counter and knead 4 or 5 times.

3. DIVIDE the dough into 4 equal pieces, cover, and rest for 10 minutes.

4. ROLL the dough on a lightly whole wheat-floured surface until it is wafer-thin. Carefully move the dough pieces to a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. DUST the cinnamon over the top, and bake for 4 minutes on each side. Remove crackers from the oven and break them into bite-size pieces.
 
 
________________

*You can add a dash of cinnamon and some chopped walnuts and raisins.

†In addition to conventional ice cream, you can simply freeze chunks of bananas and process them into a frozen dessert. Lay them on a plate or cookie sheet to freeze, so they don’t clump together. Place the frozen bananas in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed. Place the banana purée in a bowl in the freezer for an hour or two, to desired consistency. Stir in chocolate chips, nuts, or raisins as desired.

[1] Spicy banana dip with homemade cinnamon crackers (photos #1 and #3 © Dole).

[2] You can serve any dip with crudités, crackers, chips, or pretzels (photo © The Fry Family Food Co. | Unsplash).

[3] Use ripe bananas for this dip, but dip is also a good use for overripe bananas. For dessert, you can make it a sweet dip with cookies and fruit.

[4] If you want less heat than a jalapeño, choose Anaheim or poblano chile (photo © Good Eggs).

[1] BLT Chicharrónes Lettuce Cups. What look like croutons are crumbled chicharrónes (photos #1 and #2 © 4505 Meats).

[2] Chicharrónes. Crumble them for the lettuce cups or sandwich.

[3] BLT Pancakes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Tiegen Gerard | Wisconsin Cheese).

[4] BLT Polenta. Here’s the recipe (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

April is National BLT Sandwich Month. While we have quite a collection of BLT recipes, here’s something new: a BLT sandwich or BLT lettuce cups with chicharrónes, otherwise known as fried pork rinds. 4505 Meats, which created the recipe, calls it a BLCT: bacon, chicharrónes, lettuce, and tomato.

We love both the chicharrónes and the snack sticks from 4505 Meats.

We also like the fun of this sandwich, which adds chicharrón crunch to the lettuce in a BLT sandwich. Or, skip the carbs and make BLT lettuce cups.

National BLT Day is July 22nd, and National Pork Rinds Day is Super Bowl Sunday.

> There are more unusual BLT recipes below.

> Homemade pork rinds recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: BLT LETTUCE CUPS WITH CHICHARRÓNES

This recipe uses 4505 Jalapeño Cheddar Chicharrónes. IOther 4505 flavors include Classic Chili & Salt, En Fuego, Sea Salt, and Smokehouse BBQ.

To turn the lettuce cups into sandwiches, simply toast your bread of choice.
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. ARRANGE the romaine spears on a plate and spread each spear with a little mayo.

2. PLACE a strip of bacon into each romaine spear.

3. SEASON the cubed tomatoes with salt and pepper to taste and spoon into each lettuce spear, over the bacon. Top with bite-sized pieces of jalapeno cheddar chicharrónes.

4. SERVE as cups, or spread the toasted bread with more mayo and sandwich the romaine spears between two slices.
 
 
MORE UNUSUAL BLT RECIPES

Cocktails

 
Not A Sandwich

 
Plus

If you’re serving a salad at Easter dinner, don’t forget the carrots! This nod to the Easter bunny makes the Easter salad more fun, and the carrots add crunch, plus antioxidants, beta carotene, fiber, potassium, and heart-healthy vitamin K1.

What else should you go into your Easter salad? If you can, find special ingredients (beyond the romaine, e.g.). Some ideas (choose as many items as you like):
 
 
EASTER/SPRING SALAD RECIPE

Ingredients

 
For garnish, you can top each plate of salad with a deviled egg half.
 
Honey Lemon Vinaigrette

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the vinaigrette. First whisk together the lemon juice and lemon zest, honey, and thyme. Then whisk in the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. CUT the vegetables into desired sizes. When ready to serve, re-whisk the dressing if it has separated. Drizzle and toss to coat the salad.

[1] These carrots have a red skin, but the conventional orange inside. The yellow slices are takuan, a Japanese yellow pickled radish (photo © Gramercy Tavern | NYC).

[2] You can find bunches of carrots in orange, red, and white yellow at Trader Joe’s, among other stores and farmers markets (photo © The Home Grown Collective).

[1] Bunny Bars str popcorn bars with an Easter twist (photo © The Popcorn Board).

[2] If you prefer something more sophisticated, here’s a recipe for white chocolate popcorn bark (photo © Urban Accents).

[3] How about an Easter milkshake? Here’s the recipe (photo © Alden’s Ice Cream).

The Easter Bunny delivers more than chocolate and eggs. He delivers these Easter Bunny Popcorn Bars, made by Mrs. Easter Bunny for the whole family (photo #1).

In addition to popcorn and marshmallows, there are crunchy candy-coated chocolate eggs. We’re sending everybody home with zip-top treat bags full of them (get them at Michael’s).

> The history of popcorn.

> The history of Easter candy.
 
 
RECIPE: EASTER BUNNY POPCORN BARS

If you can find colored mini marshmallows, so much the better—especially for the top garnish.

Chocolate lovers can drizzle melted dark, milk or white chocolate over top. (We suggest that you drizzle it over the popcorn, and then press the marshmallows and chocolate eggs into the chocolate drizzle.)
 
Ingredients For 16 Servings

 
Preparation

1. GREASE and line a 13-x-9-inch baking pan with parchment paper.

2. MELT the butter in a large saucepan set over medium-low heat. Stir in 3 cups of marshmallows and the vanilla until melted. Remove from the heat.

3. IMMEDIATELY STIR in the popcorn until well coated. Press into the parchment line pan and smooth the top with a greased spatula.

4. IMMEDIATELY SPRINKLE with the remaining marshmallows, miniature eggs, and sprinkles. Press the toppings lightly to adhere to the popcorn layer. Optionally drizzle with melted chocolate. Let stand for about 30 minutes or until set.

5. CUT into bars. Store in an airtight container.
 
 
MORE FUN EASTER RECIPES

How about some pecan potato salad for National Pecan Day, April 14th? Idaho® Potatoes roasted until crispy then tossed with toasted, herbed pecans and a honey mustard pecan dressing.

Pecans add crunch, flavor, and protein, and the three different types of potatoes add visual appeal.

This potato salad is packed with flavor and has just a little cayenne spice.

The recipe was developed by Cheryl Bennett of Pook’s Pantry for the Idaho Potato Commission.

Check out her website for more delicious recipes.

National Potato Day is August 19th.
 
 
> The history of pecans.

> The history of potatoes.

> The history of potato salad.

> The different types of potatoes.
 
 
ROASTED IDAHO POTATO SALAD WITH HERBED PECANS
& HONEY MUSTARD DRESSING

While the recipe is meant to be served warm, the chilled leftovers are delicious, too.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Honey Dijon Cressing

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. In a medium bowl, toss potatoes with the canola oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper.

2. LAY the potatoes out in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes, until crispy and browned.

3. LAY the pecans on a separate baking sheet and toast in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them, as they can quickly go from toasted to burnt.

4. TOSS the warm, toasted pecans with butter, brown sugar, cayenne, and rosemary. Set aside.

5. MAKE the dressing. In a food processor or blender, combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth. Set aside.

6. COMBINE the roasted potatoes, herbed pecans, and dressing. Toss to coat evenly with dressing. Serve warm.

[1] Warm potato salad with herbed pecans (photos #1 and #2 © Cheryl Bennett | Pook’s Pantry | Idaho Potato Commission.

[2] The salad is dressed with honey mustard salad dressing, a fan favorite.

[3] Pecans, delicious for snacking and in recipes (photo © The American Pecan Council).

[4] Baby purple potatoes (photo © Melissa’s Produce).