Ripe bananas. If you have more than you
can use, freeze them. Photo by
Sanja Gjenero | SXC.

We don’t. Our perfect banana looks like the ones in the photo (which shows the visual standard of ripeness). The flesh of a brown-flecked banana has rounded, lush banana flavors that haven’t yet come out at the pre-fleck stage of ripening.

Probiotic foods give relief to people with ongoing digestive disorders, by including large concentrations of beneficial bacteria that help with digestion.

Not only do probiotic foods increase digestive health (and reduce the negative digestive impact of antibiotics), but they also boost the immune system and decrease the severity of allergies and asthma.

The most well-known examples of probiotic foods are yogurt and other dairy products, but fermented foods like sauerkraut are also packed with beneficial bacteria.

Zukay Live Foods produces probiotic juices, salad dressings, salsas and relishes, making it easy for you to add probiotics to your diet. The first probiotic food company to focus on non-dairy foods, Zukay produces raw, all-natural, fermented vegetable-based products that fit into a typical American daily diet.

Our personal favorite is the Garlic Dill Relish.

Located in rural eastern Pennsylvania, Zukay sources all of their vegetables through local family farms. Everything is farm-fresh and there are no chemical preservatives.

Australian passionfruit is small and purple-
skinned. Photo by Brybs | SXC.

You may have assumed, like many people, that passionfruit was named for the passion it inspires in those who consume it.

But the name actually comes from a religious source, rather than any aphrodisiac properties.

The fruit is named for the plant’s flower, which is said to symbolize parts of the Passion of Christ, including the crown of thorns and the nails of the crucifixion.

So, add passionfruit to your Easter menu.

Like pomegranate, the pulp and seeds are the edible parts of the fruit. Here are some ideas on how to use them:

We’ve found two types of passionfruit in our market: Australia/New Zealand-grown passionfruit, which is purple and the size of a small lemon, and Hawaiian passionfruit, which is yellow and as large as a grapefruit.* The purple variety is less acidic, with a richer aroma and flavor.

*Passionfruit is grown worldwide in subtropical climates, from India and Indonesia to Israel to the Caribbean and South America. And of course, Australia and New Zealand.

When ripe, the flesh of both varieties is very wrinkled. Cut the fruit in half and scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon.

According to produce expert Melissas.com, choose fragrant, shriveled, wrinkled fruit that is rich in color. If the skin is smooth, ripen at room temperature and turn occasionally. The fruit may then be refrigerated in a plastic bag for a few days or frozen for longer storage without any loss of quality.

The initiative, called KeepRecipes For Recovery, offers 21 Japanese recipes from nine chefs, including Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto, Annisa Executive Chef & Top Chef Masters alumna Anita Lo, Madonna’s personal chef Mayumi Nishimura and The New York Times columnists Mark Bittman and Amanda Hesser.

Donate $10 or more by June 30th, and the 21 recipes are yours, via download.

You can eat well and feel good about more than just the food.

If you enjoy making feasts, prepare several recipes and invite friends for dinner and a donation to the Red Cross.

You can be certain that the many thousands of people displaced by the recent natural disasters in Japan, now homeless and living in makeshift shelters, are grateful for your support.

Browse the recipes.

It adds delicious flavor, but it also serves as an emulsifier, so the dressing doesn’t break back into separate oil and vinegar layers.

You can use prepared Dijon mustard, or–if you like some heat–Coleman’s mustard.

Prepare your vinaigrette in the usual ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. In addition to the mustard, you can include fresh garlic.

Ingredients

Check out the different types of mustard in our Mustard Glossary.