Sesame Bananas

You throw bananas in shakes, frozen yogurt and even in your bag, they are nature's fastest fast food, but here is a way to slow things down - cook your bananas.

Plantains, banana's harder, starchier cousin, are used in place of potatoes or rice all throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. They are not as easy to find as bananas, but if you can find them, this recipe can use them, too.

Cook as many bananas as you like for breakfast, as a side to an omelet, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, toast and peanut butter, or pancakes.

To make one banana, you need:

1 inch vanilla bean (you can use 2-3 drop of vanilla extract instead)
2 small slices ginger
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tbsp butter

Melt the butter in a pan over medium to low heat, and add the vanilla bean (open and scrape insides into butter). Add the ginger slices and stir. Place the sliced banana on top (you can slice it any way you like) and cook on both sides. Add sesame seeds shortly before you remove from the pan.

Enjoy as breakfast or as dessert. Adding a tbsp of rum will make this a wonderful after dinner treat.