Bananas in warm coconut milk, a dairy-free dessert

Bananas simmered in coconut milk is a comfort dish that runs through many Asian kitchens, and it happens to fit beautifully into the way you are eating now. No dairy, no eggs, no added sugar, 4 ingredients you likely already have. When you want something warm and soft and a little sweet after dinner, this is 15 minutes on the stovetop and a bowl that feels like more than the sum of its parts.

What is in the bowl is honest food. Bananas are a source of potassium, and the coconut milk brings fat that makes the dish satisfying and gives the sweetness somewhere to sit. There is no added sweetener here at all. The ripe banana does that work on its own, gently and modestly.

Serve it warm in a small bowl and let the bananas show through the cream. Before you eat, take 1 slow breath. The settled state you bring to the table is part of how the food serves you, and a few quiet minutes over a warm bowl is its own small repair.

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups coconut milk
• 1/2 tbsp alcohol-free vanilla
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 medium bananas, sliced

Swap note: the source uses 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, which contains alcohol and is excluded on the elimination phase. Use an alcohol-free vanilla in the same amount.

Method

Pour the coconut milk into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the alcohol-free vanilla and the salt, and stir as it warms to a gentle simmer.

Add the sliced bananas. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the bananas are soft and the milk has thickened slightly.

Spoon into bowls and serve hot.

*Adapted from a-clean-plate*