Banana Gingerbread

Banana Gingerbread

Adapted from Baking Bites

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INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• pinch freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup banana, mashed (about 2 large)
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 cup light plain soymilk
• 1/4 cup applesauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, banana, molasses, honey, soymilk and applesauce.
4. Pour into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
6. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. (I used my Baker's Edge pan and baked for 20 minutes.)
7. Makes 1 loaf, 8-10 slices.

Banana Cranberry Bread

Banana Cranberry Bread
Adapted from Joy the Baker

INGREDIENTS

• 3 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 1/4 cup egg substitute
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 splash rum extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup spelt flour
• 1-1/2 cups fresh cranberries, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. With a spoon, mix applesauce into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla extract, and rum extract. Add the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.
4. Add the flour and mix. Add 1 cup of cranberries and stir until just incorporated.
5. Pour mixture into a greased 4x8 inch loaf pan. Sprinkle remaining cranberries over top.
6. Bake for 1 hour.
7. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Mango Berry Banana Smoothie

Mmm... a cold fruity breakfast in the middle of summer.

Does it get any better? Oh, yeah. It takes just seconds to make. Now that's what I'm talking about.

So I'm starting off my mango spree with an easy little fix. From here, it's going to get crazier and crazier. How so? Well, as I tossed in bed last night, unable to fall asleep with visions of food possibilities flashing in front of my eyes, I imagined all of the ways I could manipulate those lovely mangoes.

After watching the Coconut Cake episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay, I felt inspired to make a coconut cake brushed with coconut simple syrup with mango curd filling and cream cheese icing. Yum? Indeed.

I also had the thought of converting this fascinating vegan concoction into a mango-infused creme brulee with a hint of saffron. I think you can understand why I was having trouble falling asleep.

Still more? Oh, yes. It was a vicious case of insomnia. After envisioning all of those sweets, I had to go a little savory. Then I remembered this little seductress from Coconut & Lime. Smoky mango deliciousness? Oh, I think so. The only problem is that I am not a huge fan of pork. So I am thinking about swapping it with some chicken breast. Is it possible? I have no idea. But we will see...

Now that I am glancing through my recipe archives, I can also consider this coconut crab cake with mango-avocado salsa. Sounds like the perfect foil to the coconut mango cake, if you ask me.

I could even convert this to a mango maple meatloaf. My options are endless!

If you are a mango nut like I am, here are some more recipes that I've bookmarked:

Tropical Baked Beans

Jerk Chicken with Mango-Avocado Salsa

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Mango Ginger Chicken

Key Lime Cheesecake with Mango

Mango Tart

Mango Rhubarb Crumble

So anyway, here are the ingredients for the smoothie...

Mango Berry Banana Smoothie

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 frozen banana (peeled. yeah, I learned that the hard way.)
• 3 medium strawberries, hulled and sliced in half
• 1/2 edible portion of mango (add more for a more intense flavor)
• 1 handful of blueberries
• 1 teaspoon ground flax seed (the nutrients of flax meal are more readily absorbed than those of flax seeds)

DIRECTIONS

1. Throw all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.
2. For a thicker smoothie, add more frozen banana.
3. Pour into glasses and serve.

Tomorrow: Who knows?