Can it really be healthy AND delicious???

YES! I found this salad on a blog and it is absolutely delicious. My mom got something called Bountiful Baskets and it included TWO CRATES of mangoes!!! What do you do with two crates of mangoes??? That is too many mangoes for any family to consume...unless you make this salad for every gathering coming up, which is what I did. I changed quite a few things in this salad from the first time I made it and now it is absolutely divine. We ate it three times this week! I took it to my sister's son's baptism, our family ate it one night when we had guests in town and I took it to a get-together last night...it got rave reviews every single night! My sister actually made it last night for her family, too. So, here is the recipe...enjoy!

Mango Salad

1 C uncooked quinoa

1 can vegetable broth

15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 large red bell pepper, diced

2-3 mangoes, peeled and diced (I like a lot of mango!)

4 green onions, sliced

4 T red wine vinegar

2 T olive oil

2 T lime juice

1/2 tsp. salt

Stir together quinoa and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, for 10-15 minutes. Remove heat and cover. Let steam in pot for about 5 minutes or until quinoa is fluffy and liquid is gone...DON'T LET IT BURN!!! Cool. Stir together diced bell pepper, black beans, diced mangoes, sliced green onions and cooled quinoa. Stir in vinegar, olive oil, lime juice and salt. Chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

P.S. In this picture, I actually left out the black beans, but I prefer it with the beans.

Loving the bananas...

I've been on a bit of a banana theme recently, if you haven't noticed. First, banana pancakes, then banana cake...now banana waffles. My sister was in town for the weekend and she LOVED these waffles. You almost don't even need the syrup with the sweetness of the bananas...mmmmm.

Banana Waffles

2 C buttermilk

1 C milk

3 medium ripe bananas (mashed)

1/4 C + 2 T brown sugar

4 eggs

1/4 C oil

2 T baking powder

4 1/2 C whole wheat flour

Mash bananas and add oil, eggs brown sugar and buttermilk and mix. Add flour and baking powder. Mix on medium/high speed until thoroughly mixed (about 30 sec. to a minute). Bake on heated, greased griddle or skillet. Makes 16-20 waffles.

And for the other cake...

This was the other cake we ate for dinner on Tuesday. Once again...try to plan ahead and place this where it is supposed to go in your meal. As good as is it is...even though it has bananas, whole wheat, milk and eggs...you cannot justify this as your entree...believe me, I tried. Here is the recipe:

Banana Cake

1 C milk

1 3/4 C whole wheat flour

2 medium bananas

1/2 C butter

3 eggs

1 T baking powder

1 C granulated sugar

1 tsp. banana extract flavoring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter until frothy. Add in sugar and beat until creamed. Add milk, bananas, eggs and banana extract. Mix well. Add in flour and baking powder and beat for 1 minute on medium and 2 minutes on high speed. Pour into greased 13X9 pan. Bake for 30-33 minutes.

Frost with Buttercream frosting as follows:

3 sticks butter (beat on high speed until light)

4 C powdered sugar (add 1 C at a time and beat after each addition)

1/2 tsp. banana extract

Add 1-2 T milk, as needed

After adding all powdered sugar, add banana extract and milk.

mmmmmm........So tasty and so naughty...

Yes, its true...we actually had cake for dinner tonight. Not even I can justify it. Even though it was whole wheat...it is still a poor excuse for dinner. I tried thinking..."well, it had eggs, milk and whole wheat"...but, no, the sugar, butter and frosting ruined my attempt to make sense of my careless disregard for the nutrition of my family tonight. I actually made two different cakes. One, the one featured here, is a coconut cake. The other was a banana cake. I'll post the recipes for both so that you can plan ahead and actually make them for dessert...where they were intended to be placed on the menu. Then you can avoid the guilt-laden conscience I am now trying to ignore. On a brighter note...the cakes were DELICIOUS!!!

Delightfully Sinful Coconut Cake

1⁄2 C butter

1 C white sugar

1 tsp. coconut extract

3 eggs

1 egg yolk (discard the white)

1 C milk

13⁄4 C whole wheat flour (sifted)

1 T baking powder

1/3 C shredded, sweetened coconut

Cream butter and sugar. Add in coconut extract. Add eggs, egg yolk, and milk and mix on low speed for about 30 seconds. Sift baking powder and flour together. Mix flour mixture and egg mixture and beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes, then on high for one minute. Stir in shredded coconut. Pour into greased 9X13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-33 minutes or until cake springs back when touched lightly. For cupcakes, bake for 18-20 minutes.

Frost with Buttercream frosting as follows:

3 sticks butter (beat on high speed until light)

4 C powdered sugar (add 1 C at a time and beat after each addition)

1/2 tsp. coconut extract

Add 1-2 T milk, as needed

After adding all powdered sugar, add coconut extract and milk. Top with shredded coconut.

Orange-Glazed Lemon-Poppyseed Bread

I promised the recipe directions for the bread and here they are:

Orange Glazed Lemon-Poppyseed Bread

Follow above instructions below for Orange-Glazed Lemon Poppyseed Muffins EXCEPT pour batter into greased large bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until top is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Glaze when cool.

I'm supposed to bring what???

So, my brother and sister-in-law are blessing their super-sweet, super-cute new baby on Sunday. He is so precious. There is going to be a little get-together after the blessing. My husband took the call and asked what we could bring and my brother-in-law said we could bring some lemon-poppyseed muffins or bread...hmmm...that is not a recipe in my repertoire of whole wheat recipes. What to do??? Well, I could just find a recipe with white flour and take it in with my head hung low as the "whole wheat gal" succumbs to the white flour world...OR I could attempt six different times to come up with the perfect lemon-poppyside muffin recipe. Well, I decided to do the latter and I'm so glad I did. With all the frustration and work it required, it was worth it. I now have an absolutely delicious lemon-poppyseed muffin AND bread recipe. After eating one of my orange-glazed lemon-poppyseed muffins, my brother asked, "Do you want me to tell you the truth or just say 'They're good.' " I said, "tell me the truth." He said with a nod, "They're good!" My kids love them, my husband loves them and I love them. Not many recipes can withstand that group of critics! I'll give the muffin recipe first and then the directions specific for the bread later.

Orange-Glazed Lemon-Poppyseed Muffins

1 C milk

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 C sugar

1/4 C + 2 T vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 tsp. lemon extract

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 C whole wheat flour (I like to use freshly ground)

1 T baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1-2 T poppy seeds (as desired…I use 1 T)

Let cream cheese sit on counter for about one hour to soften. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cream cheese, oil, eggs, sugar, salt and milk to a large mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined. Add extracts and mix. Add in whole wheat flour and baking powder and mix to combine. Stir in poppy seeds. Bake in greased muffin tins for 14-16 minutes, or until top springs back when touched. Makes about 24 muffins.

Glaze with:

5 T orange juice

1 C powdered sugar

orange zest to taste

Mix above three ingredients and glaze cooled muffins.

Note: If using paper liners, you may have to bake muffins a few minutes longer

Where have you been all my life??????

I went to a barbecue the other night and we were discussing, of all things, pancakes and one of my friends said, "I had banana pancakes and they were AMAZING!'. My other friend then exclaimed, "I've had them, too and they are incredible!!!". As you can imagine, as a true banana-lover, I felt a little excluded from the banana pancake world. How have I lived for 25 years (wink, wink) and never been properly introduced to banana pancakes??? Well, I decided to remedy this little situation as quickly as possible. So, for those of you out there, like me, who are naive when it comes to banana pancakes...I have a recipe that will knock your socks off. My mom says these are the "BEST" pancakes she's ever had in her life. If you are a banana fan...you will LOVE these!!!

Mouth-Watering Banana Pancakes

2 medium very ripe bananas mashed (about 1 C)

1/4 C brown sugar

2 eggs

1/4 C oil

2 C buttermilk

2 C whole wheat flour

2 T baking powder

Mash bananas and add oil, eggs brown sugar and buttermilk and mix. Add flour and baking powder. Mix on medium/high speed until thoroughly mixed (about 30 sec. to a minute). Bake on heated, greased griddle or skillet. Makes 16-20 pancakes.