It’s Getting “Hot in Herre”: Tropical Banana Popsicles

What to do with a bunch of browning bananas?

The answer would be “banana bread” any other month.  But the thought of using the oven in this sweltering heat makes me want to pass out.  Instead, I turned to a frozen banana-based treat to cool things down.  Three simple ingredients and a blender/food processor are all you need.  Er, and a popsicle mold (minor detail), which you can purchase at your local grocery store for a dollar or two.  A worthy investment to help you survive a hot and sticky summer.

Banana, mango, and coconut combine to give you a taste of the tropics without leaving your home.  The texture of the popsicle is smooth and creamy, making it easy to gobble up in seconds.  In hindsight, the flavours would meld really nicely with a hit of tartness from either lime zest or lime juice.  If you try this at home, I’d love to hear how they turn out.

If something more simple is your thing, or if you don’t want to spend the $2 on a popsicle mold, here is a “recipe” for homemade banana ice cream which requires only ONE ingredient (can you guess?) and ONE tool (blender/food processor).  The texture is so amazingly creamy, it’s hard to believe that no milk has been added.  It reminds me of authentic banana gelato from Italy, one of the best things I’ve ever tasted.

Keep cool, my friends!

Tropical Banana Mango Coconut Popsicles
(Modified slightly from Oh She Glows)

2 small, ripe bananas (or 1 large banana)
2 cups frozen mango chunks, slightly thawed
1/2 cup light coconut milk

In a blender or food processor, add all ingredients and blend until smooth.  Pour into popsicle molds and freeze until set.

Makes 8 popsicles.  Per popsicle: 66 kcal, 14 g CHO, 1.6 g fibre, 1 g fat

Black Bean, Corn and Mango Salad

I’ve been on a bit of a Looneyspoons kick lately.  Aside from the healthy ingredients and the humour, part of the attraction lies in the reliability of each recipe.  Rarely have Janet and Greta let me down.  If you’re anything like me, you can understand my disappointment when the sweat and tears that go into making a dish yield only mediocre results.  And by tears, I mean tears… those pesky onions get me every time!

My most recent Looneyspoons endeavour was a black bean, corn, and mango salad.  The addition of the mango was the highlight of this dish– the burst of fruity sweetness was irresistible!  Add in some red from the pepper and grape tomatoes… some green from the onion, avocado, and cilantro… and volia!  An incredibly colourful and downright scrumptious salad.

Black Bean, Corn, and Mango Salad. YUM.

 

Corn, Black Bean and Mango Fandango
(from the Looneyspoons Collection)

1 can (19 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed   (preferably no-salt-added)
1 can (14 oz) whole kernel corn, drained   (preferably no-salt-added)
1 large mango, peeled and diced
1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
1 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp each salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp each ground cumin and chili powder
1 cup diced avocado (add to the salad just before serving!)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Serve immediately or chill before serving.

Janet and Greta say they prefer this salad at room temperature, and as with most dishes containing avocado, it tastes best when eaten the day it’s made.

Makes 4 servings.  Per serving: 236 kcal, 10 g fat, 10 g fibre

Wild Black Raspberries… worth every bite?

E and I went for our annual 20 km hike around Lake Fanshawe on the weekend.  We perfectly timed our trek with black raspberry season after being just a bit too early last year.  Tupperware container in hand, I was ready to forage… but was I ready for the mosquitoes?

We managed to bring home roughly 2 cups of wild black raspberries… and just over 3 dozen mosquito bites between the two of us.  I’m itching as we speak!  Unsure of what to do with the berries, I did some searching.  A lot of blood, sweat, and near tears went into these berries and I wanted to find a great recipe.  Originally I decided on healthy raspberry cobbler bars, but then changed my mind after stumbling across a recipe for a mango berry cobbler.  I had 2 mangos lying around, along with some buttermilk and half a lemon that needed to be used up quickly.  This was the perfect way to kill several birds with one stone.

Freshly Foraged Wild Black Raspberries

The cobbler smelled delicious coming out of the oven, but… the taste was slightly disappointing.  Being a McCormick’s recipe, it called for what seemed like a LOT of cinnamon and ginger.  I’m a cinnamon-lover but even I thought it was excessive (of course, this is quite strategic from McCormick’s perspective, being a spice company and all).  Instead of trusting my gut, I followed the recipe as written and the result was an overly spiced, slightly bitter cobbler.   On the bright side, a dollop of vanilla yogurt served alongside the cobbler muted some of the spice and made for a much more enjoyable dessert.

Black Raspberry-Mango Cobbler

Below I’ve posted some changes to the original recipe that I will try next time. This cobbler has a lot of potential, so I’ll definitely be making it again (perhaps when peaches are in season… mmmm).

Black Raspberry-Mango Cobbler
(adapted from McCormick’s Mango-Blueberry Cobbler)

Filling:
3 cups mango, peeled and sliced (or peaches)
2 cups black raspberries (or red raspberries, or blueberries)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Biscuit Topping:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
4 3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/3 cup buttermilk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray an 8″ x 8″ baking dish with non-stick spray.
2. For the filling, combine mango, berries, and lemon juice in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over fruit and toss to coat well.  Spoon into prepared dish.
3. For the biscuit topping, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Mix with a fork.  Add buttermilk and mix well.
4. Drop biscuit topping by rounded tablespoonfuls into 6 portions onto fruit mixture.
5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until fruit is bubbling and topping is browned.  Serve warm.

Makes 6 servings (3/4 cup each).  Per serving: 185 kcal, 1 g fat, 5.8 g fibre, 120 mg sodium