(Dairy Free) Mango Clove Ice Cream

Ahh, mango week. I'm still loving the taste of the mangoes, despite this being the fourth day of cooking with them. Today is a little overcast, with some blustery Winnie the Pooh kinds of winds. It hasn't rained yet, but there's a huge gray cloud hanging over the valley. But that doesn't mean it's cold, thankfully. It's a nice springish 71 degrees outside, and I'm so glad. What a beautiful afternoon.

I just got an ice cream maker, and I'm actually having mixed feelings about it. I got the Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt, Ice Cream & Sorbet maker. This dairy free treat was the third attempt in the ice cream maker, because the first two times, it didn't actually freeze anything! It warns in the instructions that you must have chilled ingredients before adding them to the frozen bowl. I didn't do it the first time, and it was like I had never attempted to freeze it. I pulled out the un-frozen mixture, and chilled it in the back of the fridge. By my third attempt, I had some delicious ice cream!

I'm so glad coconut milk exists. It's creamy and smooth and makes a great ingredient for ice "cream." It's really a dairy free person's dream.

This ice cream is a little spicy and a little sweet. The sweetness of the mango is a subtle note behind the spicy clove, and it's a great combination. This is probably not as sweet of a mixture as store-bought ice cream, but I can always handle having something a little less sweet.

(Dairy Free) Mango Clove Ice Cream
For a 1.5 quart ice cream maker

1 can coconut milk
1 cup mango nectar, or mango puree
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Combine the ingredients and chill. When the mixture is as chilled as possible, prepare according to your ice cream maker's directions. At the end of the mixing time, spoon into an airtight container and freeze until completely firm.

We're going to wrap up mango week with some curry tomorrow from my friend Sherry! I can't wait!

Mango Teriyaki Pork

Mango week continues, my friends. We've already hit the mango-banana oatmeal muffins and a beautiful mango crumb cake. Now it's time for some meat!

This tasty mango teriyaki pork is so tender and flavorful. I used less sugar/honey than a typical sweet teriyaki, because who needs it that sweet? The addition of the mango nectar adds in that deep, flavorful zip.

This is another recipe that has some cool technique to it. You make a "sauce" in the sense that you've made a liquid, but there's way too much for the amount of meat you are cooking. Well, when you bake this tender pork, the sauce starts to boil, and it reduces down to the perfect amount of sauce, and sticks right to the outsides of the pork. Perfect! This is great with rice, or any other side. Maybe a salad would compliment it well too.

Mango Teriyaki Pork
adapted loosely from this recipe

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tablespoons gluten free soy sauce
3 tablespoons mango nectar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 cup honey

1 pound diced pork, such as tenderloin, not frozen

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce. Line a casserole dish with foil, since the sauce will be sticky. Place the meat in a single layer, and pour sauce over it. It will appear that there is too much sauce for the amount of meat, but the sauce will boil down until it perfectly glazes over the meat. Bake 400 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serve with rice and mango.

Stay tuned tomorrow for a sweet, cold dairy free mango treat!

Gluten Free Mango Crumb Cake Recipe

Mango Week continues. It's day 2, and I've worked up this crumb cake. It's a bit less healthy than yesterday's mango-banana oatmeal muffins, because it's missing out on the whole grain goodness of the gluten free oats.

I can't quite place the purpose of this cake. It would be great for breakfast, but it could also make a great afternoon snack. It would even serve well for evening visitors. So far, it's been in the breakfast category, but I really like mangoes in the breakfast category. I think the sweetness suits it well.

This cake also has a delicious crumb topping, that comes from a quick and ingenious technique. All it requires is reserving a portion of the dry ingredients during the mixing process, and then this dry crumb topping is sprinkled over the fresh mango bits. As it bakes, the bottom two layers swallow up the crumb topping, and the end result is a beautiful swirl all throughout the top of the cake. The swirl makes it look awfully nice on a platter, next to some cut fruit. Or on a napkin, ready to be devoured.

Tomorrow, we're having some delicious marinated pork, using mango nectar. Mango nectar is easily available in the ethnic section of your grocery store, year round.

Enjoy this cake when you get a chance - you'll be glad you did.

Mango Crumb Cake
Adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
3/4 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/2 cup shortening
1/3 cup milk (cow, almond, rice - I used hemp)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten
1 cup chopped mango (about 1 and a half mangoes)


Combine all dry ingredients to form crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup for topping. Add shortening, milk, egg and vanilla to crumb mixture. Mix well. Put in greased and floured 8x8 square pan. Add mangoes. Cover with reserved crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees. for 40 minutes.

Gluten and Dairy Free Mango-Banana Oatmeal Muffins

It's MANGO WEEK!

I'm pretty excited about this. So excited that I had mango-banana oatmeal muffins for breakfast. My breakfast, in general, consists of a muffin (in a variety of flavors) and swigs of dairy free kefir (a yogurt-like drink, made from coconut milk in this case). There's protein, some carbs, and some tastiness to set my day off right.

The mangoes here are sweet, combined with the sweet banana and the wholesome gluten free oats (I get them from Blue Chip Group, which is changing its name to Auguson Farms). These keep well in a bag in the fridge, and are a smashing accompaniment to breakfast meats or potatoes. Delicious!

Gluten and Dairy Free Mango-Banana Oatmeal Muffins
adapted from this recipe

1/2 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup certified gluten free oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk (cow, almond, rice - I used hemp)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup banana, mashed
1/2 cup mango, chopped

Combine flours, oatmeal, sugar, baking powder, xanthan gum, salt, cinnamon. Cut in shortening, then moisten with milk, egg and vanilla mixture. Fold in banana and mango. Spoon batter into greased muffin pan 2/3 full and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Tomorrow I'll post earlier - we're going to be having a delicious breakfast cake with mangoes. One that's super easy to make!

I'm also linking to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, since this is quite the healthy recipe. Check out what everyone else has posted.

Helpful tip for re-warming gluten free muffins

Mango Week is Coming

Photo here

I've decided to try something new. A theme week. One of my favorite (fashion, not food) blogs has a theme week each month. So, what's the theme?

Well, this beautiful fruit is in season right now, and they're on mega sale at the grocery store these days. I've bought a basket full, and I'm finding some great ways to use them. Juicy, sweet, versatile, a little mysterious. You guessed it: it's mango week next week.

So, tune in every day next week for a different gluten free mango treat. I can't wait to share my mango (dairy free) ice cream with you. It might be my favorite so far.

Also, do you have any mango questions? Do you eat mangoes with dinner, or is there a particular way you like this tropical fruit? Let me know.

Cheers for a good weekend! Mango on, friends, mango on.

And no, Sherry, I'm not trying to kill you.

Baked Coconut Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce Recipe

The sun is finally shining!

We got a big bag of tilapia from our food co-op order, and had to break out the sweet and spicy sauce to go with it. Apricots are one of my favorite sweet flavors, and kind of fresh and springy too! I love breaded fish, and this is a much healthier way to eat your tilapia than frying it, but you still get all the great taste!

This a great quick dinner to serve with a rice pilaf, or something else that's herby and delicious.

What's your favorite way to eat your fish?

Baked Coconut Tilapia with Apricot Dipping Sauce
adapted from this recipe

1 cup dried flaked coconut
2 tablespoons brown rice flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 (4 ounce) tilapia fillets
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil

Apricot Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 teaspoons brown mustard (Gulden's is gluten free)
1 teaspoon ranch dressing (Kraft is gluten free)

Toss together the coconut, flour and spices in a bowl. In a separate bowl, toss the tilapia with the cornstarch, and shake off the excess. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and dip the fillets in the egg. Press fillets in the coconut mixture coating all sides.

Bake the tilapia fillets on a lined pan in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes. While they are baking, combine the ingredients for the apricot dipping sauce.

Remove from oven when the fillets are golden and flaking apart. Serve with dipping sauce.

Gluten Free Creamy Asparagus Risotto Recipe

Fresh green asparagus. It's like a symbol of spring to toss asparagus with any number of your favorite flavors. Asparagus with eggs (last night). Asparagus with a cream sauce (maybe not, in this dairy free world of mine). Asparagus with risotto. Yes, please. We adore risotto.

I'm back. Today was the first day of my new job. I got my picture taken, with my feet on the photocopied footprints, taped to the floor, and I'll get an I.D. badge. I got security clearance to the floor where my office is located. My office with a view (even though this particular spot is temporary). I got a phone extension, complete with A Guide to Shortcuts for the [Tele-transfer-dial-a-tron] Phone System. Requisite reading. I chose my insurance plan and my 401k contribution. I attended my first staff meeting, which I was relieved to discover involved the same jokes and ribbing of any good staff meeting. I jumped right in and received new assignments. I got my new email address, being apparently the only employee ever to have no middle name. It's quite an honor, actually.

I exploded a portion of my lunch in the microwave. And wiped it out after that. I made a friend. She said she'll invite me to lunch "with the group" when they go again. Eeesh. I hope I can find something on the menu as I hang with this magical lunch group.

All of this change has me giddy. I love a fresh pursuit, a new set of tasks. Filled with new life like the spring blooms.

Creamy Asparagus Risotto

1 bunch asparagus, between 15 and 20 stalks
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion
1 cup arborio rice
2-3 cups chicken stock or veggie stock (for vegetarian)
dried oregano
fresh cracked black pepper

First, slice the asparagus on the bias (diagonally) into 1 inch pieces, including the tops. If the bottom end of your asparagus has dried out or has made itself undesirable, just remove that portion. In a shallow pan with a small amount of hot water, blanch the asparagus until it turns bright green (about 4 minutes). Then, pour into a strainer and run cold water over it to stop the cooking process.

Cook onion in a hot pan with a tablespoon of oil to keep them from sticking to the pan. Cook until the onions are translucent and the house smells great. Stir in the rice, and let it toast with the onions for 2 minutes. Once the rice starts to brown just a little (careful - it goes from toasty to black real quick!), ladle in a few cups of broth. Then, you will simmer the broth with the risotto until it has almost evaporated.

Continue simmering and adding broth until it has mostly absorbed, and the rice doesn't taste crunchy anymore. It will look very creamy. This generally takes between 20 and 30 minutes.

Near the end, top with the asparagus pieces. If you're like us, you'll also add chicken and bacon (yum!)