Banana Mango Coconut Bread

Living in the tropics, we enjoy diverse tropical fruits all year long. This is the time of year when ripe fruit is falling off our two Mango trees. Every day we get to enjoy fresh mango in spicy salsas, smoothies, in bread, as dessert toppings, cobblers, or just plain. Yesterday friends gave us some of the delicious "Platano Manzano", "Banana Manzano", or Apple Bananas in English. These bananas have a distinct apple flavor that pushes the banana-eating experience over the top. When these bananas are overly ripe, they are the perfect key ingredient for banana bread. Today was the day to combine these bananas with our own mango harvest to create this deliciously moist Banana Mango Coconut Bread!

This is an easy recipe you can pull together with, or without, an electric mixer. Instead of butter, margarine, or vegetable oil, the recipe calls for coconut oil and sour cream. Sugar has also been reduced to offset the sweetness of the fruit.

Ingredients: 

• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup of coconut oil
• 1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups mashed ripe bananas (approximately 4 medium/large bananas)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups of mango (not overly ripe and mushy) diced into 1/4" cubes 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, for tossing the diced mango
• ½ cup diced walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. 
• Measure and prep the mashed bananas and diced mango into two small bowls, and set aside.
• Grease or spray two small 8½"x4½" loaf pans with oil or butter, dust the pans with flour, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, add the eggs, coconut oil, sour cream, brown sugar, vanilla, and whisk to combine. You can mix by hand or use an electric mixer.
• Add the bananas and stir to incorporate.
• Add 2 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined. If you overmix, the bread will be tough.
• Dust the small bowl of diced mango with the 2 tablespoons of flour and gently toss. This helps keep the fruit from sinking to the bottom of the bread.
  
• Gently fold the diced mango and optional nuts into the batter; don’t overmix.
• Divide the batter between the two bread pans and spread the batter evenly across the top with a spatula.
• Bake for 50-60 minutes until done (Internal temperature between 195°F-205°F/91°C-96°C). Test for doneness with an inserted toothpick. If it comes out clean, with no batter, it's done. Check at about 40 minutes into the bake to make sure the top is not browning too fast. If it is, tent some foil over the bread pans. 
• Note: Baking times will vary based on the moisture content of the fruit, the accuracy of your oven, and the size of your bread pans. The recommended times are what works for me and my oven. So, don't watch the clock; watch the bread. I'd start checking for doneness at 45 minutes and in 5-minute intervals until done.
• Allow the bread to cool in the bread pans for about 15 minutes, then remove the loaves to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
• Store the cooled bread in plastic wrap for up to a week, but if you live in the tropics, store the bread in the refrigerator. This can also be frozen for up to 6 months.

Key Lime Curd / Cuajada de Limón Criollo

Our Key Lime tree has just started producing another beautiful harvest of fruit. This time I decided to make some Key Lime Curd. A dollop of this curd is delicious over Granola, Greek Style Yogurt and Berries.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh Key Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon of finely minced Key Lime zest
• 1½ cups of sugar
• 10 egg yolks
• 1 stick of softened butter, or ½ cup of coconut oil, or a combination of the two
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

• Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites (freeze or reserve the egg whites for meringues, pavlovas etc.) 
• Zest a Key Lime and make sure to avoid getting any of the pith into the zest.
• Juice enough limes to get a full cup (8 ounces/250 milliliters) 
• Mix sugar, zest and lime juice with a whisk, in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. 
• As soon as the sugar dissolves, gradually add the egg yolks while whisking constantly to prevent the yolks from scrambling.
• Continue to whisk the mixture over medium/low for a minimum of 5-7 minutes. When the curd evenly coats a spoon, add the butter and salt, stir until smooth, and it's done.
• Pour the curd into a bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the curd to prevent it from developing a film on top.
• Let the curd cool to room temperature and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. It will thicken as it cools.
• Serve and enjoy this sweet tart delight!

Yield: 8-10 servings.

Notes: You can use lemon juice instead of the lime juice, for a traditional lemon curd.

Pineapple Lemon & Habanero Jam

Lots of big juicy lemons are so ripe they are starting to fall from our remarkable lemon tree, and we had to do something with them. So today, we put up 3½ quarts of delicious jam.

Tools you will need:
Non-Aluminum Stockpot	Ladle
Large pot for lemon	Measuring cup
Sterile Canning Jars & Lids	Large Canning pot for processing the jars
Blender	Miscellaneous kitchen utensils

Ingredients:
3 medium to large fresh pineapples	6 cups sugar
8 large lemons	1½ cups water
3 fresh Habanero Chili peppers	3½ ounces (100 grams) of granulated pectin

Directions:

Sterilize the jars and lids. I usually put the lids in a small sauce pan of boiling water to make it easy to use them when the jars are packed with the finished jam.

Peel the pineapple, remove the core and dice into chunks. Pulse the pineapple chunks in a blender until well chopped. Add the pineapple, sugar and water to a large non-aluminum stockpot.

Remove the zest from the lemons leaving the white pith. Mince the zest and add it to the stockpot.

Add the lemons to a separate pot of boiling water. Boil the lemons 3-5 minutes until you can easily pierce the pith with a fork. Remove the lemons from the boiling water and allow them to cool.

Slice the Habanero chili peppers and remove the stem and seeds. Mince the peppers and add them to the stock pot.

When the lemons are cool enough to handle, slice them in halves and gently scoop out the pulp into a bowl, removing the seeds as you go. Add the pulp to the stockpot.

Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring frequently so the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom. 

Remove from the heat.

Stir in the pectin and make sure it is totally dissolved and well blended.  Boil for another minute. DO NOT OVER COOK!

Remove from the heat.

Ladle the hot jam into the sterile jars. Make sure there is no sticky jam on the lip of the jar and top with hot lids to ensure that they seal.

Process the sealed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Limoncello de la Casa

In 2008, our daughter Jenny stayed in our Casita for several weeks with some friends. While they were here, they planted a couple of citrus trees and a mango tree as "gifts" for us. One of the citrus trees did not survive, but the other two are having bumper crops this year. The citrus tree that did survive is a lemon tree that goes by several names here in Costa Rica. It is called Limón Real, Limón Limón, Limon Arrugada (wrinkled lemon,) and in Venezuela it is call Limón Francés.

This lemon has a very thick wrinkled skin and an unbelievable amount of juice. I'd have to say, these are about the best tasting lemons I have ever had.

Since we have this bumper crop, I've been coming up with ways to use all these lemons and this time I decided to try my hand at making Limoncello. Oh my!!! This stuff is awesome and so easy to make!

Ingredients:
10-12 large lemons
750 ml bottle of 80-100 proof vodka, or clear rum
1-4 cups of sugar
1-4 cups of water

Directions:

1. Peel the lemons with a potato peeler. Try to only peel the zest from the lemons with a little pith as possible.
2. Pack the lemon zest peels in a quart jar and completely cover with the vodka or rum. Place a lid on the jar to seal it.
3. Infuse the alcohol with the flavor of the lemon by storing the jar in a dark place for 3-4 weeks. The longer you let it sit, the more lemony the Limoncello.
4. Strain the lemon zest out of the alcohol by pouring it through a large coffee filter into a clean pitcher. Discard the zest
5. Make a simple syrup with equal portions of sugar and water. Heat the sugar in the water until the sugar is completely dissolved, and then let the syrup cool completely.
6. Add syrup to taste to the infused alcohol. I found that 1½ cups of syrup is perfect for our taste, but feel free to experiment to get it the way you like it best.
7. Use a funnel to transfer the Limoncello into a clean liter bottle, and store it in the refrigerator for about 4 hours before serving.

Use it as an after dinner treat to cleans the palate, over ice cream, or just for sipping. The Limoncello should keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of months, or up to a year in the freezer.

¡Buen Provecho!

Pineapple Salsa ~ Salsa Piña (modified from a Cafe Red Onion recipe)

When we lived in Houston, Texas, one of our favorite places to dine was at an upscale Latino restaurant, called the Cafe Red Onion. They have an amazing menu of Latin fusion meals representing the best of Latin American cooking. Like most TexMex restaurants, they too serve chips and salsa when they take your beverage order, but their salsa is probably unlike any salsa you've encountered in the past.

Since we have been here in Costa Rica for almost 4 years now, I was really craving some of Red Onion's salsa, so I began my internet search. I found the Houston Chronicle had actually published the recipe years ago from one of their readers. She got the recipe in a cooking class taught by Cafe Red Onion owner Rafael Galindo.

The key ingredient calls for canned pineapple! Since we live here in the land of abundant fresh pineapple, canned pineapple would never be acceptable. So I set about tweaking the recipe just a bit to take advantage of our fresh ingredients. 

We served this salsa to dinner guests last night and received rave reviews. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
1 large fresh pineapple cut into chunks, with juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup cilantro leaves, with the woody stems removed
Juice of 1 juicy lime
1 fresh Jalapeño pepper seeded (more, or less to taste)
Salt to taste
1 packet of Splenda (optional)

Directions:
Combine 1/2 the pineapples and all the other ingredients, except the salt and Splenda, in a blender or food processor. Pulse the blender until the cilantro and Jalapeño is well chopped and mixed with the pineapple. Empty contents of blender into a bowl. Add the remaining 1/2 of the pineapple to the blender and pulse just until you have small chunks/tidbits. Add this to the bowl with the other ingredients, Mix well. Season to taste with salt, and with Splenda if the pineapple needs additional sweetness. Serve with chips.

¡Buen Provecho!

Homemade Chocolate Banana Ice Cream

This is a quick and easy, no-cook recipe.  It's a great way to use up all your overripe bananas.  Whenever we have overripe bananas, I peel and freeze them on cookie sheet.  Once they are frozen I store them in an airtight plastic bag until needed.

Ingredients:
5 large bananas, or 10 small
1 can sweetened condensed milk (395 grams or 14 ounces)
1/4 cup whole milk (60 milliliter or 2 ounces)
3/4 cup cocoa powder (180 milliliter or 6 ounces)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions:
Peel and slice bananas in a large bowl.  Mash the bananas into a puree. Stir in the milks and mix well.  Gradually add the cocoa powder until well blended.  Transfer the mixture to ice cream maker bowl and freeze according to manufacturer instructions.  If you are adding nuts, you should add them when the ice cream is soft set so they can be evenly distributed.

Yield:  About a quart

Applesauce

I found a bag full of apples tucked back in the refrigerator today. They either needed to be eaten, or cooked, so I put together this recipe for applesauce. It's really delicious!

Ingredients
8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped
1¼ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine apples, water, lemon juice, sugars, cinnamon and salt. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 15 to 20 minutes, or until apples are soft. Allow to cool, then mash the apples with a fork or potato masher.

Enjoy!

Ripe Plantains w/ Sour Orange & Coffee Liquor - Plátano Maduro con Limon Mandarina y Liquor de Café

Plátano Maduro, or Ripe Plantain, is a staple of the Costa Rica diet. It ranks right up there with saying "buenos días." There must be 100's of ways to cook plantains and all the recipes will vary depending on whether the plantain is green, or ripe. When they are still green, plantains can be cooked in many recipes like a potato. When the plantian is ripe, you will find in on the daily casado (blue plate special) in almost all the small restaurants known as "sodas." I put this recipe together today when I tried to recall the recipe my boys' Tico grandmother used to make some 40 years ago. This is not her recipe. She didn't use the coffee liquor in her's, but I think it is a great addition. I think you'll find this Plantain recipe makes a wonderfully sweet, and slightly, tart dessert. ¡Buen Provecho!

Ingredients:
1 large ripe plantain (the skin will be starting to turn black and it will give a little when you press on the skin)
1/4 cup bitter orange juice (you can substitute equal parts or lemon/lime juice and sweet orange juice)
1/4 cup coffee liquor
1/2 cup grated tapa de dulce (or brown sugar, well packed)
1/4 cup of raisins or cranberries
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:
Peel the plantain and slice in about 1/4 inch rounds. Heat the butter and oil in a non-stick skillet and add the plantain slices. Brown on both sides over medium heat and drain them on a paper towel. Add all the remaining ingredients and simmer on medium/low heat until the sauce begins to thicken. Add the plantain slices back to the skillet and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the skillet and allow the plantains to cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Lara's Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 large banana, mashed
1 large egg, beaten
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
Mash bananas, add melted butter, egg & sugar, mix well. Add remaining dry ingredients. Bake in a loaf pan @ 325 for 50 - 55 minutes.

Originally posted 1/08/10

Pineapple Cilantro Slaw

This is a refreshing alternative to the traditional coleslaw

Ingredients:
1/2 of a large head of cabbage, shredded
3 cups of carrots cut into thin matchstick strips (2 to 3 inches long)
3 cups fresh pineapple cut into tidbits
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about the yield from one lemon)
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp Splenda for baking
1 cup of Hellman's Light Mayonnaise

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and chill for 30 minutes before serving. This will make about 12 1-cup servings.


Nutritional Info:
Fat: 5.1g
Carbohydrates: 12.9g
Calories: 92.8
Protein: 1.2g


Originally posted 9/28/09

Sourdough Blueberry Muffins

This recipe will make 6 small muffins (2-inch diameter)

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup oil
1 cup sourdough starter
(See this post for info on starter: Sourdough Bread)
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour (whole wheat or all-purpose white)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup sugar or Splenda sweetner
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425F. Generously grease muffin pan with vegetable oil or PAM spray, butter. You can use also use cupcake/muffin paper cup inserts if you prefer.

Mix all the dry ingredients in a small bowl and set it aside. Mix the sourdough starter with all the wet ingredients in a larger bowl. Fold in the dry ingredients and the blueberries. Mix the batter quickly and spoon it into 6 muffin cups.

Bake for 20 minutes. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before removing them from the muffin pan or they will stick.


Originally posted 4/20/08

Mayan Banana Bread

Banana Bread - Pan de Banano

Ingredients:
1/4 pound (1/2 cup) butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 pound ripe bananas (2 or 3 large)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, well beaten
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder


Directions:
Soften the butter at room temperature and cream it with the sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Mash the bananas and add to the butter and sugar mixture. Add the salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and egg. Sift the flour with the baking powder and fold it into the liquid mixture. Pour the batter into a greased (9 by 5-inch) loaf pan. Bake in a preheated moderate (350 F.) oven for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Serve with honey as a cake bread, or as a pudding with cream or ice cream.

7/28/2011 - Note:  This can be cooked in an electric skillet! Just pour the batter in the preheated skillet and baked it for 50 minutes @ 275° F. It will brown on top, but the sides and bottom will be nicely toasted, perfectly moist and delicious.

Originally posted 3/09/08

Baked Bananas

Ingredients:
4 Large bananas
½ Stick butter
2 Tablespoons honey
Lemon juice
Sour cream

Directions:
Peel the bananas and cut them in half, lengthwise. Turn the oven on to 350 and grease a baking dish. Arrange bananas halves in the dish, dot with butter. Spread honey and lemon juice over the bananas. Bake for 15 minutes. Put the sour cream into a bowl and serve it with your baked bananas.

Originally posted 3/09/08

Pineapple Cheese Ball

Ingredients:
16 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup green bell pepper, chopped
1 teaspoons season salt
½ pecans, finely chopped (set this aside)

Directions:
Mix above ingredients together (use only 1/4 cup of the pecans) and shape into ball. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and then roll in remaining 1/4 cup of pecans until completely covered. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Tastes best when made 24 hours in advance.

Originally posted 2/27/07

Key Lime Pie

Servings: 8

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:3 large egg yolks
14 oz can condensed milk, sweetened
1/2 cup Key lime juice, freshly squeezed
1 tablespoon lime zest, grated
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 Graham Cracker Crust

Directions:

Filling: Beat the egg yolks with electric beaters until thick, about 4 minutes. Beat in the condensed milk, lime juice, and grated lime zest. In a separate bowl, beat one egg white until stiff. Fold the egg white into the mixture of egg yolks, juice, and milk until thoroughly mixed and pour into a cooled pie shell. Bake for 8 minutes and let it cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours so the lemon juice "cooks" the egg yolk. (Alternately, bake for 8 minutes at 350°F, bring to room temperature, and chill for 2 hours.) When ready to serve, beat the heavy whipping cream until stiff (do not sweeten it) and spoon it over the pie. You can substitute with a ready-made pie crust and Cool Whip if desired.

Originally posted 2/02/07

Mango Salsa / Relish

This is a wonderful accompaniment that can be served with pork or barbecued meats.

Ingredients:
2 ripe mangoes
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced sweet peppers (use a mix of red, yellow and green)
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeño (pickled, not fresh)
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
pinch of salt
1 juicy lime

Directions:
Peel mango and dice fruit into small pieces. Mix all ingredients and toss in the lime juice. Chill until served. This will keep in the refrigerator up to a week, but in our house we're lucky if it lasts two days.

Originally posted 1/19/08

Key Lime Mousse

My Tica friend, Maritza, gave me this delicious recipe many years ago...

Ingredients:

Mousse:
6 egg whites
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon granulated gelatin
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup key lime juice
2 drops of green food coloring

Cream Topping:
2 cups milk
1/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Directions:

Mousse: Dissolve gelatine in boiling water. Whip egg whites until stiff and gradually add sugar. Add dissolved gelating, lime juice and food coloring. Pour into molds.

Cream Topping: Heat milk with sugar in saucepan. Beat egg yolks with the tablespoon of milk and cornstarch and gradually add it to saucepan stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. Allow it to cool and then spoon it over the mousse.

Chill to set.

Originally posted 1/19/08

Perfect Apple Pie

This is Mary's personal "perfected" recipe. The bakery where Mary worked actually uses her recipe (or did).

Ingredients:
1 pie shell
5 medium apples - peeled, cored and sliced
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (secret ingredient that's not so secret now)
2 tbsp butter
..............
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F

To make Apple filling: Place apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine 2 tablespoons flour, white sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and pumpkin pie spices. Mix well, then add to apples. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Place apple mixture in pie shell and dot with 2 tablespoons butter or margarine. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly on top of filling, but to not seal. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

While filling is baking, make Streusel Topping: In a medium bowl combine 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and pecans. Mix thoroughly, then cut in 1/2 cup butter or margarine until mixture is crumbly. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle streusel on top. Reduce heat to 375 degrees F. Bank and additional 30 to 35 minutes, until streusel is browned and apples are tender.

Originally posted 1/11/08

Hi-Rise Apple Pancake

Breakfast for two...

Ingredients:
1 red apple, sliced 1/4" thick
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour, plus 2 tablespoons
1/2 cup milk, plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
5 tablespoons butter

Directions:
Preheat over 425 degrees. Toss apple slices with lemon juice and sugar. Combine eggs, flour, salt, cinnamon and milk in a mixing bowl. Beat lightly with an eggbeater. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Heat butter in an 11" or 12" skillet (cast iron is best) on burner until hot and foamy. Remove from heat and quickly add the batter. Place in oven. Bake for 25 minutes or until pancake is puffed up and golden brown. The apples (arranged in a pinwheel ) may be added before or during baking, depending on taste. Remove from oven; sprinkle with confectioner's sugar or serve with dollop of homemade jam. Serve oven hot.

Note: I updated this recipe to add a little salt and cinnamon which is optional, but I think it makes it even better. Try maple syrup as another option for the topping.


Originally posted 1/11/08

Mango Cobbler

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sweet milk
10 medium fresh Mangos, peeled, seeded & chopped
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups sugar
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Beat 1 cup sugar and butter together. Add sifted dry ingredients and then add milk. Beat well and pour into well buttered 9" x 13" pan. Mix chopped Mangos, pecans, raisins, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Cook filling in microwave on high setting for 5 minutes stirring once. Using a large spoon, gently spread Mangos and juices on top of batter and bake in pre-heated oven at 325* for 50 - 60 minutes until batter rises and is golden brown. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (Bluebell, of course!)


Originally posted 1/08/08