I can’t help but snicker a bit when I walk into the frozen treat section at the grocery store. Really!? $5.99 for a pint of mango sorbet? When I can make my own at home using just 4 ingredients? Sticking it to the man one pint of ice cream at a time.

Summer is in full swing around here and a bowl of ice cream or sorbet is the perfect thing to cool off with. While our house has lots of victorian charm, it also lacks central heating and air. A big bummer when temperatures reach 106 like they did last weekend. Sure, sticking my head in the freezer helps for a moment but I would much rather cool off with a big bowl of mango sorbet. It is so refreshing! Luckily I have BL around to help me eat it so I don’t have to admit that I may or may not have eaten the entire thing myself this week.

Mango-Mongo Sorbet

Ingredients:

2 cups coconut milk (use the kind in the carton, like the one by Silk)
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups mango chunks (frozen or fresh)
1 lime, zested and juiced

Toss the mango, sugar, lime zest and juice into a blender and process until silky smooth. Add the coconut milk and puree for another minute- until combined. Place into the fridge to cool for 1 hour.

Pour the mixture into your ice cream machine and process according to your manufactures directions.

Serve immediately (it will be similar to soft-serve in texture) or place in the freezer to harden.

Optional- you could add a thickener to this- like xantham gum or arrowroot if you wish. I didn’t add it to this recipe as I wanted this recipe to be as uncomplicated as possible.

What flavor of ice cream would you like to see next?

This burger is all about summer!

I love bean burgers but BL often finds them too mushy. The key to this one is baking it first and then lightly frying for an outside crunch.  I topped the burgers with fresh mango slices, tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion and a yogurt-basil sauce. Make extra of the sauce- it was perfect on sandwiches throughout the week!

Black Bean & Mango Burgers

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked brown rice
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tbsp. cumin
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 red pepper, diced
1 tbsp. oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
Flour

Fresh mango slices
Thinly sliced red onion

In a sauce pan, heat 1 tbsp. oil with a small pinch of salt. Add the minced onion, cumin, garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. In a food processor or with a fork, mash the beans until a paste forms with some beans left whole.   Add the beans, rice, and chopped pepper to the pot and cook an addition 5 minutes until thickened.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the bean mixture from heat and let cool slightly. Add a tbsp. or two of flour if the mixture is having a hard time staying together. Measure out a scant 1/2 cup of mixture and form into a patty. Continue to make the patties until the mix is gone.  Bake for 15-20 minutes and remove from oven. Heat a skillet pan to medium-high, either coat with cooking spray or add 1 tsp. oil to the pan.  Lightly dust each patty with flour and add to the pan, cooking  2-3 minutes per side until crispy.

To serve: Place patty on 1 side of bun. Add basil yogurt,  fresh mango slices and thinly sliced red onion.

A few times a month I teach a course on healthy cooking and current nutrition topics. I love showing people unique but do-able ingredients, like this quinoa. This seed has become more popular lately but unless you know what it taste like, I understand that it might still be foreign.

My cooking section focuses on the deliciousness and ease of plant-based cooking. I don’t ever expect anyone to switch over to a vegetarian diet but eating meatless a few times a week still produces great benefits, especially for heart and colon health. It doesn’t stop there, a recent report came out showing that eating meatless 1 day a week has more of an environmental impact that eating locally grown foods!

I made this salad at an event last month and it was a big hit. If you’ve been following my recipes, you know what a fan of these dishes I am. I usually make a grain salad a week and eat it for lunch over the next few days. It’s a perfect mix of complex carbohydrates, protein and a little fat to keep me satisfied and focused in the afternoon.

Black Bean and Mango Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 red pepper, diced
1 mango, peeled and diced
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 jalapeno, minced
1 cup quinoa

Lime Dressing:
2-3 large limes, zested and juiced (about 1/4 cup juice)
3 tbsp. good quality olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
salt/pepper

Cook the quinoa:
Rinse the quinoa before cooking. This is important to remove any “bitter” taste once the quinoa is cooked.
Place quinoa in a pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil then cover the pot and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let the quinoa sit for about 5-7 minutes. Fluff with a fork like you would rice. Don’t use a spoon as the quinoa will clump and become mushy.

Add the cooked quinoa to a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Pour over the quinoa salad and toss.

I guess this is what happens when I have three days off… two blog posts in one weekend! I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day, here are two end of summer treats for you.

Mango Margarita

Ingredients:

1 mango, cubed
3 oz. white tequila
1/4 c. simple syrup or 2 tbsp. agave nectar
1 1/2 oz. triple sec
2 limes, juiced

Blend together and share with a friend. You can use any fresh fruit you want, or just add more limes for a traditional margarita.

Key Lime Pie with Oatmeal Crust

This little goodie comes from LittleHouseofVeggies blog and it is awesome! I swapped out key lime juice for lime juice and made an oatmeal crust. Check out the recipe here. I recommend letting it defrost on the counter for at least an hour before serving.

Enjoy!