Mini Banana Mango Bread Loaves

We love baking goodies and giving them out for the holidays. Our loved ones and neighbors are usually the ones on the receiving end of my baking addiction but give baked goods to anyone! These cute little mini loaves make perfect homemade gifts and are freezer friendly! Make a few batches now and thaw just before Christmas so they are ready to give! If you are stingy (which I can’t blame you after tasting these), enjoy them with a cup of coffee or tea. It is has just the right amount of sweetness and a nice, soft, texture. Makes 4 mini loaves or 1 regular sized loaf.

1 ½ cups GF all purpose flour

¼ cup arrowroot starch
¼ cup sweet sorghum flour
2 tsp xanthan gum
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 cup coconut sugar, stevia or regular sugar
2 eggs
3 medium bananas, mashed
½ cup mango puree (Puree a small mango, adding a little water as necessary)
1 Tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
½ cup almond milk
¼ cup chopped walnuts

• In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients. Blend until well combined and form a small well in the middle.
• In a small bowl, combine eggs, bananas, mango, oil and milk until well blended. Pour banana mixture into well in flour.
• Gently mix on low speed until just combined, batter will be lumpy. Fold in walnuts.
• Spoon batter into greased loaf pans. Bake at 350°F for about 30-35 minutes for mini pans or 45-50 minutes for regular pans. Let cool about 15 minutes.
• To freeze: bake according to instructions and let bread loaves cool for an hour. Wrap loaves in plastic wrap and then in foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from freezer and allow to thaw for a few hours.

Mango Jam

I love fresh mangos but they are sometimes hard to find where I live. At our local store, they were selling a lot one day – like more than I have ever seen in that store. I knew they wouldn’t sell them all during the week so on the weekend I went back to see what was left. Just as I had expected, there was plenty of mangos left at a super-low price. So I went a little crazy and bought way too many. I knew they would go bad quickly so I had to do something with them. Since I was on this canning kick, they turned into jam. Perfect solution!

 6 cups mangos, peeled, cored and diced

½ cup water
½ cup orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup honey (or 2.5 cups of white sugar)
1 tsp no sugar pectin (if desired to help it “gel” up)

• In a food processor or blender, blend mangos until desired consistency. Pour mangos into a large stock pot or sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add in water and orange juice and bring to a slow boil. Stir in lemon juice and honey. Return to boiling and add in pectin.
• Cook at a slow boil for about 5 more minutes, stirring constantly.
•  Ladle jam into prepared glass jars and finish preparing jars as desired. This recipe made about 6 half pint jars.

Mango Salsa

Here’s a salsa recipe to fall in love with – that is if you like mangos and salsa! We do at our house. We love to serve this on fish tacos, mix in with rice, or just eat with chips. In a pinch, frozen, thawed mango will work but fresh is MUCH better if you can get it. Enjoy!

1 mango cored, peeled, chopped (or 1 cup thawed, frozen mango chopped)

½ cup pineapple diced (fresh is better, but canned will work – crushed, diced, chunks, whatever)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
½ cup red onion, diced
2 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

• Mix all together and serve with whatever dish you like. It is also better after refrigeration, and even better the next day.