Mangoes, mangoes, mangoes. That’s what Gustavo Arellano said recently when talking about what to get from fruit vendors right now. Mangoes are in season and in abundance.
I’ve been thinking about that lately and mangoes were a huge part of my Whole Foods 28-Day Challenge, which was no meat, dairy, oil or refined sugar. I love sugar and needed to compensate with sweet and delicious fruit. I made smoothies with mango (don’t over mix in the blender. The mango becomes gelatinous), salsa with lime and mango, and Gluten-Free Mango Banana Bread.
For weeks I had been buying a mango every couple of days, but then Harry & David provided the motherload of mangoes. It was the third installment of the organic Fruit of The Month Club and for June the fruit was mangoes.
The first month was avocados, the second strawberries, and the last month of my free trial was the mangoes. The avocados and strawberries tasted fantastic (although I thought there weren’t enough strawberries for the packaging and the price). So I was eager to try the mangoes.
Half of the six packaged mangoes were ripe so I made a smoothie with strawberries, banana, mango, and coconut milk. Fabulous and my kids loved it.
With the other two I came up with this gluten-free banana mango bread recipe. Not sugar free for sure, but it was a big hit with the family.
Gluten-Free Mango Bread
1 ¼ cup brown sugar
3 eggs
2 ¾ cup gluten-free flour (King Arthur Gluten-Free Multipurpose flour or see below*)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons xantham gum
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripe bananas
2 mangoes
1 stick melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with canola oil spray.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, xantham gum, cinnamon, and nutmeg and set aside. In a medium bowl, mix mango and banana with a hand mixer until smooth. Do not overmix. In a large bowl using a mixer or using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla, flour mixture, and the mango/banana puree and mix until combined.
Spread evenly into prepared pan. Cook about 50 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
6 cups brown rice flour
2 cups potato starch
1 cup tapioca flour
Store leftover flour in an airtight container.
I was not compensated for this post, but I was given a free 3-month trial of the Harry & David Fruit of the Month Club.