Hummingbird cake

Hummingbird Cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (can substitute Pamela's flour for a GF version)
• 2 cups Sugar or 1 C Truvia
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla 
• 1 c oil
• 1/2 c apple sauce
• 1 (8 ounce can) crushed pineapple, undrained (or one pineapple, chopped, w juice)
• 4 bananas, mashed 
• 1 cup walnuts chopped

1. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon.
2. Mix together with whisk. Add eggs, vanilla extract, oil, applesauce, pineapple, bananas and walnuts, and mix until all ingredients are moistened
3. Spray 3 (9 inch) round cake pans or one 9 x 13 inch pan, or grease and flour  pans. Cook in preheated 350 degree oven 35 to 40 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from center of cake. Cool. Frost with cream cheese icing. 

Bountiful Baskets Recipes: Plight of the Avocado

Oh silly little Avocado.. how do I deal with you in my basket? Hmm.. tasty treat and yet, so relegated to guacamole... but lets try something new!

1. Use an avocado instead of mayo on a sandwich- that creamy texture, good and healthy, nice trade! I'm pretty partial to wraps myself- especially lettuce wraps (and the lettuce in a basket is a great way to go too! Substitute your bread for lettuce, toss in some tomatoes, meat, cheese, avocado, some spinach, cucumber, maybe some fresh sprouts or watercress for some bite- and voila! You look pretty food couture, and it was super easy, super healthy,  and its SOOOO tasty!

2. Salads: Marinate a peeled, diced avocado with a little lime and olive oil, some mango, and throw into a spinach salad with some strawberries and some shredded carrot. A little grilled chicken is nice too!

3.Throw that wicked little avocado slice in a taco! Corn tortillas are a good way to stay gluten free- or if you picked up a tortilla pack, break em out! Throw in some heirloom tomatoes if you got them this week, some lettuce, maybe onion- that lovely avocado, load it up! We do ground turkey with chili seasoning in our tacos, cheese, maybe some beans, definitely sour cream.

4. F-ushi. I don't have a household filled with nori lovers, but they will it faux-sushi. I use crepes or thin rolled breads or even phyllo dough for my nori. You can use lettuce or spinach too (though it needs a toothpick to hold unless you roll it in rice again. Make yours with cooked things- thin chicken or steak strips, sauteed potatoes or carrots. But  throw that avocado in too! I like a roll done with sushi rice (though risotto works well) spinach or butter lettuce instead of nori, rainbow carrots, avocado, cucumber, radish or water chestnut, and maybe a sliver of cream cheese. I know- its not sushi- but boy does it look pretty cool, and is it tasty!!

5. slice them, bread them, and fry them!

6. Last but not least- puree them and add them into anything- breads, cupcakes even (just not white cake lol) Its easy to hide because they are mild tasting. Bake em in, and you get the goo stuff, without the kid freakout- they will never know!

And if you want to dig deeper- check out the haas avocado recipe site- they had me at gluten free and chocolate! http://www.avocadocentral.com/avocado-recipes