Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw

My parents had some friends visiting from Europe last weekend which overlapped with one of my weekend trips home. I volunteered to be on cooking duty for the weekend visitors and with their allergies, I was up for a challenge. Originally I thought there more allergies than it turns out there were so I was tasked with cooking without corn, soy, gluten and dairy. No small feat! After planning an Asian themed night for the Sunday, I was grateful to realize that I was okay to cook with soy because you guessed it, almost anything Asian likely has soy sauce in it!

Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw
Adapted from SkinnyTaste.com

1 bag of pre-shredded cabbage slaw with carrots (should be about 2-3 cups)
1 mango
1/4 cup diced scallions
3 TB rice vinegar
1/2 lime, juiced
1 TB low sodium soy sauce
1 TB sesame oil
sesame seeds

Empty the bad of shredded cabbage into a large serving bowl. Slice the mango into thin slices and add that to the cabbage, along with the scallions. In a small bowl mix together the vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil - don't substitute the sesame oil with another kind, the sesame flavor is an important one! This part could be done in advance but only add the dressing about 1/2 hour before serving. Just before serving stir again to make sure the dressing is coating all of the salad and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top!

Along with this Asian Slaw, I also made grilled vegetables and an apricot ginger marinated pork kebabs! The night before I made lemon basil chicken breasts with a tomato bruschetta on top, grilled veggies and my favorite lemon basil grilled shrimp!! I love summer time grilling!

This isn't your Mom's Banana Bread

That's right - I can't think of the last time I made a plain old banana bread. I tried making a banana apple bread once and never looked back. Now every time I have over ripe bananas I can't bear the thought of throwing them away. I found some smart advice once that suggested freezing the bananas just before they're ripe enough to use for baking - that way you can make the bread when you need it, not just when the bananas dictate they're ready to be baked! This time around I wanted to try a sort of coconut, tropical banana bread and I must say I had great success! I looked at a few different banana bread recipes and jumbled together pieces of different recipes to produce this one below, which I don't think I'd make any changes to! I noticed mangoes were on sale at Shaw's this week, which was where that idea came from. It's probably the most moist banana bread you'll ever eat - and I had so much batter I was able to make the whole loaf plus a batch of mini muffins (12).

Turkey - not just for thanksgiving!

If you say the word "turkey" to anyone, the first word that comes to mind is probably Thanksgiving - but you can cook with turkey the other 11 months of the year too! I'm not talking about buying a 15 lb. turkey here. I want you to go out and buy a package of turkey tenderloins because that's exactly what they are - really tender! They can be more forgiving and flavorful than chicken breasts, and it's a nice change if you're a household that eats a lot of chicken.

Sunday: Seared Turkey Tenderloins with a Mango, Lime and Ginger Dressing with Steamed Brussels Sprouts and Roasted Sweet Potatoes

I made this dish last May and I'm not exactly sure why I waited 8 months to make it again! I think I enjoy trying new recipes too much - so I forget about these recipes I try out and really like. Plus - this recipe is pretty healthy and easy - only took me about 45 minutes to make, from start to finish, and doesn't make a huge mess in your kitchen.

Gone East for dinner Friday night ...

I love trying new, exotic recipes - and this one definitely counts. When asked what we were having for dinner, my answer - "African Stew." Despite the concerned looks I got, I went for it and in the end, everyone loved it. I am so appreciative that I have open-minded foodies in my life to cook for! For a while now I've been totally in love with eating Asian cuisine - though cooking it is a completely different story. I can never seem to get the right spices and flavor to the dishes I've tried, but one recipe I've gotten down is the fresh summer rolls you often find at Thai and Vietnamese restaurants.

Friday: Fresh Summer Rolls with Peanut Sauce, African Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew over Couscous and for dessert - Tropical Crumble