A Shortcut to Cobblers

I've been subscribing to Vegetarian Times for about a year now, which I get about every 6 weeks or so. I absolutely LOVE the magazine. It's not only got some great recipes (both vegetarian and vegan), it also includes tons of fun and useful information. One of my favorite sections is the Carrot & Stick section where VT points out the good and wrongdoings of various organizations. For example, a "Carrots to" story would be Whole Foods eliminating plastic bags at all of its stores, and a "Sticks to" story would be the FDA approving milk from rBGH- (recombinant bovine growth hormone) treated cows while it's banned in Europe and Canada. Another favorite is the last page of the magazine, which is usually just a page of "fridge notes" giving great tips about general things to better your life and the globe, such as the tips VT gave during a holiday season on how to have an eco-friendly gift-giving holiday. VT is such a great, resourceful magazine. I just wish there were more magazines like it.

In the most recent issue, VT featured one of my favorite fruits: mango! They gave 5 incredible recipes on creative dishes that use mango as the centerpiece, from mango salsa to mango-teriyaki tofu. The last item of the feature was a Mango and Pineapple Crumble, which made my eyes sparkle. If you haven't heard me rave endlessly about the cobblers by Cobblermania, you're missing out. I've never been a fan of cobblers, but since I've first tried Cobblermania's cobblers, it has completely opened my mind and taste buds to the magical world of baked fruit desserts. VT's mango crumble seemed like a quick and easy way to make a cobbler-like dessert, so I thought I'd give it a try. Just the smell of warm sweet brown sugar infused with the tang of mango and pineapples baking in the oven is itself worth the minimal time and effort.



Mango and Pineapple Crumble
Serves 6

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup plus 3 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp salt
5 Tbs chilled vegan margarine, cut into pieces
1/2 cup raw pecans, coarsely chopped
2 Tbs unsweetened shredded coconut
3 mangoes, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch cubes (2 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat 8-inch-square glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Combine flour, oats, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8 tsp allspice, and salt in medium bowl. Add 4 Tbs. margarine, and rub with fingertips until mixture forms coarse meal. Press together until mixture begins to form moist clumps. Stir in pecans and coconut.

Combine remaining 3 Tbs brown sugar, 3/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and 1/8 tsp allspice in large bowl. Add mangoes and pineapple, and toss to coat. Transfer to prepared baking dish; dot top with remaining 1 Tbs margarine. Sprinkle oat topping over mango mixture.

Bake 40 minutes, or until topping is golden brown and juices bubble. Cool 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm.

So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt

I absolutely can't wait to share this with you. It's probably one of the best desserts I've had in awhile (other than Cobblermania's cobblers) --- So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt.

I've actually tried this once before, but that was before I had a food blog. I just came back from a long overdue trip to Whole Foods, and I'm having So Delicious' new line of dairy-free and soy-free yogurt made with coconut milk in Passionate Mango flavor. After trying it for the second time, more than a month since the first, I am again pleasantly surprised by the product. The silky texture and subtle sweetness of the coconut milk complements wonderfully with the tanginess of the passion fruit and mango.

If you like coconut, you've got of give this a try. I have not tried the other flavors, but I'm sure they are equally "so delicious." ;)