Hawaiian Banana Flip Dip

This is by far one of my favorite dessert recipes. My dad has been making this ever since I was a little girl and I still love it today! We always called this one, "Banana Flip Dip" but my dad recently told me it's a Hawaiian dessert so we have started calling it "Hawaiian Banana Flip Dip! I have no idea where he got this recipe. He probably came up with it on his own, since that's what he tends to do!

This one can be made gluten free ONLY if you use gluten free graham crackers.

If you are making this dish, be aware that it must chill for at least 6 hours for all the ingredients to set and become firm. It will be runny and not taste great if it doesn't sit. I always let mine sit and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

This one is a GREAT summer dish! Nice and cool and refreshing! You can decorate this dish however you want. I put fresh mint leaves from the garden on this one, but you could very easily make this one look like an American Flag for a 4th of July Celebration. All you would need to do is add blueberries and strawberries!

Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs (if you are gluten free, use a gluten free graham cracker)
• 2 sticks of butter, softened to liquid
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 2 egg whites
• 2 cans crushed pineapple (drained)
• 6 bananas
• 1 medium container of Cool Whip
• 1 small package pecan chips

Garnish with maraschino cherries

Directions

• Mix 1 stick of butter and graham cracker crumbs together.
• Pour into a 9x13 pyrex dish, spread evenly and compact firmly to form the bottom layer.
• Next, mix the powdered sugar, egg whites, and 1 stick of butter together.
• Mix on high speed for 10 minutes.
• Pour mixture evenly on top of crust.
• Slice bananas by 1/4" slices.
• Place slices on top of mixture close together so they cover the entire dessert.
• Spread pineapple evenly on top of bananas.
• Top with cool whip and sprinkle pecan pieces on top of cool whip.
• Put 6 Maraschino cherries op top.
• Chill for at least 6 hours before serving.
  
  

Quinoa Banana Bread

I have talked about Quinoa before on my recipe blog and how good it is for you.  Did you know that Quinoa can also provide small amounts of the omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA)? Recent studies are providing us with a greatly expanded list of anti-inflammatory phytonutrients in quinoa. This unique combination of anti-inflammatory compounds in quinoa may be the key to understanding preliminary animal studies that show decreased risk of inflammation-related problems (including obesity) when animals are fed quinoa on a daily basis.  I found this chart interesting.  Here are the nutrients breakdown in uncooked Quinoa in 0.25 cups. For more Quinoa benefits - check out this link http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?dbid=142&tname=foodspice
manganese58.5%

tryptophan31.2%

magnesium29.6%

phosphorus28.1%

fiber20.7%

folate19.4%

copper18%

Calories (222)12%

Now - onto my recipe :)

My suggestion for this recipe is the riper the bananas, the better.  This recipe also doubles very well.  I found this recipe at livingwithout.com and they have a lot of great gluten free recipes!  Take a look at this site. I hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

½ cup + 2 tablespoons quinoa flour
⅓ cup quinoa flakes
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
2 or 3  very ripe bananas, peeled
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey or pure maple syrup
(add some walnuts if you would like- makes it even better!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. Place dry ingredients in large bowl and mix together until well combined.
3. In smaller bowl, mash bananas. Mix in the eggs and honey until combined.
4. Add banana mixture to dry ingredients and beat until combined and batter has a smooth consistency.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until done.