We all have different sides, different facets of our personalities. We have the potential to be any of of these at a given moment.
For instance, our cat Rambo. He can be a wild-eyed pig cat, ripping through every room at the speed of light. He can be a dignified elder statesmen cat, appearing to be pondering life's big questions. He can be a sweet cuddly pig, settling into position on my head to be my hat or on my lap to do some tail sucking (yes, he sucks his tail).
JiJi has the potential to be a hen, looking as though an egg will be laid any second. She can be a needy baby, demanding cuddles, as though her life truly depended on it. She can be a fun little kitten mouse, batting and pawing at her toys. She can also get her scary Jiji on - fur bushing out and weird sounds emanating from deep within - at the sight of another cat outside.
I, too, have a multiplicity of selves. I can be the mean mom, sending Max into time-out for throwing markers. Or the fun one, taking him out for malted chocolate milkshakes. I can be a paragon of routine and regularity and then toss that all aside on a whim, allowing the day or days to take me where it wants. I can blast the music and dance ridiculously, or I can get in a debate about politics.
This month's Creative Cooking Crew challenge is to "stuff it." I decided to make a mango stuff-able, scooping strawberry lime cream in the middle as well as some Chinese 5-spiced granola, then drizzling a strawberry hibiscus tea mixture around it. The round-up of all the CCC "stuff it" entries will be posted on July 29, so check back then for the link to see all of the amazing posts! Round-up is live - click here to see all the amazing posts!
These stuffed mangoes too have differing sides. They could be breakfast. Or dessert. Or breakfast's dessert, which totally needs to be a thing because breakfast is most definitely jealous of dinner. After all, breakfast is supposed to be the most important meal of the day - should it not also get a dessert? Or it could be a fun snack. It has the potential to be all these things.
Ingredients
For the 5-spice granola:
1 cup old-fashioned oats
2/3 cup roughly chopped almonds
1 tablespoon Chinese 5-spice powder
pinch salt
3 tablespoons warm coconut oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 tablespoon agave nectar
For the strawberry hibiscus tea drizzle:
2 tablespoons dried hibiscus leaves
1 tablespoon black tea
1 cup just boiled water
For the lime and strawberry cream:
2 pint strawberries, chopped
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon lime zest
For assembling:
2 mangoes, halved, with about 1-2 tablespoons of the flesh removed (just eat it! or save it for a smoothie. but I just ate it.)
fresh lime juice
Instructions
To make the 5-spice granola: Heat oven to 300. In a bowl, toss the oats, almonds, 5-spice powder, and pinch. In another bowl, mix together the coconut oil, honey, and agave. Pour the coconut oil mixture over the oats and toss to coat. Spread on baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown, turn oven to 250 and continue baking for about another 15 minutes, until dry.
To make the strawberry hibiscus tea drizzle: Combine hibiscus and black tea. Pour water over the hibiscus and tea leaves. Steep for 4 minutes. Strain. Cool. Once cool, use an immersion blender to combine the tea with 6 medium-sized strawberries.
To make the lime and strawberry cream: Combine the strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar, and lime juice. Set aside for 30 minutes.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the cream with the sugar, vanilla, and lime zest. Once the mixture holds stiff peaks, fold in the strawberry mixture.
To assemble the dish: Drizzle the mango with some fresh lime juice. Spoon the strawberry cream into the mango. Top with granola. Drizzle the hibiscus tea around the mango.
