MOJITO AMBROSIA SALAD

A fun twist on an old favorite!

The first time I had ever had Ambrosia salad was when we made it in a Home Ec. class in Jr. High and the teacher said Ambrosia was from Greek Mythology and it was the food of the "Gods".   It was a salad made out of most of the ingredients that I used in this salad except I omitted the bananas and added pineapple instead along with the flavorings - I have been on a mojito flavored kick lately and decided to try it in this salad.

I was very happy with the flavor; it was light but with lots of textures,  a bit of crunch and a hint of a mojito flavor and I plan to make it a few more times over the summer and may make it for our next carry-in at work.

I usually include my son feedback, but he won't touch anything with shredded coconut in it as he hates the texture and said it grosses him out so I was not able to get any feedback from him on this one.


Ingredients:

• 1 oz tub Whipped Topping
• 1 teaspoon Mint Extract/Flavoring
• 1 teaspoon Lime Juice
• 1 teaspoon Rum Extract/Flavoring
• 1 20 oz can of Crushed Pineapple
• 1 10-12 oz bag of Mini-Marshmallows
• 1 cup chopped Walnuts
• 10-14 oz bag of shredded Coconut

In a large bowl mix the whipped topping, mint extract, lime juice and rum extract together.

Add in marshmallows, pineapple and walnuts to the mixture.

Fold items together until well mixed.

Add the coconut and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

LEMON COCONUT BREAD

I found the yummy recipe at Baking Bites. She notes that the recipe is based on one of her favorite quickbread, which is a recipe for Coconut Bread from bills, Bill Granger’s restaurant in Sydney, Australia to which she spiced up with lemon juice and zest. I think the flavor and texture are somewhere between a quick bread and a pound cake and would go great with morning or afternoon tea.

It is great on its own, but my son doesn't like coconut so also I tried doctoring with some purchased vanilla whipped frosting - it was a little too sweet for me like this, but if you have a sweet tooth you might try serving it with frosting or drizzling with a powered sugar/water glaze.

http://bakingbites.com/2009/04/lemon-coconut-bread/ "

I varied my recipe only slightly from the original.

• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cups 2% milk
• Juice of one lemon and grated rind for the lemon for the lemon zest
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 cups shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened - I used 1 7 oz bag unsweetened)
• 1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir in sugar and coconut.

In a medium bowl or a large measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in egg mixture. Stir until just combined and only a few streaks of flour remain. Add in melted butter and stir until just smooth, being

careful not to overmix.

Spray a baking pan with non-stick coating

Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes (I used a smaller pan than recommended and it is new), or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Turn loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.