A girl walks into a yam bar...

The Apostolic Church of Beaumont always puts on a show at A Tasting for Some Other Place. This year’s yam bar featured the orange veggie served from giant Champaign glasses and topped with goodies like nuts and sugar. Oversized cans of Sugary Sam sweet potatoes, planted with sweet potato vines, adorned the booth. But the folks serving up St. Stephen’s Holy Moses Gumbo looked pretty good in their “cave” booth fashioned from brown paper. These guys took ‘The Law” into their own hands with Ten Commandment tablets issuing warnings such as “Thall shalt not burn thy roux.”

Cereal for dessert

I’ve been rolling bananas around in cereal. Post is proving their products can begin a day with breakfast and end it with dessert.

I like Honey bunches of Oats Greek Honey Crunch, literally as a crunchy topping over my homemade yogurt. A little goes a long way to transform something smooth into a riot of texture. It’s fun to find an unintended use for a product you have, so the lemon pie substitutes below are a find within a find. “Post” this idea to all your friends.

Crispy Baked Banana Recipe

1-1/2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds Cereal, crushed

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons honey

4 small ripe bananas, cut crosswise in half

1/4 cup thawed whipped topping

Directions

1.   Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil; set aside. Mix crushed cereal and the cinnamon on large plate. Pour honey onto second plate. ROLL each banana piece in honey, then in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Place in prepared baking pan.

2.   Bake 15 min. or until bananas are soft. Place two banana halves in each serving dish. Top evenly with the whipped topping. Makes 4 servings, two banana halves each.

Tips and Suggestions

Special Extra: Mix 1/4 cup coconut with the crushed cereal and cinnamon before using as directed.

Crunchy Lemon Pie
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 cup miniature marshmallows
2-1/4 cups Honey Bunches of Oats Cereal
2/3 cup boiling water
1 package (4-serving size) lemon flavor gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
1 tub (8 oz.) light whipped topping, thawed

Directions

1. Microwave butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 30 seconds. Add marshmallows; toss lightly. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. or until marshmallows are completely melted, stirring after 30 seconds. Add cereal; mix lightly to coat. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of lightly greased 9-in. pie plate to form crust.
2. Stir boiling water into gelatin in large bowl at least 2 min. until completely dissolved. Stir in cold water. Add whipped topping; stir with wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate 15 to 20 min. or until mixture is very thick and will mound.
3. Spoon filling into crust; cover. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.

Tips and Suggestions

Substitute: Prepare as directed, using fat-free whipped topping.
Substitute: Prepare as directed, using Cocoa Pebbles Cereal, Post Golden Crisp Sweetened Puffed Wheat Cereal or Post Alpha-Bits Frosted Letter Shaped Sweetened Oat and Corn Cereal.
How to Stir Whipped Topping into Gelatin: Spoon into slightly thickened gelatin, using the amount of whipped topping specified in the recipe. Gently stir in the whipped topping until all of the whipped topping has been incorporated into the gelatin and the mixture is a uniform pastel color. Use this method in any recipe that calls for folding or gently stirring one ingredient into another.

Tea and coffee together

Warning: Health food lovers only should keep reading.

Foodie groups are narrowed into sections of those who enjoy healthy, shall we say cleansing, fare that may not appeal to the conventional consumer.

Pure Health Nature's Green & Lean tea delivers what makers call a powerful double whammy - combining green tea leaves, known across Asia for their wealth of antioxidants, with pure, raw Green Coffee Bean containing Chlorogenic Acids. Billed as a superfood discovery, these goods are combined with warming spices such as anise, ginger and cinnamon for a stirring tea. If you are a spice lover, you can imagine the fall-inspired aroma this creates. This tea was really filling and I did experience a cleansing sensation. Here’s more from the makers:

“For healthy weight management and natural energy throughout the day, this new tea is an excellent choice. For best results, Nature's Green & Lean should be enjoyed about 30 minutes before each meal. You can visit the website for more information: www.PureHealth100.com.”

Easiest tuna ever

Tuna has kept me excited for days straight. New single serve StarKist Creations Herb&Garlic has 110 flavorful calories in an easy-open pouch that can stay in your desk drawer until you make a break. If you want a traditional sandwich, fine, but I enjoyed mine with lettuce and cherry tomatoes I packed alongside this slim, blue pouch. Because Zesty Lemon Pepper has just 80 calories, I added some crunchy fried onions to my salad when I tried this packet.

A serving of Sweet & Spicy has 90 calories and Hickory Smoked comes in at 110. Although it’s no hardship to open a traditional can of tuna and mix in what you like, these packets eliminate that “no-time-to-eat-healthy” excuse. This is a handy and flavorful lunch you can feel good about.

ddoiron@panews.com