Mango parfait

I've been fighting a sinus infection for what seems like forever. I could handle the sinus problem better if I could find some kind of decongestant medication that doesn't cause me severe abdominal distress. First it was the Mucinex which added excruciating stomach pain to what I was already experiencing from the sinus infection. That sent me to the internet to see if I could find any other medications that didn't have stomach issues as side effects. I came up empty handed. Finally, out of desperation, I decided to give Sudafed a try. I took one lousy four-hour tablet and ended up with 20 hours of stomach pain. Not much of a trade off for a few hours of head relief. The pain was so bad I couldn't even sleep.

There was one positive thing that came out of this. I was searching the internet and came across a website for a book entitled, "The Sinus Cure." One of the suggestions in the book was to take chewable papaya tablets for sinus pain, as well as digestion. Papaya apparently has anti-inflammatory properties. The papaya tablets didn't work for my sinuses but they are the only thing that pulled my stomach out of the mess created by Mucinex and then Sudafed. And they are keeping my tummy under control while I take antibiotics for the sinus infection. Just make sure you don't get the sugar-free ones. They contain sorbitol and mannitol which are sure to play havoc with your stomach.

Papayas are amazing. I wanted to use them in a dessert idea I had but unfortunately I could only find mango. So I came up with a dessert recipe that could be used with either mango or papaya.

Mango or Papaya Parfait (serves two)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cubed mango or papaya (reserve 1/2 cup for assembling parfaits)
1 1/4 cups vanilla-flavored hemp milk or other alternative dairy beverage (I used the unsweetened, vanilla-flavored hemp milk.)
2-3 T. agave nectar
1-2 tsps. lime juice
2 T. sweet rice flour for thickening

Directions:
Blend the hemp milk and fruit in a food processor or blender as if you were making a smoothie. Pour the mixture, agave nectar, lime juice and sweet rice flour into a saucepan and cook over medium heat. Whisk constantly while the mixture is thickening. It should reach a pudding like texture. If needed, add more milk. Once thickened, pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate until cooled. To assemble parfaits, layer pudding with diced reserved mango or papaya or consider a combination of the two fruits in dessert dishes. Yum! It's better than chocolate.