Mango Tango!

Golden like a setting sunset, refreshing to every palate, sweet like sinful candy...the mango! I was just flipping through the weekly ads from the grocery stores and noticed that mangoes are on sale at our Fry's, or Kroger brand store, 3/$1!!! I am getting my little hands on some tonight to make some of my favorite treats and creations. I used to agonize about finding organic mangoes, in staying true to how I try to live, but found out last year that avocados and mangoes are on the Clean 15 list!!! To get a list of the Clean 15 and the Dirty Dozen go to the Environmental Working Group's site and get their wallet cutout of the lists for easy shopping.

So, in the next few days, I will be making some of my mango wraps, fruit leather, and chips. Ahh! I'm getting excited just thinking about it! I'm attending a Raw Food Potluck in a couple weeks and my mango wraps are ALWAYS a huge hit! So, they will be ready for me to bring, create, and share with everyone there. Here are a few of the recipes with my beloved fruit, the mango!

Mango Wrappers: Adapted from Matthew Kenney's, Everyday Raw
Ingredients
4 c. chopped fresh mango
1 1/2 c. raw, unsweetened coconut meal
1/2 c. ground flax seed
Pinch cayenne, or chipotle
Pinch sea salt and cumin
1/4 c. cilantro, roughly chopped


Preparation
For added nourishment, you can add up to 1/2 c. ground flax seeds
Place all ingredients in blender. Blend well until smooth. Spread mixture thinly on fruit leather or Teflex sheets. You can sprinkle with a little extra cilantro for a pretty, aesthetic touch. Most times the mixture is thick enough to spread around with a spoon to make into pretty little circles for great wraps. Dehydrate 4 hours, until dry but still very pliable. Cut each sheet into appropriate sizes/shapes.

Use these as you would any conventional grain wrap or tortilla. I like mine with humus or seed spread topped with veggies: carrots, daikon, cabbage, bell peppers, celery, raw sweet potato, sprouts- whatever I may have!

 

Mango Fruit Leather:
Puree mango in a blender or food processor and pour into lightly oiled fruit leather trays of a food dehydrator and dehydrate at 115 degrees until the top of the fruit leather is no longer sticky to the touch. I generally dehydrate for a couple of hours then flip and continue for a couple more until no longer sticky. This tends to keep the edges from getting "crispy" and ensures a more even texture. Although, the crispy parts a wonderful, too!


Adding a fruit that isn't a "sticky" fruit, like berries, is a great way to make multi-flavored fruit leathers. They can be pretty fancy: mango, banana and pineapple is a great tropical blend. Get creative!


Mango and Black Bean Salsa:
Ingredients
1 mango, diced
1 (15-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon grated lime rind, zest 

1/4 c. fresh cilantro, finely chopped 

2 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup diced jicama or daikon radish

Preparation

Lightly toss all of the ingredients together and allow to sit for at least 30 minutes before serving.

This is a great accompaniment to a bed of lettuce greens for a quick and easy salad, served alongside corn tortilla chips, on fish, mixed into grains for a complete protein meal (legumes and grains= complete protein), or enjoyed with a fork! A few summers ago, my sis, bro-in-law and I ate this for WEEKS on and in everything!

Mango Chips:

Slice up mango into pieces, 1/4 inch thickness. Dehydrate at 115 for about 5 hours, or until they are crispy and not "bendy" or soft. They need to be crispy for health sake if storing or traveling with at room temp. They will last for months if completely dehydrated and stored in a sealed container.

Disclaimer: Mango mentioned above in recipes is not to be confused with our luscious, sweet-as-candy, delightful, devilish, fat cat, Mr. Mango!