Mangoes in Miami!

Mango season is finally here in Miami! There is nothing like eating a fresh mango just picked from a mango tree. There are so many types of mangoes but the ones I prefer are the Haden. They are extremely flavorful and have a beautiful orangey rose color to them.

Here are a few of my favorite mango recipes. The salsa can be eaten plain, or over fish, pork or chicken. One of my very favorite recipes is mango salsa over pan sautéed fresh fish. If I had to choose one meal for my last supper, this would be it! I used to make this every year for my friend Lauren’s end-of-the-year school party for my kids. I can’t tell you how many people asked for the recipe. One particular woman never remembered my name but would call me the “Mango Salsa Lady” throughout my kids’ twelve years of schooling. You can eliminate the black beans if you choose but they are a good source of iron and protein and the salsa looks so colorful with them in it. My niece Madison prefers no beans and this recipe comes out just fine without them.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa
1 – 15 ounce canned Black Beans, rinsed in a colander until water runs clear
2 ripe MANGOES, cut into small diced sized pieces
1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, diced into small pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped,
2 green scallions, sliced and diced into small pieces
1 tablespoon of finely minced ginger root
3 tablespoons *fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon *rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon *kosher salt
½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons *fresh cilantro, chopped fine
Combine the beans, MANGOES, peppers, scallions and ginger root in bowl. Combine the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, salt, cayenne and cilantro in another bowl. Whisk together and then pour over the mango mixture.
It can be served at room temperature or chilled and served plain with tortilla chips.
Serving size: About 4 cups

Mango Sorbet
4 cups *mango puree (about 6 MANGOES, pureed in the blender)
1 cup *diced mango
*1 small 4 ounce can of frozen limeade
Pour all ingredients into ice cream maker and churn until it gets slushy and semi-frozen. Put into Tupperware and freeze until solid.
For a simple but classy dessert, put sorbet into individual glasses and then top with an amaretto cookie or any other shortbread cookie you may have on hand.

Chicken Breast and Mango Skewers
2 chicken breasts marinated in ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup oil, salt and pepper
1 large semi-ripe mango cut into 1 inch pieces, making sure they will be able to withstand the heat of the grill without falling apart.
Cut chick breasts into 1’ sized pieces.. Thread skewers with one piece of chicken and one piece of mango. Put on grill until the chicken starts turning brown and is cooked. Serve over rice, ditalini or orzo pasta.Mango and Black Bean Salsa