Let’s Mango

The mango is the most popular fruit in the world and can be used in everything from smoothies to desserts and marinades.

Mangoes pack a nutritional punch with more than 20 different vitamins and minerals — 100 percent of your daily vitamin C — but only 100 calories in a 1-cup serving.

Hy-Vee Dietitian Janine Albers has a few tips if you’re looking to try the mango for the first time.

• Don’t choose a mango by its color, as a ripe mango could be green, yellow, red or a combination of all three.
• You’ll know if a mango is ripe by squeezing it gently. A ripe mango will give slightly. A firm mango will ripen at room temperature over a few days. Speed up the process by placing it in a paper bag at room temperature.
  Mangoes can be intimidating to cut because they have one long flat seed in the middle. Here’s how to dice a mango:
• Put the mango on a cutting board stem-end down and hold. Cut downward with a knife about 1/2 inch from the widest part. Flip the mango around and repeat on the other side.
• Cut parallel slices into the mango flesh but be careful not to cut through the skin. Turn the mango cheek and cut another set of parallel slices to make a checkerboard pattern.
• Slice the mango slices off the skin using a large spoon.

Here’s a recipe to put your new mango skills to use. It would pair well with fish.

Mango Salsa

Serves 4 (1/3 cup each)

Source: eatingwell.com

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded and diced (1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 2 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

Combine mango, onion, lime juice, vinegar and cilantro in a medium bowl. Let stand for 15 minutes; stir before serving.

Nutrition Facts per serving: 46 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 2mg sodium, 12g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 0g protein.