Pork Chops with Caribbean Rub and Mango Salsa

Tags

Caribbean, mango, pork, tomato, tropical

It might not yet be mango season, but I’m all ready for it! I still have a couple bags of mango that I froze from last year. I try to make stuff last, and then I kind of forget about it… whoops! I did the same thing with my thin mints, but that also means I get very excited when I find my hidden stash!

And mango salsa is a great use for leftover/frozen mango! Especially when it’s paired up with a perfectly spiced pork chop. As soon as I saw this recipe, I knew it was something I had to try, I just wanted to wait until mangoes were more in season. And I might have jumped the gun a little, but it’s soon… very soon. So for once I’m ahead of the game, and I’ve given you some food for thought (no pun intended :P).I’ve made these twice so far and they were wonderful each time. The first time, I was at my sister’s and she had pork chops, but no breadcrumbs and her original plan for the chops had fallen through, or she had forgotten an ingredient or something along those lines! She was asking me if I had any ideas, and I remembered that I had bookmarked this recipe. It worked out perfectly. She had all the spices in her pantry, and even had some mango papaya salsa from Trader Joe’s. The meal came together quickly, and I knew I had to make it again soon so my husband could try it. It was a hit with him, too, and it’s nice to know that you can easily make your own mango salsa, or use any store bought tropical salsa. So with summer right around the corner, keep this recipe in mind and spice up your summer with some tropical flair! 🙂One Year Ago: Lemon Bars

Pork Chops with Caribbean Rub and Mango Salsa

1½ teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
¾ teaspoon sugar
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) pork chops, bone-in or boneless
½ cup mango, diced
½ cup plum tomato, diced
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub pork chops with spice mixture.

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray;  add pork to pan and cook 3 minutes on each side or until a thermometer registers 145  degrees F (slightly pink). If pork chops are thick, cook for 3 minutes on each side then bake at 350 degrees F for up to 10 minutes, until chops are fully cooked through.

In the meantime, combine mango, tomato, cilantro, red wine vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl; toss gently. Serve salsa over pork.

Source: Our Best Bites, via Cooking Light

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Mango Lemonade

Tags

lemon, mango

A few days ago, we had an event at my workplace where people came to sample wine, beer, non-alcoholic drinks, and food while visiting with our tigers, lions, and bears. I work at a non-profit animal sanctuary and this was a fun way for people to come see our animals, from a safe distance of course, especially with alcohol involved! 🙂 My best friend/coworker made a pasta salad, while I was put in charge of finding a non-alcoholic drink. After some browsing online, I came across a recipe for mango lemonade. The recipe I found didn’t sound great, but it was a great idea so upon further research I found a delicious sounding recipe that I just had to try.

I’ve been buying mangoes whenever I see them on sale lately, dicing them up and saving them in the freezer. It was great to find another recipe to use them in, other than the most amazing mango bread, and it helped me use part of my 10+ cups of diced mango. Yeah, I know, I’ve really been stocking up…

This is a perfect drink for summer, with the tart lemon and sweet mango. The color is absolutely beautiful, too! If you want more mango flavor, you can of course add more mango. I also might try using sparkling water next time, to give it a little fizz and pizazz.Mango Lemonade

Yield: About ¾ of a gallon

2½ cups diced mango, about 3 mangoes
1½ cups lemon juice
1¾ cup granulated sugar
8 cups water

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine sugar and 1 cup water. Heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils slightly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine the diced mango and the lemon juice. Blend until the mangoes are completely pureed. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a pitcher and use an immersion blender to puree. Add the chilled sugar mixture and the remaining 7 cups of water. Stir well to combine. Serve chilled or over ice and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Joylicious

Mango Bread

Tags

baking, bread, cinnamon, Hawaiian, mango

My husband and I went to Maui for our honeymoon. While we were there, we met up with his aunt and uncle who live on the island. As a thank you for treating us to a wonderful dinner, we bought them a loaf of banana bread while on the the Road to Hana. They have many stands that advertise for the “best banana bread,” and I must admit, we bought some really tasty breads. One loaf that we bought was a mango banana bread, and it was delicious and unique. While talking with his aunt, she mentioned that she had a recipe for mango bread, and she was kind enough to mail me the recipe along with a few other recipes she thought I would like from one of her Hawaiian cookbook. I was so excited when I opened the envelope containing the recipes!Mangos can be rather pricy, so I was a bit hesitant since I didn’t know how many mangoes it would take to get 2 cups diced. When visiting my sister, I found them for really cheap so I bought 5 and actually got 3 cups. I had enough for one loaf of bread, and I used the other cup with a cup of mashed banana to try mango banana bread. Both loaves were amazing. Perfectly spiced, moist, and subtly mango with bursts of mango when you bite into a chunk. It may have taken me a while to make this bread, but now that I’ve had it I can’t believe I waited this long! I will definitely try to make this more often.Mango Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
¾ cup canola oil
¾ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups diced mango, about 3 mangoes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5″ loaf pan.

Combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine and make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, sugars, vanilla, and mango to the well. Stir to combine, until just mixed. Pour into the loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.

Variation: Mango Banana Bread – Replace 1 cup of mango with 1 cup mashed banana