Cauliflower with Mango Chutney Sauce

Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, 1 onion, 1 garlic clove, 2 teaspoons curry powder, 1 tin tomato puree, 1 tablespoon mango chutney, 250 ml water, 100 ml coconut milk, salt, pepper, cashew nuts,

Cut 1 cauliflower into florets, boil the cauliflower florets in water with some salt until al dente. Meanwhile bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion with 1 finely chopped garlic clove until the onion has softened. Add 2 teaspoons curry powder and bake this brief. Then add 1 tin tomato puree, 1 tablespoon mango chutney, 250 ml water and 100 ml coconut. Bring briefly to the boil and add the cauliflower florets. Bring the taste with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low heat. Sprinkle some cashew nuts on your plate. Serve with rice or fried potatoes. Enjoy!

Cauliflower with Mango Chutney and Cashews

Ingredients: rice, 1 cauliflower, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, curry, 1 tin tomato puree, 1 tablespoon mango chutney, 250 ml coconut milk, 100 ml water, salt, pepper, cashew nuts,

Cook the rice according pack instructions. Cut 1 cauliflower into florets, boil the cauliflower florets in water with some salt until al dente. Meanwhile bake in hot oil 1 chopped onion with 2 finely chopped garlic cloves until the onion has softened. Add 1 tin tomato puree curry powder and bake this brief. Add 250 ml coconut milk, 100 ml water and 1 tablespoon mango chutney. Bring briefly to the boil, add the cauliflower florets and heat a bit more. Bring the taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle some cashew nuts over it. Serve with rice. Enjoy!

BANGO YOUR MANGO CHICKEN CURRY

This chicken curry will inspire you to bango like the tango.

This sexy dish was inspired by a mango chicken curry I had at an Indian restaurant in Sydney, Australia. I’m not sure if it was the food or the beautiful waitress who served it to me, but something changed in me that day. And I’m not just talking about the growth in my pants. Mango and curry together unlock something primal. Sweet, spicy and sensual. You really can’t go wrong serving a date this…unless you accidentally spill the contents in their lap. This happened to me. But my date was more hungry than outraged so all was forgiven the moment she took her first bite. I did have to dab up the mess on designer jeans. But you form an intimate bond once you’ve cleaned curry off someone’s crotch. Plus I removed my pants to make her feel more comfortable while her jeans were in the wash. I’m empathetic like that.

Total time: approximately 35 minutes
Projected cost: $13
Drinking Buddy: Beer or san-grab

Ingredients (serves 4):
1. 2 tablespoons of red curry paste
2. 1½ cups of dried basmati rice
3. 1 can of coconut milk
4. 2 tablespoons of olive oil
5. 1 onion cut into strips
6. 1 red bell pepper cut into strips
7. 2 chicken breasts cut in bite-sized pieces
8. 2 handfuls of chopped cilantro
9. 2 mangoes peeled and chopped
10. ½ a lime of juice

Step 1
Wash the rice first in a colander. Then boil the rice with twice as much water. Turn the heat down low and simmer until the water is all absorbed (approx 15-20 min). Use a fork to fluff the rice after. Move on to Step 2 while it simmers.

Step 2
Marinate the chicken in lime juice and ½ the cilantro. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a large deep pan on high heat and brown the chicken (approx 4 min). Set the chicken aside.

Step 3
Heat up the remaining oil in the same pan on medium-high heat. Saute the onion and red bell pepper (approx 3 min). Add the mango and curry paste and cook until they melt together into a killer sauce (approx 2 min). Finally mix in the chicken and coconut milk and cook until the sauce reduces and the flavor sets into all contents (approx 4 min). Mix in the remaining cilantro and serve the curry over the rice and prepare to be praised.

Mango Spiced Shrimp

While everyone else goes out and party-hardies on Saturday night, we stay home, rent some movies, and cook something special. I mean, we could go out for a nice seafood dinner, drop $40 for the two of us, or buy a nice $8 bag of frozen shrimp and a mango and make our own… and probably be more satisfied with the outcome too. Well, that’s exactly what we did. And might I say the results were simply splendid?

(And look ma! New plates! While the lime green and blue ones are lovely, food just looks fancier when it’s on a nice clean white plate.)

Mango Spiced Shrimp

You wouldn’t believe the flavor in this dish. The combination of spices in the sauce is truly delicious, and would be fantastic over chicken or tofu even. And did I mention it’s quick? Serve over jasmine rice or with edamame.
Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
4 tsp canola oil
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1 mango, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 lb large shrimp, peeled, tails on
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS
Heat 2 tsp oil in a 3-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, garlic, ginger, 1/4 tsp salt, allspice, cumin and cinnamon about 3 minutes. Add mango, vinegar, lime juice and sugar and gently boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thick; refrigerate in a bowl.

Toss shrimp with red pepper, garlic powder and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Heat remaining 2 tsp oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until no longer translucent, about 2 minutes on each side. Let cool; serve with sauce.

Mango Cilantro Margaritas

These had a delicious flavor, but were REALLY strong. Next time we’ll reduce the amount of tequila in there a bit… or at least in mine. :)

Mango Cilantro Margaritas

Makes 2. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 small mango, pitted, peeled, chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup 100% blue agave silver tequila
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons Simple Syrup (1 cup sugar dissolved in 1 cup water and simmered for 3 minutes, then cooled)
1 tablespoon Cointreau or other orange liqueur
2 cups ice cubes, divided
Fresh cilantro sprigs (for garnish)

DIRECTIONS
Combine mango and cilantro leaves in medium bowl. Press firmly on solids with muddler or back of wooden spoon until mashed. Mix in tequila, lime juice, Simple Syrup, and Cointreau, then 1 cup ice. Stir to blend well. Strain into large glass measuring cup. Divide remaining ice between 2 tall glasses. Pour Margarita mixture over. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

Mango & Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing

We’re back! And we’re in Tennessee! If you’ve wondered where we were this past month, well, we’ve been all over the place. But the move is over and we’re setting in to our new digs. The kitchen in our new place is fantastic, it might be the main reason we chose this place.

Anyways, we were anxious to break it in, and this was the perfect dish to do so. A delicious, light, and healthy meal perfect for a hot summer day. The recipe originally called for the addition of crab, which would have been delicious, but we’ve spent all our money moving and buying new furniture so crab wasn’t exactly in our budget. :) Served with corn and some fabulous mango cilantro margaritas, and it was definitely a meal we’ll make again!

Mango & Avocado Salad with Citrus Dressing

Makes 2-4 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 red onion, sliced paper-thin
1 pound fresh lump crabmeat, picked over, separated into chunks
1 large (15- to 16-ounce) mango, peeled, pitted, sliced
1 large avocado, halved, pitted, peeled, sliced
12 large Boston lettuce leaves

DIRECTIONS
Combine first 4 ingredients in small bowl; whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Mix in onion; let marinate 15 minutes.

Combine crabmeat, mango, and avocado in large bowl. Gently mix in dressing. Overlap ends of 3 lettuce leaves in center of each plate, forming bowl. Mound salad in lettuce bowls and serve.

Mango & Avocado Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

These were yummy, refreshing, and oh-so-good. Taylor revised his kick-butt peanut sauce to be even more kick-butt (if you can believe it). It’s basically the same recipe, but sans garlic salt, and adding in a tablespoon (or so depending on your heat-tolerance) of Mongolian Fire Oil. Delicious.

Mango & Avocado Spring Rolls with Peanut Sauce

Makes 2-3 servings.

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 seedless cucumber, cut into matchsticks
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
1 avocado, sliced and tossed with lime juice
1 cup lettuce, shredded
fresh basil, chopped
fresh cilantro, chopped
1 package cellophane noodles
Rice paper wrappers

DIRECTIONS
Cook cellophane noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cool water and let drain. Toss with rice vinegar and sugar, set aside.

Soften a rice wrapper in hot water. Arrange a small amount of noodles and other filling items on wrapper, and gently roll. Repeat with remaining wrappers until filling ingredients are gone. Slice carefully with serrated knife on a bias. Drizzle (or dip in) peanut sauce, and serve.

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt Turkey Turkish Ottoman

We’ve been wanting to try quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa) for sometime now, but it took a trip down to Wild Oats all the way across town to actually find it. But for this flavorful recipe, the trip was well worth it. The curry and peppers are deliciously spicy, but the cooling textures and flavors of the mango and mint perfectly compliment the heat. Plus, quinoa is really good for you (which makes you wonder why it isn’t more readily available). Anyways, if you can find it, I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt

Makes 6 side dish or 4 main dish servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
1 1/3 cups quinoa (7 1/2 oz)*
1 lb firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 fresh jalapeño chile, seeded (if desired for less heat) and minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts (2 1/2 oz), chopped

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together yogurt, lime juice, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined.

Rinse quinoa in a bowl using 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water (if quinoa does not settle, drain in a large sieve after each rinsing).

Cook quinoa in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Drain in a large sieve and rinse under cold running water.

Set sieve with quinoa over a saucepan containing 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Toss quinoa with curried yogurt and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Cilantro Lime Sauce

I always love a good fish taco. And as good as our last recipe was, these were better. I love mangos. I love lime. I love cilantro. Combine them altogether in a sweet and spicy salsa on top of some good fish – delicious.

Maybe it’s because of some recent sketchy fish experiences we’ve had with frozen fish, but we’ve decided to treat ourselves to some nice fresh fish at Whole Foods. Rather than going for the boring old mahi or tilapia, we though we’d try something new we’d never heard of – Amberjack. It was firm enough that it didn’t fall apart, but still tender and flaky. It made for some delicious fish tacos, that’s for sure! If only Tennessee was closer to the coast so we could have really fresh seafood more often. :)

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa and Cilantro Lime Sauce

Makes 2 servings. Recipe from Culinate.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb. flaky white fish, such as halibut, tilapia, sole, or snapper (we used Amberjack)
4 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. soy sauce

10 to 12 corn tortillas
3 cups shredded cabbage

For Lime Sauce:
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped or pressed
Salt

For Mango Salsa:
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, and/or orange), deseeded and chopped into ¼-inch squares
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, deseeded and diced
2 just-ripe mangoes, peeled and chopped into ½-inch square chunks
1 handful cilantro, washed, dried, destemmed, and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the fish marinade by combining the fresh lime juice with the vegetable oil and soy sauce in a rectangular glass or ceramic dish. Add the fish, turn to coat, and leave to marinate while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Prepare the chipotle-lime sauce by combining the mayonnaise, yogurt, sour cream, lime juice, chipotle chile, and chopped garlic in a bowl. Season to taste with salt.

Prepare mango salsa by mixing all ingredients together in a medium-large bowl and season to taste with salt.

Remove fish from the marinade and grill or sauté until cooked through. Warm the tortillas, either in the oven, microwave, or saute in oil. Set out individual bowls of the sauce, salsa, and shredded cabbage.

For each individual taco, place some of the fish (breaking off chunks of the cooked fillets) on a tortilla, drizzle with the chipotle-lime sauce, and top with cabbage and mango salsa.