Tropical Goodness: Mango diced and dissected

The first time I remember having fresh mango was my honeymoon in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic in 2012. Sure, I had tasted mango flavored items, but I honestly cannot recall having it fresh before then. Of course, after having feasted on the local fruit and drinking freshly-squeezed mango goodness for a week, I wanted to include it in the grocery runs. Unfortunately, it took a few tries to figure out how to even cut the darn things!

There are wonderful nutrients found in mango (over 20!). These include, but are not limited to: folate (hello prenatal goodness!), Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin K. One cup of mango diced has 100% your daily recommended amount of Vitamin C!

For newbies to the fruit: Mango has a very flat, very large core. Unable to cut through the middle, there has to be a few sections cut off instead.Color does not indicate ripeness, but how firm/soft. It should give slightly, much like an avocado when ripe.

How to dice a mango:

1. Wash your mango, dry

2. Just to the side of the stem, as it points downward, slice off the thicker "cheeks" of the mango

3. Without piercing the skin, score a grid

4. Push the skin in ward, making the grid spread outward (this is the fun part)

5. Gently scrape or spoon the dices of into a bowl

6. For what is left, maneuver around the core/seed to get remaining fruit off, using the grid technique where able 

Use your mango in salads, salsas, and desserts! Oh, by the way, the Chobani Greek Yogurt with mango on the bottom is to die for! I may/may not be obsessed with it. A great website to check out for more information would, in fact, be www.mango.org. Enjoy!!