So I have carried with me this uncanny fear of mangoes for an extended period of time. I love the taste of them and I love the color and texture of them, but the thought of buying a whole one has been strangely frightening and intimidating to me for quite some time. I have found easy work arounds to combat this fear as most people with a phobia do and thanks to modern day packaging I just buy them already peeled and cut for me. Sure I pay way too much money for them in this format and I have often found that they go bad way too quickly as god only knows how long they have sat in those plastic containers or you have some pieces in the containers that are  ripe, others that are not ripe and some that are just down right mushy. Yet it has served its purpose for years.

However, this week I conquered my fear. I went to the grocery store with the hopes of finding yet another plastic container of mango and they were out. I had plans to make Jamaican Pork with Mango Salsa and really without the mango the meal was going to be pretty bland. So as I wander lost and overwhelmed through the produce section I see a stack of whole mangoes...complete with skins. For some reason I knew that a ripe mango would be fragrant and slightly soft to the touch...but kind of like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears not too hard, not too soft but just right....so I start squeezing and smelling the fruit...and I found one that I thought would meet my needs.

I get the mango home and after a brief discussion with my best friend who says "just take a potato peeler to it," I decide to conquer my fear. And after the first swipe of the peeler I am on my way...realizing that my fear was completely irrational and that I could have saved myself a lot of time, effort and money over the years if I would have just tried this years ago.

If you are looking for an easy weeknight recipe Jamaican Pork with Mango Salsa is definitely one I recommend. I served the pork and salsa over a bed of white rice with some steamed asparagus...my old standby.

Here is the recipe:
1 cup cubed peeled mango...super easy to do...try it
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
1 T lime juice
2 tsp honey
1 pork tenderloin (1 lb) cut into 1/2 " thick slices
1 1/2 tsp Jamaican jerk seasoning

1. In a small bowl mix mango, jalapeno, cilantro, lime and honey. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
2. The recipe calls for a closed contract grill however I am not a huge George Forman grill fan as I have found them to be messy, not providing for the most evenly cooked meat and just not my cooking tool of choice. So I used an indoor grill pan and I sprayed some cooking spray on the pan and used that to cook the pork.  Sprinkle both sides of the pork with the jerk seasoning.
3. Cook the pork for 5-6 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink...I found that it actually took longer than 6 minutes...but I am also overly cautious with pork. Serve the pork with the mango salsa on top.

*** This pork was really tender and had a lot of flavor between the salsa and the jerk seasoning. I also think this recipe could easily be made on the bbq ***

And just in case you need a few other easy recipes for week night cooking. I highly recommend Pampered Chefs Southwest Taco Pie recipe and Rachael Rays Salmon Burgers with Dill Mustard...sorry no pictures of these recipes.

Southwest Taco Pie

Crust
1/4 cup plus 1 T cornmeal, divided
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup milk
1 T vegetable oil

Filling
1 lb lean ground beef
1 cup chunky salsa
1 cup shredded co-jack cheese
1 cup shredded lettuce
1/2 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
Sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degree. Spray pie plate with vegetable oil. Sprinkle 1 T cornmeal evenly onto the bottom of the pie plate and sides. For crust, combine remaining 1/4 cup cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt into bowl. Add milk and oil and stir with fork until mixture forms a ball. Transfer to a lightly floured surface. Roll crust into 10" circle and place in prepared pie pan. shape edge to form a rim. For filling, cook and stir ground beef over med heat for 8-10 min or until beef is no longer pink. Drain and stir in the salsa. Spoon beef mixture into pie crust and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 12-15 min or until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Top with lettuce, tomato and olives. Yum!!!