Mangoes. Yum.

The local grocery stores are filled with ripe, sweet and juicy mangoes.  A perfect time to add a little tropical to your morning.

Mangos are my favorite fruit.  I love their silky texture, the bright tropical orange color to their meat, and their tangy/sweet flavor, their luscious juiciness. Yum.  Like a burst of sun, wrapped in a fruit.

In case you haven’t worked with a mango before, they are a little different. First wash them because a small percentage of people are allergic to the sap that sometimes can be on the skin. Mangoes are covered with a thick skin and have a large seed in the center.  You peel the skin off and then cut the fruit away from the pit. There are a couple of ways to do this, I use a knife to peel the skin all the way around working to remove as little of the delicious fruit as possible (like peeling an apple), then I slice down both sides of the oblong pit.  It sounds all neat and orderly here, but chopping a ripe mango is a juicy, messy but joyous proposition.

If you’d like to try another way of peeling your mango, simplyrecipes.com has a great description.

The three recipes I’ve created here add a tropical twist to a few old breakfast favorites.

1. Mango Coconut Banana Bread -The mango and coconut bring a fruity, nutty, tropical twist to beloved banana bread.

2. Mango Tropical Smoothie  – A quick breakfast packed with vitamin C and protein.

3. Mango Pancakes Topped with Mango Whipped Cream  – Not only for the weekend, a decadent tropical delight.

Mango Coconut Banana Bread

A new twist on an old favorite – Mango Coconut Banana Bread

adapted from Coconut Bread recipe, Bahama Mama’s Cooking by Capt. Jan Robinson

This bread is the comfortable banana bread you know and love with a tropical kick that makes it fresh. It’s perfect for breakfast, snack or lunch.  Served warm with butter was the favorite at our house.

Makes 2 loaves

 4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

½ cup cream of coconut or coconut milk

1 cup mango, medium diced

1 cup banana, mashed

4 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine all ingredients.

Separate into two 5 X 9 inch greased loaf pans.

Bake 1 hour or until done.  After 10 minutes, remove from pans and cool on racks.

Top with mango butter – YUM!

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Mango Tropical Smoothie

A Tropical Eye Opener – Mango Tropical Smoothie

This Mango Tropical Smoothie is perfect for breakfast-on-the-go. It is easy and quick to make. Full of vitamins and protein it will help kick-start your day.

Sometimes I add a little coconut milk to up the tropical factor.

Makes 1 cup

1 1/2 cups fresh mango diced large or 1-15 oz. can sliced mango drained and rinsed or 1 cup frozen mango chunks (but need to add another tablespoon of honey)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup plain, non-fat greek yogurt

1/2 banana

1 Tbsp. honey

Handful of ice

Blend until smooth.

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Mango Pancakes topped with Mango Whipped Cream

These Mango Pancakes Topped with Mango whipped cream are for that special morning when you just need something tropical. No need for syrup, just top with fruit, then the whipped cream and heaven-on-a-plate.

Makes 10 pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

¾ tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 ½ cups milk

1 banana, mashed

1 cup fresh mango, diced small (you can substitute frozen mango that has been thawed or canned mango)

Vegetable oil

Mix all ingredients, except vegetable oil, until combined. Don’t over mix, should be lumpy.

Warm 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat.

Pour 1/3 cup batter per pancake into skillet.  Cook until bubbles form in batter. Flip and cook until done, approximately 2 1/2 minutes per side.

Keep warm on a plate as you finish the remaining batter.

Serve with sugared mango chunks and mango whipped cream (recipe follows).

Mango Whipped Cream

 8 oz. whipping cream

½ tsp. vanilla

2 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. fresh mango, diced small (can be messy:)

Whip cream until it starts to thicken.

Add remaining ingredients and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.

Do you have a favorite way to eat mangoes? Have you had any mango adventures? We’d love to hear about it in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by!

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