Dried mango has got to be one of my favorite snack foods ever. When I first discovered the gently dried mango from Peeled Snacks, it was an eye opener. I had long avoided most dried fruits because of the added sulfites and sugar. The Peeled Snacks much-ado-about-Mango has one ingredient: organic mangos. No preservatives. No added sugar or oil. No sulfites. And they're organic, so they're non-GMO. These have become a staple for car trips and I frequently have a bag in my purse. They make for great snacking for kids and adults. I recently began experimenting with ways to use dried mango beyond the snack...
Voila! They work beautifully with breakfast AND lunch! This Chickpea with Dried Mango and Avocado dish is a hint of warm weather in the black hole of winter. We gobbled it up!
Chick peas are a year round food for us (and as an aside, I am a fan of canned beans and loved this blog post from Gina Rau about it). Avocados are also a year round food for us. And in dishes like these, Peeled Snacks Much-Ado-About Mango is a perfect fresh mango substitute. Everything about this dish is Real Food and it's a wonderful way to kick off a healthy new year.
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Chickpeas with Dried Mango and Avocado
Ingredients
1/2 cup of chopped dried mango
1/2 cup of chick peas
1/2 avocado
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper (we used yellow pepper here)
pinch of salt
pepper to taste
2 teaspoons of olive oil
juice of half of a Meyer lemon
1.5 tablespoons of fresh chopped cilantro
teaspoons of fresh chopped mint
Method
Combine all ingredients and let the flavors dance together. This is best at room temperature and even better on day two!
Dried Mango and Bulgur Wheat Porridge
Dried mango is excellent with breakfast too! I reconstituted a few slices of it in warm water and cooked the pieces with bulgur wheat to make this porridge-type of breakfast. This can be done with any grain or with oatmeal, of course. Bulgur wheat can be a bit messy with young eaters but the texture is so delightful and it's a nice change of pace for us (we've been on an oatmeal kick lately). For an extra protein kick, you can add nuts or chick peas to this breakfast.
Ingredients
1/2 cup of bulgur wheat
1 cup of water
7 slices of dried mango
1/2 cup of warm water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
Method
Place the bulgur wheat and 1 cup of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, place the mango strips in a bowl with warm water to slightly reconstitute - approximately 5 minutes. Once the pieces are slightly soft, cut them into chunks. when the water is boiling, stir the bulgur, reduce heat to low and add mango pieces. Simmer until the water has evaporated. Add cinnamon and serve (and nuts or chick peas if using).