The joy of mangoes

Here in Portland, we had our Spring Potluck last weekend. We had a great time together and the food was remarkable -- you will be getting all those recipes before long. This time we talked about difficulties in spreading the plant-based message, including the problem of media bias. We wondered why the morning news features a BBQ Week but never a Broccoli Week and why the local paper leans so heavily in the meat direction. Linda found a recipe there for Salted Caramel Bacon Bread Pudding, loaded with bacon, eggs, butter, whipping cream and sugar. It "pushed her over the edge" and she called the editor to open a dialogue about shifting in the direction of good health.

We spoke also of food as an expression of love for those at your table..... we learned that both Denis and John are making No-Knead bread (Breadtopia is a website for this) ...... Susan signed up for a meal planning system from Forks Over Knives and likes the recipes, especially the excellent no-oil salad dressings ...... Bob lives with a feeding tube and tells us that when we make out advance directives we should not be afraid of having a feeding tube -- it's not bad.

Do you remember that I wondered last time about how to open a mango? Susan included mango in the salad she brought, and she kindly ended our potluck with a demonstration, telling us about two kinds of mangoes and showing how to use a special gadget that works with the smaller "champagne" mangoes.

Here is Susan's recipe for Green Bean and Mango Salad:
Green Bean and Mango Salad

And here are all the responses that came to my mango question:

Donna in Portland:
Thank you Eve for one more wonderful newsletter connecting everyone interested in nutritional delights!
Here’s my advice for mangoes.
1- choose organic
2- choose ones that look and feel good - and they will be (not green; not overripe)
3- Use a potato peeler to remove the skin from top to bottom (or reversed!).
4- Use a sharp (ceramic) knife to slice the two large segments from either side of the large seed. Then cut off the remaining fruit in thin slices.
5- If there’s still fruit left on the seed, I then simply take bites off - yummy!
6- The fruit is great with a little lime or lemon juice sprinkled on it.
Thank you Gaia/Mother Nature for this heavenly delight!! donna

Alison in New Hampshire made me laugh!
Between you and me, I’ve been told that the best way to eat a mango is naked in a bathtub.
https://images1.miaminewtimes.com/imager/dr-richard-campbell-goes-from-m...
But I have yet to see that demonstrated on YouTube - although Dr Richard Campbell would probably be happy to give lessons…
I use this way - https://www.wikihow.com/Eat-a-Mango (Except when I’m about to take a bath, of course. And NOT with Dr. Campbell!)

Christel in Germany sent a video that's practically a comedy act:
Jane and Anne Esselstyn answer all our questions about this delicious fruit.
https://youtu.be/r1-8nKuwn58

Susan in Portland:
Yes, mangoes are great. They are some compensation for missing the prodigious citrus crops of previous months and looking forward to the berries, peaches and melons of summer. I buy a lot of the comma-shaped yellow mangoes when they are in season, and then I cut them up and freeze them for smoothies throughout the year. So I too was looking for a better way to process them when I came across an OXO implement on Amazon. I bought one and find that it works well. Contrary to the instructions, I do peel the mango first (unless it is very soft) and slice a thin piece off the base to stabilize the mango during cutting. It is best for the yellow mangoes—the red-and-green mangoes are too big. .. It works every time on the yellow ones, and I think those are better anyway.
https://www.oxo.com/products/preparing/fruit-vegetable-tools/mango-splitter

Last time I also passed along Betsy's suggestion for a vegan cheese book. Bev in California offered this thought:
Dear Eve,
Regarding vegan cheese: it can be (depending on the ingredients) a form of vegan junk food - usually high in fat and salt, low in fiber and antioxidants. There may be exceptions, but always keep in mind that just because something is vegan doesn’t mean it’s necessarily healthy.
Thanks for all the great resources!

Wishing us all a tubful of mangoes --
Happy cooking,
Eve