Spicing it up with new food - Black Lentils and Mangos

This past week I tried a couple of new foods for the first time -- mangoes and black lentils. 

Many of you may wonder how I've lived all 27 of my years and never had a mango.  I admit, I think I've had mango in a store-bought smoothie before, but I've never brought an actual mango home and cut it up.  I don't know what I was waiting for, because mangoes (or mangos -- both forms of the plural turn out to be right!) are absolutely heavenly.  After peeling the thin skin and slicing the mango off its core (which is almost rectangular), I took my first bite.  It was tropically sweet.  Like, I could taste summer and sunshine in my mouth.  No joke.  The taste seemed like a combination of pineapple and peach with a touch of an orange.  When selecting a mango, be sure that its soft if you're going to be eating it right away -- that's how you know it's ripe and at its peak flavor.

Mangoes are known as the "king of fruit," and I think that's because they're quite amazing for you.  The phenols and enzymes in mangoes make them anti-cancerous, and the enzymes also help us with digestion.  Rick in vitamins A and E, and also have the wonderful coupling of iron and vitamin C.  Vitamin C helps our bodies to properly absorb and utilize iron.  

What prompted me to buy a mango?  Well, they were on sale.  When I saw them, my taste buds sent a signal to my brain that said, "mango goes well with ginger."  My brain jumped to the conclusion of using mango puree in my triple threat ginger cookies instead of applesauce.

Woah.  Was it amazing.  The mango added the right hint of sweetness and moisture, so a lot of sugar wasn't necessary.  It also added a complexity to the taste of the cookies, which made them feel a bit more sophisticated.
Triple Threat Ginger-Mango Cookies

• 1 3/4 cups rice flour
• 3/4 cup millet flour you can use all rice flour, too, but I like to mix things up a bit.  
• 1 cup pureed mango
• 2/3 cup milk you can use soy, hemp. almond, or whatever you enjoy
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger Okay, so I used 3 1/2 in this recipe.  I like it.  My husband likes it.  Take it slow.  If you're really into ginger, go wild and use 3 teaspoons.  
• 1 heaping teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/4 cup of sugar this is just for sprinkling on top of the cookies -- I tend not to sweeten my cookies too much, but add some sugar and more milk if you're feeling like you need some sweetness. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare your mango puree.  Use a sharp knife to cut away the skin, and then slice the mango off its stone.  Cut the mango bits into small pieces, and place them in a blender or food processor with 1/4 cup of water.  Blend away, and you've got your puree, hooray! 

In a large mixing bowl, add in your dry ingredients, including all variations of ginger -- but not the sugar, unless you're sweetening it up a bit.  I used a cheese grater to grate the ginger, but you can use a microplane or just dice it super well with a knife.  Mix everything together to make sure it's incorporated well -- especially important for the baking powder.  Add the mango puree, and milk. Mix well. 

Scoop onto a greased baking sheet with an ice cream scoop.  I love the size and feel of cookies when I scoop them this way as opposed to using a spoon.  Sprinkle the tops with the sugar.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Makes 10.

 

On to black lentils.  Also known as urad dal, black lentils have the same health benefits as regular green lentils, but with some bonus features.

 With their slickly sticky texture and earthy taste, black lentils are used in India to make dosas, which are sort of like crepes or pancakes.  Their black coloring makes them extra high in antioxidants -- much like how blueberries, blackberries, and black beans are high in these cancer-killing bits of awesomeness.  In addition, the antioxidants in black lentils also help prevent heart disease and aging.  Plus they're full of protein, fiber, and carbohydrates.

I soaked the lentils overnight to make them easier to cook and also to make them more digestible.  After rinsing the lentils, I cooked a cup of them in 2 cups of water for about 45 minutes, until they were soft.  I served them alongside a curry dish, and some how managed to have left over lentils.  I haven't had a bean-dip in a while, so I thought I'd see how the taste of black lentils lent itself to a "hummus." 

Again, another winner.  I mixed my left over lentils with a bit of salt, a few good squeezes of lemon, and some ginger.  This made for a spring-like taste that complemented the lentil puree in a beautiful way.  I've been munching on this hummus with carrots, baby bok choy, and even used it to top off a vegetable soup.  This is definitely something I'll make again.

Have you tried any new foods lately?  I'd love to hear what you've been eating!