recipes 14, 15, and 16: March Madness Mango Madness!

Okay. So I've been meaning to post my "trio of mango recipes" since right before Jamaica. I was getting excited about the mangoes in Jamaica because when we were there last year, we consumed roughly 86 mango smoothies a day. We were excited to engage in same this year. We were sorely disappointed when we realized that we were one month shy of mango season this time. Instead, we were there during "Jamaican apple" season. Now who knows what a Jamaican apple is? That's right! Nobody! Tristan and I were in split camps about the Jamaican apples. Tristan would use these descriptors: "Delicious! Flowery but sweet!" I would use these descriptors: "Tasted like roses, not food." In any event, I haven't gotten mangoes out of my mind. And March Madness Mango Madness has a nice ring. Go Kentucky. These three recipes are delightfully easy and refreshing! The first is a mix (plus my own ideas) from a few different recipes randomly found in a Google search for something like: "what to do with quickly aging soba noodles that you brought back from Japan, wrongly assuming you would have a million uses for them when you got back." The second comes from a food blog that one of my high school classmates had for about a year before a "URL not found" suddenly (and sadly) appeared in it's place- I believe she credited Cooking Light for the recipe but I'm not sure. The possible Cooking Light citation leads me to believe this is a healthy one. The third one is a Tiffany brain child. When you see the simplicity of it, you might choose to call it an infant brain child instead. But it is delish! And fat free! And refreshing! Um, warning: all of these recipes are summery. Expect feelings of senioritis immediately!

CILANTRO-PEANUT-MANGO SOBA NOODLE SALAD (serves a picnic-full of guests)
Dressing Ingredients:
-1 squeezed lime
-1/4 c peanut oil
-1 T rice vinegar
-1/2 t paprika
-2 T soy sauce
-honey to taste
-1 minced garlic clove

Salad Ingredients:
-12 oz soba noodles, cooked and chilled
-1 red pepper, chopped
-1 large mango, peeled and chopped
-1 c chopped salted peanuts
-1/2 c coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
-1/4 c sliced sliced green onions
-1 T sesame seeds

Instructions:
1) mix dressing ingredients
2) mix salad ingredients
3) mix together

MARINATED CHICKEN WITH WATERMELON-MANGO-JALAPENO SALSA (serves 4)
Ingredients:
-dry spice rub (you can make your own with various spices or buy a pre-made one)
-1 T olive oil
-1 lb boneless chicken breast cutlets
-cooking spray
-2 c cubed, seeded watermelon
-1 c cubed, peeled ripe mango
-1/4 c chopped red onion
-2 T chopped cilantro
-1 T finely chopped seeded jalapeno
-1 T lime juice
-1/2 t sugar
-1/4 t salt

Instructions:
1) combine spice rub, oil, and chicken in bag and marinate for up to four hours
2) grill chicken in a grill pan sprayed with cooking spray
3) mix remainder of ingredients in a bowl
4) top grilled chicken with watermelon salsa

SIMPLE TROPICAL COOL WHIP SURPRISE (serves however many people you would like; plan ingredients accordingly)
Ingredients:
-cubed fresh pineapple
-cubed fresh mango
-Cool Whip
-shredded coconut

Instructions:
1) mix! Go Kentucky!