LJWorld.com

If you only know the mango as a smoothie ingredient, you're missing out.

Besides being luscious, sweet, fragrant and full of juice, the mango is a nutritional powerhouse. The fruit is low in calories and high in essential vitamins and antioxidants, and is a good source of dietary fiber.

Even better, between May and September they are seasonally abundant from growers in Florida and California.

When purchasing mangoes, choose fruits that are relatively free of bruises and blemishes. A ripe mango should give slightly when pressed gently with your thumb and should give off a slightly sweet aroma. Avoid mangoes that feel spongy, as they are likely to be overripe or spoiled.

Mangoes are almost always harvested and shipped unripe. To get hard mangoes to ripen quickly, store them in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days. Test them daily for ripeness so they don't end up too soft.

Ripe mangoes keep well in the refrigerator, but only for two or three days.

One annoyance about mangoes is the gigantic flat pit at their center. These can be tricky to cut around.

The best way to get the most flesh from a mango is to first use a peeler to remove the skin. Then use a knife to cut down the length of the pit on either side, yielding two large pieces. Use a paring knife to trim off the remaining flesh.

While delicious on its own, sliced or diced mango also makes a sweet, tropical addition to green or fruit salads, or even as a topping for yogurt or cereal.

This recipe for mango-lime salsa is simple to prepare and combines, sweet, sour, savory and spicy flavors. It's excellent as a topping for grilled chicken and pork or as an accompaniment to fish tacos. Served with tortilla chips, it's a nice alternative to the standard tomato salsa.

And for an exotic summer dessert try grilled mango skewers with toasted coconut. Natural sugars are caramelized when the fruit is grilled and the shredded coconut is browned in the oven, giving the dish a double hit of richness and sweetness. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lime juice to balance the flavors.

If you don't feel like lighting the grill, the mango skewers also can be browned under a broiler.

Mango-Lime Salsa

Flesh of 1 ripe mango, diced (1 1/2 cups)

1/3 cup finely chopped red onion

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced (optional)

1/8 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine the mango, onion, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno (if using) and salt. Let stand 20 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Nutrition information per serving: 55 calories; 0 grams fat; 15 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram protein; 2 grams fiber.

Grilled Mango Skewers with Toasted Coconut

1/3 cup shredded sweetened coconut

2 ripe mangoes

2 teaspoons canola oil

1 lime, cut into wedges

Soak eight 10-inch bamboo skewers in water for at least 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spread coconut on a baking sheet. Toast, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Set on a rack to cool.

Heat a grill to medium-high. Using a peeler, remove the skin from the mangoes. Holding a paring knife parallel to the large flat pit, slice the flesh away from each side in one solid piece. Cut each piece crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.

Use 2 skewers for each of the 4 sets of mango slices. Push both skewers through the slices, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Brush both sides of each set of skewered mango slices lightly with oil.

Grill the mango skewers until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Sprinkle each skewer with toasted coconut and serve with limes wedges for squeezing over the top. Serves 4.

Nutrition information per serving: 139 calories; 4 grams fat; 27 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram protein; 4 grams fiber.