Mango & Lamb: A match made in heaven

        Each week we sit down before we go grocery shopping and make a menu for the week. This is helpful for many reasons.

1. We find that this helps us to not overspend at the grocery store - We make the menu, and decide what sides we'd like and how we can incorporate leftovers into lunches.
2. We both used to work crazy hours, so planning a menu helped the first one home start dinner.
3. Its a great way to take control of what is in the cupboard and freezer. We look there when we make the menu to try to use up the supplies we have, instead of adding to them.

        As of late, we are mostly concerned with 1 and 3 (I am currently "retired", so I have been making the meals), and since our freezer is FULL (meaning, there is no room for me to make some of my famous homemade ice cream), I've decided it is time to clean it out and eat the meat we've been saving, all while using ingredients kicking around the pantry (and, we hadn't done groceries yet).

Mango & Lamb: A Match Made in Heaven

        First, I started with lamb that we had previously cut into cubes and frozen to use in shishkabobs. Once they were mostly defrosted, I tossed the cubes into a bowl with Granny's Secret BBQ sauce (Your own secret sweet BBQ sauce will do just fine here). As those marinated I chopped up some onion and green peppers. "Hmmm," I thought as I looked around the kitchen, "I think it needs a little something to add some 'pizzazz'". Mango was just the pizzazz this dish needed, and lucky for me, I had half a ripe mango in the fridge.

      After cutting the mango into cubes I greased the bottom of a Pyrex dish (this isn't for flavour but to help make clean-up easier) and placed the thawed, marinated lamb cubes in the bottom in one layer. Next, I layered the mango and the green peppers over the meat. Finally, I topped it all off with the chopped onion. I popped it in the oven uncovered at 350°F, for about an hour (not sure how long it was in there exactly as I often forget to set the timer).

     As the delicious smells wafted through the house I prepared some rice and veggies. The key to good rice is to rinse it thoroughly until the water runs clear (or close to it). I find that by putting the desired amount of rice into a strainer (or sieve) and swishing it around under running water is the easiest way to clean the excess starch off the rice. Once the rice is rinsed, place it in the rice cooker and added a layer of frozen veggies on top. Cook the rice according to your rice cooker's instructions. 

     To plate: 1. scoop some rice and veggies onto the plate  2. Add a generous amount of mango, onion, lamb, and pepper over top of the rice.  3. Drizzle your Secret homemade BBQ sauce over top of the delicious combination.

                                                                            Enjoy!
                                                                                Mel