Mango Salsa; Meatless Monday

I believe I am a true mango lover! I love mangoes in all shapes and forms: raw, ripe, cut, curried, juiced... Pretty much anything.Check out  some of my mango recipes on my blog: During summer it is nice not to slave at the stove, to sit down on the terrace in the evening and enjoy the view. I made this mango salsa the other day to go with some leftover tortilla chips. This is very simple and easy to make and will vanish right in front of you. It is a perfect dish for your table during BBQ parties or to bring it to one. 

Do try it before mango season is done!

Servings: 3-4

Prep time: 5-10 mins Cook time: 0Total time: 5-10 mins

Ingredients: 

Ripe Mango, chopped : 2 cups

Onion, finely chopped: 1/4 cup

Chopped Bell pepper/capsicum: 1/4 cup. 

Tomato, chopped fine: 1/2 cup

Green chilli: 1 small, finely chopped( you may deseed the chilli if you don't want it to be spicy).

Cilantro, finely chopped: 2 tbsp

Lemon juice: 1 tbsp, can be adjusted based on taste.

Sea salt: 1/8 tsp

Honey: 1/2 tsp

Method: 

Add all the above ingredients to a bowl. Mix thoroughly. 

Refrigerate until ready to use. 

Serve chilled. 
Enjoy!

I am bringing this to Angie's Fiesta Friday #179! Her cohosts this week are Petra @ Food Eat Love and Laura @ Feast Wisely. 

Cooking made easy: 

If you have a party, you can make salsa like this the day before so that you are not stressed on the day of. 

You can vary the amount of lemon juice and honey based on how sweet the mango is and how you like your salsa: more sweet or more tangy. 

Tip for healthy living:

Freshly made salsas are much better than store bought ones. Use produce that is in season for the salsa. These are much fresher than produce that is not in season. 

Food for thought:

If you do wrong and try to prove you are right, TIME will smile at your foolishness. 

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Grilled Corn- Zucchini Salsa with Sriracha

It is Labor Day weekend! Most people have barbecues that they are either going to or are hosting. If nothing, you may have guests coming over. Well, if nothing else, being that this is the last long weekend of the summer, you might want to put your feet up and just plain relax!

For all these occasions, I have the perfect dish for you! Something you don't have to sweat in front of the stove for and something you can put together in a jiffy. Yes, my Zucchini- Corn Salsa! Pair it with some tostitos or some healthy quinoa chips and a cold drink and you are all set! You can party alone or with a bunch of people!! This is a semi-homemade dish. You can also make it completely home-made! I was in a rush, therefore used readymade salsa. You can make the salsa from scratch, the recipe for which can be found here. You can also find this tomatillo salsa or salsa verde interesting.

Now let me tell you how to transform a mundane store-bought salsa into something amazingly healthy!

Servings: 8-10

Prep time: 5minsCook time: 10 minsTotal time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Zucchini: 1, medium-sized, diced small
Onion: 1 small, diced small
Olive oil: 1 tsp
Grilled Corn on the cob: 1, medium, shucked. ( you can also use canned corn kernels. If using the can, use 1 can , rinsed and drained).
Salsa: 1 jar, mild/medium spice level ( you can choose any brand and any spice level that you prefer.
Salt: a pinch
Black pepper: 1/4 tsp
Sriracha: 1 tbsp ( can adjust based on individual spice level)
Cilantro: 1 tbsp, finely chopped

Method:

Heat oil in a skillet on medium flame. Add the chopped onion. Sauté for 2-3 mins until the onion is wilted.

Now add the shucked corn kernels. Cook for a minute.

Add the diced zucchini. Cook for 1-2 mins.

Add  the salsa, Sriracha, salt &  pepper.  Mix and cook for 2 mins.

Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Keep chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use. Lasts for 7-10 days in the refrigerator.

Can be made ahead for a party.

Serve with chips of your choice.

I served with tostitos scoops and gluten free quinoa-black bean chips.

Enjoy! 

I am sharing this healthy version of salsa with my friends at Throwback Thursday #53, Fiesta Friday #135 and Saucy Saturday#59! Angie's co-hosts this week are Jhuls @ thenotsocreativecook and Suzanne @ apuginthekitchen.

Cooking made easy:

If you do not have grilled corn, it is absolutely fine! I had some leftover grilled corn that I used.  You can make this delicious salsa with canned corn kernels or steamed corn on the cob. You can also use frozen corn kernels.

Other vegetables like peppers can be diced and added.

Tip for healthy living:

Physical activity is recommended for all ages and almost all physical conditions.  For adults, 30 mins of moderate exercise daily or 75 mins of strenuous exercise through the week is recommended. For kids 2-16 years of age, 60 mins of moderate exercise daily is recommended .

Food for thought:

Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go. Oscar Wilde

Please do share your thoughts. Your opinion matters!

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Pico de gallo and Salsa verde

I love the sound of pico de gallo. Sounds so fancy right?? It does to me too when I see this in Mexican and South American food menus. When I order it, I find that in reality pico de gallo is nothing but our Indian kachumber made with chopped red tomatoes, onion, cilantro and green chillies.Something that we Indians have been making for centuries and is often a taken for granted side-dish in our meals! As an Indian, I find Mexican/ South American cuisine pretty similar to ours! We like spicy food, they like spicy food. They use a lot of cilantro and so do we. They use cumin very commonly and so do we! The only thing that differs is the chilli peppers that are used. I wasn't familiar with jalapeño and Serrano peppers while in India.

While pico de gallo is salsa made with red tomatoes, salsa verde is salsa made with tomatillos. Tomatillos are raw green tomatoes which gives the salsa green color and hence it is called "salsa verde". "Verde"means  "green" in spanish. Both pico de gallo and salsa verde can be made with raw chopped tomatoes/ tomatillos or roasted tomatoes/tomatoes.

Today, we shall make Pico de gallo using chopped red tomato and make salsa verde using roasted tomatillos. It  is so simple and easy to make. You can pair it with chips, enchiladas and use as a topping on tacos. I don't think I would ever again bring store-bought salsa when I can so easily make it at home!!

Pico de gallo:

Servings: makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

Red tomato: 1 big, chopped fine.
Jalapeño pepper: 1/2 medium sized, deseeded and minced.
White onion: 1 small, chopped fine.
Spring onion: 1, chopped fine.
Lime juice: 1 tbsp ( from 1/2 small lime)
Cilantro: 2 sprigs, chopped fine.
Salt: 1/4 tsp ( adjust as per taste)

Method:

Take all the ingredients listed above in a bowl and mix well!

Voila! Pico de gallo is ready! 

Keep it chilled in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Serve it with tortilla chips or enchiladas or with anything that you like!

Salsa verde

Servings: 3 cups

Ingredients:

Tomatillos: 3 medium sized
Serrano pepper: 1/2, deseeded( can adjust as per taste)
Onion: 1/2 small
Garlic: 1 small clove
Cumin powder: 1/4 tsp
Salt : 1/4 tsp
Cilantro: 3-4 sprigs, leaves separated.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Place the tomatillos on a baking sheet and bake it for 10-15 mins until the outside of the tomato turns a little black in color. Turn off the oven and let it cool down.

Once it cools down, peel it and add the pulp to the food processor along with the garlic, Serrano chilli, cilantro, salt and cumin powder. Pulse it until the ingredients are all roughly puréed.

Add the finely chopped onion to this and mix well. 

Keep it in the refrigerator for an hour so that the flavors can come together. It also slightly thickens after sometime.

Serve cold as a dip, side or topping with tortilla chips,  tacos, enchiladas or any other food item that you desire.

Enjoy!

Cooking made easy:

You can make avocado salsa or  chunky guacamole by just adding chopped avocado to pico de gallo! How cool is that??

Tip for healthy living:

Tomatillos have their own health benefits when consumed.

Food for thought:

In the end, people are persuaded not by what we say, but by what they understand. John C.Maxwell