Salsas Galore!: Abby

Black Bean, Mango and Tomato Salad

1 large mango, diced and divided
3 TBS fresh lime juice
3 TBS water
2 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
15 oz canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced tomatoes [I use fresh.]
1/2 cup diced sweet onion [I assume that means purple onion; I'm not savvy enough to know if there's a difference.]
1/4 cup fresh mint or cilantro, cut into thin slivers [I used cilantro; it's my favorite.]
1TBS minced canned or fresh jalapeno [Warning: if you're using a fresh jalapeno, try to avoid direct contact with your skin. The oils soak into your fingers and it can be very painful if you wipe/rub your eyes. Yes, that's a lesson I've learned the hard way.]

In a large bowl, mash 1/4 cup of diced mango with a fork; whisk in lime juice, water, oil, cumin and salt.

Add remaining diced mango, beans, tomato, onion, mint/cilantro and jalapeno to bowl; toss to mix and coat. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Yields about 1/2 cup per serving. Serves 8.

[Also, as a note, I always take the skins off my tomatoes when I use them for salsa. I put them in boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then in cold water for 2-3 minutes. The skin pops open and comes right off.]

Back story: This recipe comes out of one of my Weight Watchers books. I decided to make it for a YSA activity but, lucky for me, the activity was canceled and I had this deliciousness all to myself. The book calls it a salad, but I used it as a salsa. I made it while watching (and, of course, singing along with) Enchanted on my brand, spanking new tv. It was delightful. The only thing missing was y'all.

Homemade Salsa:

2-3 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup (or so) purple onion, diced
2 tomatillos, minced
1 TBS jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup (or so) cilantro, pureed or sliced into thin strips
1/2 to 1 TBS garlic, minced [I use pre-minced stuff; I'm not sure how the proportions would change with fresh.]
2-3 TBS lemon or lime juice
salt to taste

I just chop everything to the desired consistency and throw it in a bowl together. I like my salsa kind of tomato-y and chunky, so I prefer things diced. None of the measurements are exact, though, so adjust the ingredients/proportions to your personal taste. Dicing skinless tomatoes generates a lot of juice but I try to transfer as much of that juice as I can into the salsa. Warning: the tomatillos are pretty spicy, so if you want something milder, use only 1 and/or cut the amount of jalapeno you add. The tomatillos add kind of a sweet, spicyness to the salsa, which I really like. [Side note: tomatillos are delicious in guacamole.]

Back Story: The first time I made homemade salsa was with the Sheffield kids when Sarah and Joseph went on their cruise. We picked a different country to use as a theme for each of the days that Sarah and Joseph were gone. The theme for the last day was Mexico, so we did tacos and homemade salsa. (Sarah got home in time to help me make the salsa, which was good, because it was a mess!) It was delicious. The original recipe came from a book that Sarah has of International Recipes and then I've adjusted it (out of necessity since I promptly forgot all of the measurements and probably some of the ingredients the original recipe called for). So this is a good one for experimenting. I might add black beans the next time I make it -- that will make me feel so Texan.