Living Whole Food, Plant Based!
I was so blessed to have grown up in Vermont. The Green Mountains and Lake Champlain were the perfect setting for outdoor activities. But as summer is relatively short, most of my memories are of fall and winter activities. What is Vermont if not maple …
The whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle has really challenged my creativity in the kitchen. This is particularly true at breakfast when my head is still foggy while I wait for the coffee to kick in. As much as I love oatmeal, man (or woman…or child) …
I have a few recipes that I like to go to frequently. One of my favorites in my Fresh Mango Salsa. The beauty of this recipe is how versatile it is. Whether you are vegan or not, this salsa goes as well on tortilla chips and tacos as it does on chicken and fish (for those non-vegan family and friends).
Personally, I usually wait for mangoes to go on sale when I make this. It’s February as I write this post and all our markets have fresh mangoes for under $1.00. Honestly, I rarely see mangoes for more than $3.00, but one of the keys I find to be successful in the whole food plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle is to buy produce when it is in season and on sale. Pay less and the produce is fresher. I should note that I have tried and failed miserably using frozen mango, so I recommend sticking to fresh when making this salsa.
Mangoes and avocados have always challenged me when it comes to ripeness. There is a short window that if you cut too early, you have unripe fruit, but a day too late, the fruit has gone bad. This time, I purchased the mango about seven days ago. It was pretty green and hard. After leaving the mango on the counter for six days, the color started to turn yellow and red. The fruit was also softer when squeezed gently. I threw it in the refrigerator to stop the ripening process and scheduled time the next day to use the mango for this recipe. I got lucky, the mango was perfect! Ripe, sweet, and juicy!
Seriously, timing the ripeness of the mango is the most difficult part of this recipe! Everything else is essentially chopping and mixing.
The ingredients are simple.
1 ripe mango (I use the common Red Mando or two or three small Honey Mangoes)
1 jalapeno
½ red onion
½ cup of black beans, rinsed
Juice from ½ of a lime
Cilantro
½ teaspoon of ground cumin
½ teaspoon of sea salt
That is it! Dice the mango and red onion. Finely chop the jalapeno. In a bowl combine the mango, jalapeno, red onion, rinsed black beans, cilantro, lime juice, ground cumin, and salt and mix.
Word of caution! Wash your hands after chopping the jalapeno and definitely do not touch your eyes (or private parts) until you’ve thoroughly washed your hands (and don’t forget under your fingernails).
As I mentioned, this salsa is great with tortilla chips. For dinner, I’ll make vegan tacos for myself with vegan refried beans, avocado, and arugula…this salsa would rock the top of the vegan tacos. For my wife, I’ll make shrimp tacos for her that will also pair perfectly!
This salsa has a nice Mexican or Tex-Mex vibe…but I have a twist to this recipe that will take you to the other side of the world!
With the addition of one simple ingredient, this salsa is turned into an Indian Chutney!
By adding 1 teaspoon of Chaat Masala (which can be easily found in an Indian or Asian market or on Amazon where everything in the world can be found), this salsa is transformed into the exotic flavors of an Indian Mango chutney! Although the black beans are not traditional to Indian cooking, all the other ingredients can be found in traditional Indian recipes. Substitute the black beans with mung beans or black-eyed peas if you want a more traditional Indian legume, but I promise you, nobody will complain about the black beans in this chutney with the unmistakable Indian flavors.
I hope you give this recipe a try. Inexpensive, flavorful, versatile, and yummy!
As always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them and I will respond as soon as possible!
To your health!
Stephen
There are a ton of meal subscription services out there. Hello Fresh, Blue Apron, and Plated are among the many that popped up when I did a quick Google search. But looking at the options, most of the known names didn’t have a true vegan …
One comment I hear repeatedly when I talk about living a whole food plant based (WFPB) life is “I could never do that, it would be too hard.” I typically respond with “Why do you think that?” Then I will get a litany of responses …
I have found that simple recipes that are easy to prepare are necessary to maintain and sustain the Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle. If you need to spend your days meal prepping for hours, you’ll quickly lose focus and reach for something that is processed, easy, and likely non-compliant.
One of the first salads I made was Tabouli (also spelled Tabbouleh or Tabouleh), which is a dish I was first introduced to as a kid by the Lebanese mother of a friend. Easy to make and very fresh, I would enjoy it especially in the summer. But I found it was not substantial enough to satisfy my appetite. I wanted to borrow much of what I enjoyed about Tabouli, but create a salad I could use as an entree.
Bulgar wheat and finely chopped parsley are the base of the salad. If you have never had Bulgar wheat, you are missing out. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and chew. It is also super easy to make. Add one cup of dry Bulgar wheat to one cup of boiling water (slightly salted), turn off the heat, and leave covered for at least an hour. The grain will absorb all the liquid. With a fork, lightly scrape the Bulgar wheat into a bowl and refrigerate for at least thirty minutes. Now it is ready to use in the salad!
The ingredients for this salad are super simple, yet add a nice variety in flavors, textures, and colors. You can add or subtract based on your taste, but I love this combination. Plenty of veggies, grains, and legumes which are staples in the WFBP diet.
Ingredients:
One cup dry Bulgar wheat, prepared as described above (yields about two cups)
One bunch of curly leaf parsley, finely chopped
One pint of cherry tomatoes , sliced in half
One English Cucumber (peeled or unpeeled), quartered lengthwise and chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
One red bell pepper, seeded and diced into 3/4 inch pieces
1/4 of a large red onion, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
One can of Garbanzo beans, rinsed
One can of artichoke hearts, quartered, pack in water, and rinsed
1/2 cup of Kalamata olives, chopped
One lemon, juiced (roughly three tablespoons)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use pink Himalayan salt)
Easy peasy, right? After chopping the veggies, rinsing the beans and artichoke hearts, and juicing the lemon, it is just a matter of assembling the salad.
After all ingredients have been placed in the bowl, all that is left is to mix it up. I try to be careful in mixing the ingredients as the artichoke hearts can break up if you are not careful.
As you can see, the colors are vibrant and appealing. The dish is refreshing and actually keeps extremely well in the refrigerator for three to four days. I also think it is a perfect dish if you need to bring something to a party.
I personally get four to five servings as prepared above. Adjust accordingly if you are serving a larger group.
I added grilled, marinaded Portobello mushrooms to complete the meal, but they are not necessary. If you have meat eaters in your house, this is a nice side salad to complement fish or chicken.
Enjoy!
Please contact me with any questions or comments. I would love to get your feedback!
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