MINI RECIPE SERIES | MANGO AVOCADO SALSA

I’ll be honest, I never thought that I would get into this eat healthy and eat pretty thing that’s been going on around. The thought of eating healthy got me to think of eating a piece of chicken breast boiled with no salt and no moisture. It seriously grossed me out, considering I am an “omnivore”, which means I eat everything as long as it’s good even though high in cholesterol or greasy. I think all of the horrible images came up in my mind because I didn’t realize there was a way to eat healthy but still maintain the good taste and flavor. Foods are not bad, but how you eat and how much you eat say a lot about your “healthy” lifestyle. I have been affected by the wrong way of thinking, which is when you eat healthy, you kind of ignore 90% of the foods out there in nature. Things like eating egg whites but not egg yolks, or eating only chicken breasts and throwing away the other parts, seriously sounds like a huge waste of food. As a cook and someone who love food for what it is, I can hardly take it that I have to stop eating 90% of what I usually consume, and restrict myself to just a limited amount of ingredients in order to keep myself clean. I’d rather die!

The truth is, egg yolk is not as bad as many people think, but provides tons of vitamin B12 and essential antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin, just as an example. Of course you can get these from other sources, but why not eat a bit of everything instead of a lot of just a few things. Doesn’t that make our lives so sad and boring? The key, to me, in eating and especially cooking is you have to know how to go with the seasons. At every certain time of the year, there is a variety of different ingredients that promote the same benefits. You get a chance to play around with fresh and seasonal ingredients while still maintaining your same intake of nutrition. Why not let your creativity run wild while you do your job as a conscious eater, meaning know when to stop. I learned so much about foods and the benefit of each of them in our health and especially our skin from Eat Pretty by Jolene Hart. If you ever wonder how to eat properly but still maintain a healthy lifestyle, I’d really recommend you to read this book. Another great reference on the benefits of avocado can be found on the link below, written by Helen Nichol, Editor in Chief  at Well-being Secrets.

http://www.well-beingsecrets.com/health-benefits-of-avocado/

The recipe that I am going to share with you is a way for me to tell you that eating healthy doesn’t need to feel like a hassle. It can be colorful, flavorful, and joyful. The reason I put this in my mini series is because it is extremely easy to make, and you can make a lot of it at once and just have it as salad at your every meal. Shall we start?

Mango and Avocado Salsa

Prep time: 30 minutes
Servings: 3

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 2 Ripe mango
• 3 Shallots
• 1 Tomato
• 1 Bell pepper
• 2 Jalapenos
• 1-2 Limes
• A handful of cilantro
• A handful of mint leaves
• 1 tbsp Cayenne pepper

Process:

• Thoroughly wash all the vegetables
• Dice mango, avocado, shallots, tomato, bell pepper, and jalapeno into small cubes of the same size
• Finely chop mint and cilantro
• Squeeze out the lime juice
• In a large clean bowl, put everything together, add the cayenne pepper, mix well and serve

Notes:

• You can see that there is no salt in this recipe. It is not a typo. This salsa has it’s own flavor from the lime, the mango, the tomato, and other ingredients. You don’t need to add salt at all. Try and enjoy the freshness of it.
• The cayenne and jalapeno were added because i really like my salsa with a tiny bit of kick. You can choose to opt out these ingredients if you don’t like heat. The spice that you add in will boost your metabolism. Just saying! Try pepper, sumac, paprika, or anything you feel like you wanna test.
• Try this salsa with your fish or chicken wraps, or with your chips, or even on its own as breakfast salad. It is easy to eat and very delicious. Try and find more seasonal ingredients and make your own salsa. Share with me your creation if you will. I’ll try to make it and post my products up for you to judge 🙂

BON APPETIT!!!