Fresh Fruit Salad

Cherries are on sale at my local  Latin market for 99 cents per pound! And, they provid the bulk of sweet and tangy produce as well - just read below all the Spanish words of the abundant frutas on sale.

So, now the time is right for my refreshing Fruit Salad. Of course, any seasonal fruit on sale can go into your own citrus salad. I like to mix up crunchy fruit with the soft and juicy.

My fruit salad is minimalist, just whatever fruit I can find on sale. And I give it a generous squeeze of lemon, or lime, to prolong it's freshness, and to cut the sweetness with a little sour.

I always find bananas priced way below a dollar per pound. If you are making a Fruit Salad ahead of time, then don't add sliced banana until you are ready to serve, they turn brown too quickly, even with a lemon or lime bath.

Apples and oranges frequently come on sale. Apples are easy to slice and dice. Oranges can be a little messy, with a slight bitter pith, that separates the skin from flesh. I like to slice off the peel and pith. You could then slice into each orange wedge to cleanly remove the flesh. I don't go that far.

Cherries take the most work, but are worth the trouble. I slice each cherry around the center seed. Twist the cherry halves and expose the seed. Now, it's easier to pluck the seed out. Have a paper towel handy in case juice gets everywhere!

To bulk up a Fruit Salad, add sliced melon or watermelon. If you are from the South, them add some fresh peaches, nectarines, blackberries and strawberries. Northerners get to add some blueberries and all kinds of apple varieties. If you live in breathtaking Hawai'i, add passion fruit, mango,pineapple, lychee nut, papaya and  slivers of fresh coconut.

Whatever the season, keep an eye out for fresh fruit on sale at your local farmers market or roadside fruit stands, then assemble a cheap$kate Fresh Fruit Salad- your way.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 1 banana
• 12-20 cherries
• 1 apple
• 1 orange
• 1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice - can add more or less to your taste.
• More fruit to add: peach, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, mango, papaya, pineapple, nectarine, plum, melon, watermelon and grapes.

Directions
For apples, just remove the apple core and stem, then chop.

Cherries are sliced all around the center. You then twist the opposite ends of cherry to expose the seed. Now just pry it out with a knife, small spoon or use your fingers.

I slice an orange in half. Then, slice off the skin and pith to expose the orange flesh. Now just slice of the orange into bite-sizes. Remove any seeds if necessary.

For a banana, peel and slice, but only do it just before serving your Fruit Salad. Bananas do not keep long once the peel is off.

Finally, give the fruit a squeeze of lime or lemon juice. I add about a tablespoon. You can add more or less to suit you own taste.

Chicken & Lemon Cream with Pasta

I'm lucky to have a lemon tree near our condo. For the last couple of months clusters of lemons have been ripening. It's first-come-first-serve with the neighbors. Since my latest recipe, Chicken & Lemon Cream with Pasta, uses only one lemon, there is plenty of this tart fruit for all the neighbors to pick.

Combining cream with lemon juice smooths out the sourness, giving the pasta sauce tartness and sweetness -- it's a great flavor combination. Some recipes stop there, and you can, but I thought to add a bit of poultry protein from a convenient tin.

I prefer cooking with fresh chicken, but sometimes the workday is too long and a 5 ounce can of cooked chicken makes dinner come together quickly and easily. I can always get it at my local 99c only Store, so it's cheap enough (although not as economical as fresh.) You could also use some of the roasted whole cooked chicken on sale under the heat lamps you bring home from your local grocery store. And every month my Latin market has bone-in chicken breast on sale for 99 cents per pound.

Click here on the website devoted to picking fruit in public spaces for free, it's called Fallen Fruit. So if you are fortunate enough to have a neighborhood lemon tree around, or your farmers market and ethnic grocery have some on sale, then be sure to try out The 99 Cent Chef's delicious Chicken & Lemon Cream with Pasta.

Ingredients (1-2 servings)

• 5 ounce can of chicken - *Okay to use fresh chicken, about half of a whole chicken breast.
• Juice of 1 lemon - about 1/4 cup, fresh or bottled.
• 1 cup cream - whipping cream or half-and-half. Okay to use whole milk.
• Finish with parmesan cheese - Fresh shaved or dried.
• Pepper to taste - canned chicken has plenty of salt.
• 1/3 package of pasta - okay to add more for a big appetite.
• Water for boiling pasta.

Directions
Start water for pasta and add pasta when at a low boil. Follow cooking directions -- I usually shave off a minute or two for al dente. Pasta should be ready about the same time as Chicken and Lemon Cream Sauce is done.

Meanwhile add cream to a saute pan over a medium heat. Slice lemon and slowly add juice while continuously stirring cream (so it doesn't curdle.) To keep out seeds just squeeze juice into a bowl and remove them -- this also makes adding juice a little at a time easier.

No need to boil, just continue to stir cream and lemon juice until it comes to a low simmer.

Open can of chicken and add it (including the liquid) to cream. Lightly stir until chicken is heated through, another couple of minutes.

*For uncooked fresh chicken, chop into bite sized pieces. Add to sauce and cook until done, about 5-10 minutes. Slice into the thickest chicken piece -- done when juices are clear (no pink or red coloring.)

Season with pepper to taste (no salt as canned has plenty - if fresh chicken is used then go ahead and salt to taste.)

For a thick sauce, reduce liquid by a third; or just go ahead and pour it over the pasta if you are impatient and like a thinner sauce.

If I am using dried parmesan I'll add it with the chicken. If the parmesan is fresh, then I will shave it over the finished and plated pasta.

 Hindsight
Of course you can keep this dish vegetarian and use your favorite milk substitute.

And leave out the chicken and replace it with some favorite veggies like broccoli or asparagus. This Italian entree is all about a lemon infused sauce on pasta.

Spicy Mango

Sweet, hot and with a sensuous texture, is the way this culinary cheapskate likes it! Mangos are just too darn sweet sometimes, so this recipe is a great change of pace. It is simple to do and you control the heat. All you do is sprinkle crushed red chile flakes over sliced mango, followed by a bath of fresh lime juice. It's a great flavor profile: sour, sweet and spicy.

It's a delicate balance, but you can add the red pepper flake and lime juice a little at a time, until you get it right. Ripe sweet  mango can take the sour heat.

My local Latin market always has mangos on sale. You may have to stalk your regular grocery store until  they reduce prices, but my latest sweet side dish is worth the wait. This tasty treat is another reason for you to get familiar with local ethnic markets. Mine stocks every type, from huge Mexican mangos to small Manila mangos, both way cheap.

I was pleasantly surprised when I first tried Spicy Mango -- the addition of crushed red pepper did not overpower everything -- it pairs perfectly with honeyed mango. I've also included a photo-tutorial on how to peel a mango -- it's the least messy way I've found.

In the waning days of summer, this 'mango salad' makes a great addition to the menu for a backyard Labor Day BBQ or patio gathering.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 1 large mango - or 2 small ones.
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - you may want to add half the amount and taste for heat.
• 1 tablespoon of lime juice - fresh or from a bottle. Okay to use lemon juice.

*Spicy substitution: a whole chopped jalapeno (remove seeds) - of course, add a little at a time to suit your heat tolerance.

Directions
Peel ripe mango(s). They should be yellow (some are flecked and airbrushed with red and green), and soft but not mushy.

I like to peel half a mango at a time; it's less messy.  Cut just deep enough, through the skin, with four slices -- lengthwise, connecting cuts top to bottom.  Peel off half the skin (2 slices) on one of the wide sides (the seed is thin and flat like an oval hubcap.) Sometimes the skin will break, so peel until skin of one half side is removed.

Now all you have to do is slice off the flesh to the seed. You can make large or small slices, or cut crosshatches to make cubes.

Next peel the skin off  half of the other side (one quarter) of the mango. Slice or cube-cut the flesh. Finally, peel the last quarter and cut the remaining flesh. You may be able to work more fruit off the seed at this point. You can cut the mango into uniform bites or leave it roughly cut.

In a bowl or plate, arrange cut fruit and sprinkle on red pepper flakes. Be sure to distribute evenly, so you don't get extra hot spots. Adjust amount to suit your taste. Finally drizzle on a tablespoon of lime juice. You can serve this salad cold or at room temperature.