Mango Salsa - Video Recipe

This is my favorite Salsa to make at home. Just watch the video below for my Mango Salsa, and see how easy it is to do,  enjoy.

Mango Salsa - Video

Play it here. video runs 1 minute, 53 seconds.

Typical salsas are made with tomato and/or chili, instead of fruit. And I've made all kinds of salsas from scratch, just click on any name to view: tangy Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo,) Red Chili (2 dried types - but the same recipe,) Pico de Gallo, and Peach Salsa.

I first made Mango Salsa with a Coconut Crusted Fish almost a decade ago, and I keep coming back. There is just something about scooping up sweet-tangy salsa on a tortilla chip and chowing down. Light sweetness sure goes with heavy flavored pork Carnitas, or spicy Chicken Tinga, tacos and burritos.

Guests go crazy for my Mango Salsa. Every time I bring a bowl it becomes the favorite dish and the first one to disappear, at a party. It's also an aphrodisiac for date night with your amour.

Mangos used to be as expensive as avocados, and I'm lucky to live in Los Angeles where I can now get them two for a dollar at my local Latin market, Superior Grocers. I know they are expensive in other communities but do try this recipe sometime when they show up on sale at your local grocery store.

Click on any photo to see larger.

In the above photo I show two types of mangos I find, Manila Mangos cultivated in the Philipines, and regular Mangoes.  If you ever find Manila Mangos give them a try, while smaller than a typical Mangoes the flesh is sweeter to my taste.

Try out this recipe with fruit that shows up at your local farmers market or roadside produce stalls. Could you make a Strawberry, Blueberry, Pineapple, Peach, or even Kiwi Salsa? You can only find canned fruit cocktail, peaches and pineapple slices to work with? Sure, go for it!

A mango is ripe when it's slightly soft to the touch. When very ripe they do get messy to work with. Under my Directions below I show you how I peel one.

The other Mango Salsa ingredients are cheap enough. I use purple onion, but you can use cheap white or yellow onion. Cilantro and fresh jalapeno peppers are showing up in most neighborhood groceries these days.

Typical salsas use lime juice but I like to mix it up with lemon juice sometimes (plus I have a lemon tree by the laundry room here, so they are freeeeee!)

I used fresh jalapeño, but you can use it from a jar as well. The jalapeños may have a vinegar taste, but that's okay, just drain them first.

 I also remove the jalapeño seeds, but you can leave them in for a fiery Mango Salsa.

My Mango Salsa travels well to your neighbor or friends party. Just remember to bring a bag of tortilla chips!

Ingredients

• 2  mangos - peeled and diced. About 1 1/2 to 2  cups.
• 1 cup of chopped onion - red, white or yellow. Add more or less to suit your taste.
• Cilantro - 2 tablespoons chopped.
• Juice of a lemon or lime- or 2 tablespoons from a jar.
•  Jalapeño -  about a teaspoon, chopped. Add a little at a time and taste, until the desired spiciness is reached. Okay to use jalapeño from a jar, just drain off pickling vinegar.

Directions

Mangoes are a bit messy and slippery to work with. They should be ripe first, with a slight softness, and yellow or reddish color, depending on the type of mango.

There are a few ways to peel a mango. I've seen them sliced in half, lengthwise around the large seed, and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Below is how I do it.

I like to peel them this way. First I slice into the skin from top to bottom four times. Make sure to slice intersecting at the top and bottom.

Now just peel each segment to remove half of the skin, at the widest half of mango. The mango seed is flat and wide so you want to slice off the most flesh along the seed. The seed will guide your blade, just follow the seed as you slice.

Once one side is stripped of flesh, then peel the other side and repeat, slicing along the length of the seed. You can keep slicing around the seed to get all the mango flesh. Now just cut the mango flesh into bite sizes.

Chop the onion into small pieces. I used about a quarter of a large red onion. You can add more or less onion to taste. 

Chop enough cilantro leaves to fill 2 tablespoons. Okay to add more or less to taste.

Add cilantro and onion to the bowl with mango.

Squeeze in the juice of one lemon or lime. Normally lime is used for salsa, but I used what I had on hand. Okay to use juice from the jar or plastic. 

A good trick to get lemon or lime extra juicy is to slice it in half, then microwave it for about 10-20 seconds until warm. This will release more juice.

Mix mango, cilantro, and onion with the lemon or lime juice.

Finally, add jalapeño.

When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!

When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!

I like to slice the jalapeño lengthwise to cut out the white pith and remove the seeds. Discard the stem. You will have a little spiciness from jalapeno flesh, but not as much as when adding the seeds.

I used about a quarter of a large jalapeño, or about a teaspoon when chopped. If you like your salsa hotter then add more chopped jalapeno, or add jalapeño with the seeds.

If you are unsure about how much you spiciness you can take, just add a little chopped jalapeño at a time and mix, then try salsa.

Serve Mango Salsa with tortilla chips, on a taco, or in a burrito. Keep Mango Salsa in the refrigerator until ready to use. You can make it a day ahead, as it will keep for several days. 

Hindsight
This recipe is easy to double or quadruple for more guests.

You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste - add more mango or less jalapeño, more cilantro or even leave out the onion.

Another way to peel a mango is to just slice lengthwise against the seed, skin and all. Now you can just scoop out the flesh from half-slices with a spoon. Chop into bite-size pieces.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Easy Breakfast Burrito - Video Recipe

Got leftovers? Then I have a recipe for you for a simple Breakfast Burrito made with scrambled eggs. If you have some leftover pinto beans, a bit of Mexican rice, and don't forget the jar of cheap salsa - then that's all you need for this cheap$kate recipe. So check out the recipe video below to see how it all comes together.

Easy Breakfast Burrito - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 35 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Cans of pinto beans are cheap anywhere you shop for them. I get mine from my local 99c only Stores.

Make a fresh pot of pinto beans and you will have leftovers. I like to freeze a few single serving ziploc bags for breakfasts that feature this legume. 

You can mash them for Refried Beans, or leave them whole. You can add beans right into the scrambling eggs, or add them separately.

My Mom's Mexican Rice is a standby for me - click here for her recipe. First, saute rice in a couple tablespoons of oil for a few minutes, this gives rice a nice texture and extra nutty flavor.

Add a little onion and garlic and cook until soft. Then finally add water and a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce or paste. Cover it, and when done spoon some on a heated tortilla; the red-hued fluffy rice is the bed your beans and eggs will reside on.

And I always have an opened jar of cheap salsa to spice up the Breakfast Burrito. What's your favorite jarred salsa? I have a few and get them when they are on sale.

If you are flour averse then use smaller corn tortillas for Breakfast Tacos.

I've published a Breakfast Burrito before, but I made it with Mexican Eggs (a combination of chopped tomato, onion, jalapeno) I often saute veggie Chorizo then scramble in some eggs for a spicy breakfast burrito or tacos.

As you can see, there are a hundred ways to make my easy-to-build Breakfast Burrito. All you need to do is freeze some leftovers and go from there.

Ingredients (about 2 burritos)

• 2 flour tortillas - okay to use wheat tortillas. Substitute with corn tortillas for Breakfast Tacos.
• 1/2 cup cooked pinto beans - fresh-made or from a can. Okay to use whole beans, or mash for Refried Beans.
• 1/2 cup Mexican Rice - okay to use regular rice, or just leave it out.
• 3 eggs - I used medium size eggs. Okay to add more eggs or less, to suit your taste.
• Salsa - I used store bought. Up to you how much to use.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 2 tablespoons oil - one for refried beans and one for scrambling eggs.

Extra toppings: sauteed chorizo, potato, and cheese.

*Adjust topping amounts, including beans and rice, to suit your tastes.

Directions

Scramble eggs. While eggs scramble, heat up beans and rice in a microwave or in a pan on the stove top.

If you like chorizo then saute that first, then go to scrambling eggs. You can mix eggs into chorizo, or keep it separate.

You can make Refried Beans by mashing them with a fork in a tablespoon of oil and some bean sauce. Mash until desired creaminess is reached.

While eggs finish up, heat tortillas for a couple of minutes to soften and make folding easier. Also bring salsa to room temperature.

Just make the Breakfast Burrito any way you like. If you like a lot of egg then load it on. If beans are your thing, then leave out some egg and stuff the burrito with pinto beans. And don't forget the salsa!

Breakfast Tacos - Leftovers Series

I threw a taco party for the Football's Superbowl and what do I have to show for it? A bunch of leftovers including Pinto Beans, Mexican Rice and some Homemade Salsas.

In my game day menu was: Carnitas with Frijoles and Mexican Rice. If you are looking for your own party food make sure to click on any highlighted recipe name to see all the yummy photos, Gifs, videos and tasty recipe text.

Mexican-style Carnitas - slow cooked pork marinated in Mexican Coke & citrus

My friends and neighbors were glued to their seats during the game, but managed to get up for munchie breaks, so much so that by the 4th inning my Carnitas were wiped out. The only thing left was some salsa, beans and rice.

The food was a hit. Setting up a taco bar is the way to go if you want to mingle with your party guests. What's great is they do all the work, once you set out the goodies.

It is easy to keep the Mexican-style Pinto Beans at a low temperature on the stove top. During the game I would add a little water from time to time as the bean broth thickened.

Once the Mexican Rice was ready I just left it covered. Room temp is fine for the rice, since the beans were kept hot on the stove, so my guest could make their own steaming bowls of Beans and Rice to go with tacos and homemade salsas.


I kept my Carnitas in a covered pan and would heat it up in the stove every once in a while. I kept the stove on at 250 degrees so it would only take a few minutes to heat the Carnitas through. (I could have microwaved the meat as well.) I always keep some meat broth to moisten the meat, spooning on some each time I before heating.

There was plenty of time before kickoff to make some Homemade Salsa. In terms of food preparation, I had made the Carnitas the day before and the pinto beans soaked overnight, so all I had to do was make Mexican Rice and Salsas on game day.

Pico de Gallo and Mango Salsa takes some chopping, but it's not too bad. I made sure to do them first thing, as they are tastiest with a couple of hours chilling in the refrigerator, so all the flavors blend well.

The Salsa Verde is made with roasted  tomtillo and some onion - easy enough, just throw it in the oven about half an hour or so while the Carnitas are heating up. When the tomatillos were soft and onions slightly charred, I let them cool off, then simply blend together.

 My Red Chile Salsa is made with dried chiles (remove seeds)  that are soaked in hot water for half an hour. You just blend them with some of the chile water, and add some onion and tomato for a Salsa Roja, and that's it.

Well this blog post is really about the leftovers. All I had the next day was some beans, rice, tortillas, and salsa. So I started the next couple of days with Breakfast Tacos.

I microwaved some Pinto Beans and Mexcian Rice, while I scrambled one egg and heated up 2 or 3 corn tortillas.

Once the main ingredients were heated through I assembled the Breakfast Tacos, topping them with some shredded cheese and salsa. Boy is this a great way to get the day going.

After your own Taco Party take advantage of my Leftover Breakfast Tacos recipe - table scraps were never so deliciously put to use.

Ingredients (2 tacos)

• 1 egg - scrambled your favorite way. One medium egg is enough for a couple of small tacos.
• 2 to 3 corn tortillas - amount depends on egg size. Okay to make a Breakfast Burrito with flour or wheat tortilla.
• 1 tablespoon Mexican rice - add as much Mexican Rice as you like. 
• 1 tablespoon pinto beans - add as much pinto beans as you like. Okay to use canned pinto beans.
• 1 tablespoon cheese - optional. Any type of cheese, I used shredded cheddar and Jack. Again add as much as you like.
• 1 tablespoon salsa - fresh made or from jar. I made my breakfast tacos with Mango, Pico de Gallo, Salsa Verde (tomatillo) and Red Chile.
• 1 teaspoon oil or butter - for scrambling an egg.

Directions
First take out the salsa and cheese  from the refrigerator, to reach room temperature.

I microwaved the beans and rice together in a bowl.

I started heating the corn tortillas while scrambling an egg. I used a pat of butter for my eggs but you can make your scrambled eggs with oil, or any way you like.

Once the eggs are done and other ingredients heated up, or reach room temperature, assemble the Breakfast Tacos.

Make the tacos as stuffed as you like - just pile on the tasty ingredients. And get out the hot sauce, too!

It's up to you how to make Breakfast Tacos. Don't like pinto beans? - then leave them out. If cheesy tacos are for you then add extra cheese. It's okay to use your favorite grocery  jar of salsa or canned pinto beans. Make this recipe your own.

Peach Salsa

Peach are not only for pies, it makes a great salsa, too. This refreshing recipe combines the best of two worlds, sweet peaches from the South and spicy jalapeño from Mexico.

I've made all kinds of salsas from scratch, just click on any name to view: tangy Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo,) Red Chili (2 dried types - but same recipe,) Pico de Gallo, and Mango Salsa.

I leave the skin on my fruit, but you can remove it if you like. But do make sure the peach is a ripe one. My local Latin market carries them for less than a dollar per pound, and if you live in the Georgia, then you know where (and when) to get them for sure.

I used fresh jalapeño, but you can use it from a jar as well. The jalapenos will have a vinegar taste, but that's okay, just drain them first.

 I also remove the jalapeño seeds, but you can leave them in for a fiery Peach Salsa.

The other ingredients come cheaply and are easy to get. Cilantro is now carried by most groceries these days. I used red onion, but you can use cheaper white or yellow onion.

For my last taco party I set out a bowl of Peach Salsa and regular Red Chili Salsa. Guess which one vanished first - yep, it was the Peach Salsa.

For a fresh take on traditional tomato-based or red chili salsas, give my Peach Salsa a taste. All it takes is a little chopping.

Ingredients (2 servings)

• 2 ripe peaches - about 2 cup chopped. My peaches were medium size (in peach country they can get quite large, so maybe one will do.) Okay to peel peaches, I left the skin on. It's okay to use canned peaches, too. Just drain them. (I would make a cocktail with the peach liquid, ha!)
• 3/4 cup onion - chopped. I used a red onion, but okay to use white or yellow onion.
• Lemon or lime juice - I used the juice of one whole lemon. May need more juice depending on ripeness of fruit. Okay to use juice from a jar, about a tablespoon.
• 2 tablespoons cilantro - chopped. Okay to add more or less to taste.
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño - optional. Okay to use jalapeño from the jar. I removed seeds, but leave them in for extra spicy. Okay to use more or less to you spice level.

Directions
Use ripe peaches. Prepare peach by cutting around peach and pulling it apart to remove the seed. Slice and chop peach into small pieces, like you would for a tomato based salsa.

I left the skin on the peach, but you can remove some or all the skin. If your cutting board has any peach juice left, just pour it into the salsa bowl.

Add chopped peaches to a bowl.

Chop the onion into small pieces. I used about a quarter of a large red onion. You can add more or less onion to taste.

Chop enough cilantro leaves to fill 2 tablespoons. Okay to add more or less to taste.

Add cilantro and onion to the bowl with peaches.

Squeeze in the juice of one lemon or lime. Normally lime is used for a salsa, but I used what I had on hand. Okay to use juice from the jar or plastic.

A good trick to get you lemon or lime extra juicy is to slice it in half, then microwave it for about 10-20 seconds until warm. This will release more juice.

Mix fruit, cilantro and onion with the lemon or lime juice. Finally add the chopped jalapeño.

When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!

I like to slice the jalapeño lengthwise to cut out the white pith and remove the seeds. Discard the stem. You will have a little spiciness from jalapeno flesh, but not as much as when adding the seeds.

I used about a quarter of a large jalapeño, or about a tablespoon when chopped. If you like your salsa hotter then add more chopped jalapeno, or add jalapeño with the seeds.

If you are unsure about how much you spiciness you can take, just add a little chopped jalapeño at a time and mix, then try salsa.

Finally give your Peach Salsa a final mix to incorporate all the jalapeño.

Serve with chips, on a taco or in a burrito.

Hindsight
This recipe is easy to double or quadruple for more guests.

You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste - add more peach or less jalapeño; more cilantro or even leave out the onion.