Mango-Avocado Salsa

Here's healthy recipe #2 in a row. This delicious salsa is the perfect condiment for grilled steak or a grilled chicken breast.

Mango-Avocado Salsa

1 ripe mango

1 bell pepper

2 roma tomatoes

2 large Avocados

1 small red onion

2 limes

1/2 tsp garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp hot sauce (about 5 or 6 dashes)

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro (optional)

Peel the mango and red onion. Chop the mango, pepper, tomatoes, and onion until very fine. This can also be done with a food chopper or a food processor. Mix together in a medium sized bowl. Add the zest and the juice from the limes, the garlic, the seasonings, and the olive oil. At this point, you should have everything except the avocados in the bowl. Mix well, then refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour to meld flavors. Just before service, add the chopped avocado.

A note on bell peppers: Green bell peppers tend to be cheaper. Red, orange, or yellow are slightly sweeter than green peppers, and are often larger in size. You choose what you want.

Try this salsa on a simply grilled chicken breast or steak, with this marinade:

Lime Marinade for any kind of meat, about 4 servings worth:

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix together, pour over meat in a ziploc bag. Put in the fridge and let sit for 3-5 hours. Then grill and serve.

This marinade on the meat plus the salsa go very well together, because they have the lime in common. Also, a note here: measuring is overrated. Pour in what looks about right, and call it a day.

More ideas for this salsa include: ~Serve with leftover cooked chicken in a tortilla, or on lettuce, for a simple, delicious lunch. ~Serve with tortilla chips in front of your favorite sports team.

Chimichangas

My terrific brother and amazing sister-in-law gave me a deep fryer for Christmas. It took its test run tonight making these tasty bean chimichangas, and it worked fantastically!

Chimichangas (also known as "Homemade Taco Time")

1 large can refried beans
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
1 tsp chili powder
8 taco-sized flour tortillas

Mix together the beans, cheese and chili powder. Evenly distribute between the tortillas, and roll them closed. Deep fry in 350 degree oil for 3-5 minutes, or until the tortilla starts to turn golden brown.

Fantastic creamy avocado dip

1 large Hass Avocado
Juice from 1 lime
1 cup sour cream

Mash the Avocado with the lime juice, mix in the sour cream. Serve with any taco, burrito, or with Chimichangas.

Note: if you don't have a deep fryer, don't want to dirty the house with hot oil, or you don't want all the fat, you can pan fry the Chimi's in a skillet with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil, or even bake in the oven at 350 for about 10 minutes. They won't be as tasty, of course, but such is the life of low-fat.