Mango Salsa

Mango, the word itself is as sweet as the fruit. I love mangoes. If summer comes, first I think about mangoes.

Mangoes, will bring back our childhood memories: throwing stones at the mango trees for the cutie mangoes, climbing the tree and running with the mangoes.

Mangoes, will remember me the  summer: long summer afternoons, breezy summer evenings and cool summer nights.

Mangoes, will remember me the summer days spend with my cousins, having mangoes after every meal.

Mangoes, will remember me the tender mango leaves and the kuku birds.

Mangoes, will remember me the get together parties under the mango trees in the green rice fields.

Whenever I pass the green fields with mango trees I feel that, mango trees stood straight with there heads facing upwards with pride with lots of sweet and beautiful mangoes.

Whenever I smell the sweet ripen mango, I feel like I am out of the world.

Fresh, colorful mango salsa can be served with taco chips or with grilled  fish or chicken. It is very easy to prepare. Salsa means sauce in Spanish and there are many varieties in salsa like tomato salsa, corn salsa, mango salsa, pineapple mango salsa..........   

Ingredients

• Mangoes -  3
• Plum or Cherry Tomatoes - 10 
• Chopped Red Onion - 1 Tbsp
• Jalapeno - 1 tbsp, chopped or to taste
• Coriander leaves or Cilantro - 1 Tbsp, finely chopped
• Mint - 1 tsp or to taste, finely chopped
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp

Preparation

• Cut mangoes into cubes.
• Chop the remaining ingredients. 
• Combine all the ingredients and serve with chips or have it as a salad.

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Vegetarian Three Bean Chili

Veg Three Bean Chili With Brown Rice

Chili is a spicy stew contain meat and chilies. Chili recipe vary depending on the meat used and may contain beans, tomatoes and flavored with garlic and ground cumin. We can also make vegetarian chili recipe by using beans, tomato, onion and chilies. I had chicken chili in a Mexican restaurant which is spicy, tangy and tasty. Recently I came across meat bean chili in a food magazine and want to give it a try as beans are healthy, but in vegetarian version. 

All dry beans will have almost same nutritional benefits. They contain proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, minerals and are low in fat.  

In chili recipe spicy chilies will be used. If you can't handle the spiciness replace them with bell peppers. Lemon juice will enhance the taste, add as much as you like. Sour cream will be  used as topping, but I am using avocado as it is good for health and will have good fat. Try to ground cumin fresh.

Ingredients

• Kidney bean/Rajma - 1/2 cup
• White bean - 1/2 cup
• Garbanzo/Kabuli Chana - 1/2 cup
• Sweet corn  - 1 cup
• Large Tomatoes - 3
• Onion - 1, chopped
• Jalapeno chili - 1                                                               Any spicy chilies - 2
• Habanero chili - 1/2                    OR Replace these chilies   Green Bell pepper - 1, small
• Chile De Arbol - 1                                    with                    Red Bell pepper - 1, small
• Celery sticks - 2
• Zucchini - 1
• Garlic Cloves - 3, chopped
• Salt to taste
• Red Chili powder or Paprika - 2 tsp 
• Cumin powder - 2 tsp, Ground it fresh
• Veg Broth - 2 cup
• Dry Oregano - 1 tsp (optional)
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp
• Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup, chopped
• Green onion for garnishing
• Avocado - 1 (We can use sour cream instead of avocado) 
• Lemon - 1

* Adjust Spices to taste.

Preparations

• Wash all the three beans and soak them over night and cook them in a pot with plenty of water for 4 hours on medium heat, stirring in between and adding more water if require or cook them in a pressure cooker for 5 whistles.
• While cooking add salt.
• Chop onion, tomatoes, deseed chilies and chop.
• Add oil to a large pan and add garlic, onion and cook till onion turn brown.
• Add tomatoes, chilies, celery, zucchini and cook till tomatoes turn tender.
• Add veg broth, cumin powder, red chili powder, oregano and let broth come to boil.
• Add cooked beans and cook for 20 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally.
• Adjust salt, sprinkle coriander leaves. Mix.

Serving Idea

• Garnish with spring onions, place a scoop of avocado, sprinkle lemon juice and serve with brown rice or tortilla or any Indian bread.

Note

• Canned beans and tomatoes can be used.
• If you add more water while cooking beans, then no need to add broth.

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Wheat Flour Churros

Churro's and Hot Chocolate, licking chocolate having a bite of crunchy churro dropping sugar every where Mmmmmmmmm Yummy....  These Mexican doughnuts normally eaten for breakfast dipped in hot chocolate and also as a snack. It will taste good without hot chocolate too. Churro's will be crunchy outside and soft inside.

Churro's are prepared generally using all-purpose flour and sprinkled with sugar and have a ridged surface as piped through a star shaped nozzle. Churro's may be straight, curled or spirally twisted.
I made churro's with wheat flour and I never imagined my kid will eat like this. For every churro she had, she told me they was so tasty. Making churro's, we both had lot of fun. She helped me in rolling churro's. 

Yield: 20 - 22 Churros
Ingredients:

• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Salt - 1/4 tsp
• Sugar/Brown sugar - 2 tsp
• Water - 1 cup
• Oil - 2 tsp

For coating:

• Sugar - 1/4 cup
• Cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
• Oil for deep fry

Preparation:

• In a pan combine water, salt, 2 tsp sugar and oil. Bring to a boil on medium heat and remove from heat and mix the wheat flour until forms a ball.
• In a plate, mix sugar and cinnamon and keep aside. 
• Heat oil in a skillet for deep fry. Oil must be hot enough otherwise result in soggy churros.
• Then take a pastry bag with a star shaped nozzle and fill it with the dough and pipe it into hot oil and fry until they turn golden brown.( Can also roll with hand)

• Take them out and drain excess oil. Roll them in sugar-cinnamon mixture and serve. 

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Mexican Chipotle Bowl Recipe

I am very happy to share this healthy, fresh,delicious recipe with you. Chipotle is an Mexican restaurant where we can find this recipe. I had this many times and fell in love with this fresh and tasty recipe. I made this recipe many times at home, as home made food will taste too good. My husband love my chipotle bowl recipe and even I die for this fresh and healthy bowl....
.... May be you think why she is using fresh so many times. Because the bowl, not only filled with healthy ingredients but also with freshness. We can feel it. For this recipe we have to prepare:

Cilantro-lime Rice

Salsa
Grilled Chicken (optional)
Guacamole (optional)
Black bean
Veggies
Corn

Sour Cream

Hey stop, may be you decided to leave my page without reading my recipe. You may see a long list above but preparation will be very easy, trust me. In less than 45 min we can prepare this recipe.

First we can start with cooking rice and beans which will take hardly 20 min. While cooking them we can prepare salsa which take 10 min, guacamole 5 min, and if you want to add chicken it will take 15 min. The remaining time to cut veggies and making some preparations....

..... Don't blame be if you have took more time to prepare this by chit-chatting with your loved ones :-) . I do this many times.
 

Yield : 2

Ingredients For Cilantro-lime Rice:

• Rice - 1/2 cup
• Lime / lemon juice  - 2 tsp
• Cilantro / Coriander leaves - 2 tsp
• Water -  1 cup
• Butter - 1/2 tsp (optional)

Preparation:

• Clean rice and fry the rice in butter. Frying is optional.
• In a pot heat 1 cup water and add rice and cook until rice is cooked perfectly. We can cook in a rice cooker.
• Pork the rice with fork, add lime/lemon juice and cilantro and keep aside.

Ingredients for salsa:

• Tomatoes -  2 
• Jalapeno chillies - 1
• Onion - 1/2
• Chopped Cilantro - 3 tsp
• Lemon / Lime juice - 3 tsp 
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Chop tomatoes,  onion and jalapeno into small pieces.
• Add lemon/lime juice and salt. Mix well and adjust lime juice and salt.
• wrap it and keep in fridge.

Ingredients for black bean curry:

• Black bean - 1/2 cup (canned or fresh)
• Onion - 1/2
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Oregano -  pinch
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• If using fresh beans, wash them and soak them in water for 6 hours.
• In cooker, add 2 cups water and cook beans upto 4 to 5 whistles or cook in a pot until they become soft. But cooking in a pot will take more time and we have to add more water.
• Heat oil in a pan, add onion and cook for 3 min and add cooked beans, red chilli powder, oregano and salt and cook for 3-4 min. Keep aside.

Ingredients for Guacamole:

• Ripe Avocado - 2 
• Tomato - 1 small, chopped
• Onion -3 tsp, chopped
• Garlic - 1 tsp, chopped (optional)
• Lime / Lemon - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Cut avocado and remove seed. Scoop the pulp and mash.
• Add chopped tomato, onion, garlic, lime/lemon juice and salt.
• Mix well.

Ingredients for chicken:

• Chicken - 100 gm 
• Oregano - 2 pinches
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger-garlic paste - 1/2 tsp ( we can also use ginger and garlic powder)
• Lemon/Lime juice - 1 tsp
• Salt to taste

Preparation:

• Marinate chicken with all the ingredients for atlest  1/2 hour.
• Grill or pan fry chicken.

Ingredients for filling Bowl:

• Cooked Rice
• Salsa
• Guacamole (optional)
• Grilled Chicken (optional)
• Black Beans
• Boiled Corn (Frozen or fresh)
• Capsicum - 1/2, chopped
• Lettuce - 1/2 cup
• Cheese for garnishing (optional)
• Sour Cream - 1/4 cup(optional) (* see note)

Preparation:

• Take a bowl and fill all the ingredients and enjoy the healthy, fresh recipe. 

Note:
As sour cream contain heavy cream, I don't like to use it. We can use curd instead of sour cream.

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