Mango Chutney

Mango season is upon us!

To me, this is a truly epic time of year, seeing as mangoes are one of my most favorite staple fruits that are only amazing a few times a year. (Not to mention so much more affordable!)

However, there comes a time where they aren't so great, a bad batch or you cut them before they are actually ripe because you;re just TOO excited to get in on the mango goodness.

This is where Mango Chutney comes to the rescue. We we're a little too excited and jumped the ship on waiting for the mangoes to be be truly in season down here. So it resulted in a few not so great mangoes that neither of us wanted to eat raw. It's not that they were bad per say, they just lacked the amazing mango-ness that we expected and we're less sweet than expected.

This recipe is super easy to make and delicious as a condiment on pretty much anything. We had it that night along with some simple Thai Yellow Curry with rice. I also love it on baked potatoes or quinoa.

Mango Chutney

Fixings:

- 1.5 cups diced onion
- 5-6 mangoes, diced or sliced
- 1 cup pineapple, diced
- 1 generous cup raw sugar
- ¾ cup vinegar
- 2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp fresh turmeric, minced very well.

In a large pot, cook the onion with some water until translucent. Add in all the spices and cook for about 2 minutes, or until you can smell the spicyness. 

Add in the mangoes and pineapple and let cook for a few minutes to mingle the flavors. Add in the sugar and vinegar. Cook for about 30 mins stirring often to prevent burning. You'll know when it's ready from the thick jam like texture of it all. Let it cool and put in in a sealed glass jar in the fridge.

Not sure how long it lasts, cause here it's always devoured within a few days. 

Enjoy!

Black Bean Tacos and How to make Corn Tortillas

We've moved yet again!

Our new home (for the next 3 months) is a MASSIVE improvement on the last one. The kitchen is truly equipped and functional, we are a 5 minute ride from our fruit stand and everything is much more accessible even if we are further from the beach. Also, no more of these holiday plates.

We also have a few waterfalls nearby that we'll be exploring shortly! My birthday being Friday, we'll be going to the most popular of them that afternoon.

I love birthdays! I even make mine out to span a week (IMO everyone should). Which means food and fun activities for me and my partner. Maybe even some pampering...

Since being here, I have learned how easy it is to make corn tortillas. It's ridiculous really. In Canada, I was always complaining how hard they are to find fresh, and the ones you buy at the grocery store are like cardboard. With the time it takes to actually make them, and the low cost, there is no excuse now.

So now tacos, fajitas and even burritos are a routine thing around here.I even made a pizza crust with the same method and it turned out really good! But that's for another post.

Black beans are definitely my favorite legume, so I though it would be appropriate to present my first taco recipe as being filled with them. You can sub whichever bean you prefer here, or mash them up to make them "refried" beans.

I also made a fresh mango salsa to go with these, gave a great savory-sweet balance that is one of my favorite pairings.

Black Bean Tacos with Mango Salsa 

Ingredients:

- 2 cups cooked black beans, seasoned to taste.
- 1 small head nappa cabbage, shredded
- 10-12 corn tortillas (below)
- 1 recipe Mango Salsa (below)

Assemble your tacos as desired.

I seasoned my black beans with cumin and S/P.

A great addition to this would be some guacamole, coconut sour cream and hot sauce.

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

- 1 large mango, diced
- 2 large tomatoes, diced.
- 1 bell pepper, diced.
- 1 small red onion, minced
- 1 lime, juiced.
- S/P, cumin, cayenne, cilantro (optionnal)

Combine all ingredient in a bowl and let "marinate" for at least 10 minutes, up to 2 hours.

Corn Tortillas

Ingredients:

- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 cup water

The masa harina is the key ingredient here, you should be able to find it in a local grocery store, but call ahead to ask instead of having to go to a gazillion different ones until you find it.

Mix the masa harina (corn flour) with the water until is forms a solid dough. You don't want it to be sticky or too dry, so add the water a little bit ata time until the texture seems right.

Divide the large ball into 10-12 smaller balls. At this point there are a few ways to proceed. You can use a tortilla press or some parchment paper and a rolling pin, or do like I do without wither of these and use an XL ziplock freezer bag with a bit of flour so that it doesnt stick and a rolling pin (or glass).

Roll out the little balls until they are as thin as you like. Then, on a hot griddle or pan (something that will not stick), cook the tortillas for about 1-2 mins on each side. Voila!

ENJOY!

*** SIDENOTE***

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