Homemade Mango Salsa {recipe}

Since moving to Costa Rica I've become a little more adventurous in everything, specially in the kitchen. Trying out new recipes and ingredients. One of my favorite fruits is mango and it is widely found here everywhere! We recently visited some new friends here for a Sunday afternoon and although I had tried Mango Salsa in the U.S. {we usually bought it from Whole Foods} I have to admit that until we tried it here it dawned on me on how easy it was to prepare it. Now just so you know in Costa Rica Mango Salsa is called Mango Ceviche, I personally think it has to do with the way it is prepared. So today I am going to share with you how to prepare your mango salsa through a short video I posted on Instagram and list the ingredients so you too can prepare your own Mango Salsa....

INGREDIENTS:

1 Medium - Large size Mango cut into bite size pieces and without the skin {it can't be ripe or soft to touch}

1 Small onion chopped into tiny pieces {I used white but red onion also works}

1/2 tsp of salt

1/4 cup of freshly chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup of lime juice {freshly squeezed works best}

PREPARATION:

Serve chilled and with corn tortilla chips. It is perfect for a party, appetizer or just because. :D Enjoy!

Chicken and pine nuts with Saffron Couscous and lemon dressing.

As promised, I did this recipe today. It was delicious, different in taste as I'm more accustomed to garlic and olive oil. Served it to my family and they loved it! it's easy for sure and fool proof. The only issue I had was finding saffron strands and couldn't understand why saffron and pine nuts are so expensive! But here is the recipe:

PREP: 10 mins| COOK: 15 mins including soaking time| SERVES 5


INGREDIENTS:

10 saffron strands
200 grams dry weight couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
2.5 cups boiling hot chicken or vegetable stock  (I used 50/50)

FOR THE DRESSING:

4 tsp finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
juice of 2 lemons
3 tsp olive oil

6 strips of chicken breast tenders cut into little squares
1 cup corn kernels
4 tbsp pine nuts
12 cherry tomatoes, cut into fourths
3 scallions, trimmed and chopped
fresh cilantro leaves, to garnish

PREPARATION AND COOKING:

1. Put the Saffron, couscous and golden raisins in a heatproof bowl and pour over the hot stock. Stir once and let stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
3. Brown the chicken strips on all sides in a preheated nonstick skillet over high heat for about 4 minutes.
4. Reduce the heat to medium, add the corn and pine nuts and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
5. Fluff up the couscous with a fork and add to the skillet with the tomatoes, dressing and scallions. Heat for 1 minute or until warmed through, stirring gently.
6. Spoon onto a plate, then top with the chicken slices and garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition Information (per serving)
Calories              Fat                Sat Fat
380                    11.7  g            2.5 g

BON APETIT! ENJOY WITH A GLASS OF ICED WATER AND A LEMON WEDGE!

I would upload pictures of mine, however I haven't yet figured out how to upload to the blog.