I love salsa!  That is a given so when I thought about a menu items for Sunday to pair with the coconut crusted salmon – I knew it was a summer salsa.  There is something about summer flavors with crisp fruit and sharp vibrant colors makes everyone happy.  I chose to pair both pineapple and mango for the salsa and give it a little bit with cilantro and red onion.  No one in our family are really big onion lovers so I toned down the red onion to avoid any discomfort.  I find it is not really that sharp with the sweetness of the fruit.  To finish off the flavor matching, I chose to add a dash of hot sauce and cracked black pepper.

Ever try hot sauce with fruit?

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of fresh pineapple, cut into small chunks
• 2 Cups fresh Mango, diced
• A little bit red onion, diced
• 1 Cup of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 Cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• Several dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Method

1. Put pineapple,mango, red onion and cilantro into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add lime zest and juice, oil and hot sauce.
3. Toss well and let flavors mingle for at least one half hour before serving.
4. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: This works very well with any form of meat or even as a vegetarian dish.  It would work great with a stir fry topping or even with cous cous.

Wednesday is here and the week is half over.  It is hard to believe that summer is on the way.  The weekend was super hot and guess what… I did survive a day of roofing.  I am pretty confident in saying that I will never be a roofer full time and I now have a lot of respect for those who do it as a trade.  Have a fantastic hump day and I will talk to you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Happy Monday!  It feels like I have been away for a long time which I guess is not that far from the truth.  Spinach and Mushroom Pasta was my last post since I had a special guest sit in on Friday with Sippity Sup.  This weekend was action packed and full of cooking.  A while back I used to cook on Sunday’s for the whole week including lunches ( for work ) and dinners in the evening.  I am not quite sure why I ever stopped doing that but I will chalk it up to being a bit too busy.

But I was talking to Mrs. Zesty earlier on the weekend and said” Let’s bring back cooking Sundays.  Sunday cooking was REBORN.  I will not get into great details as to what I prepared as you will see through the week and next but it was a ton of fun especially since Zesty Jr. was by my side for a couple of dishes.

This dish I want to share with you today is a simple dish combining a little Mexican and a small bit of India with the use of a few simple ingredients.

As I look back on my blogging career, I notice a pattern; everything I cook is super simple and quick.  I wonder if that means I am SIMPLE.  Anyway, let’s not go there.

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Jasmine Rice
• 1 1/2 Cups Water
• 1 1/2 Cups Salsa ( I used store bought )
• 1 Tbsp. Cumin
• 1/2 lb. Extra Lean Ground Beef
• 1 Carrot ( chopped)
• 1 Cup Mushrooms ( chopped)
• 1 Celery stalk ( chopped)
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Prepare rice according to directions and set aside once cooked.





2. In a large preheated sauce pan over medium heat, combine olive oil, celery and carrots; cook for about 7 minutes



3. Add mushrooms and cook another 3 minutes



4. Next, toss in the ground beef, cumin, salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink







5. Add salsa and let simmer 5 minutes





6. Stir in cooked rice and mix thoroughly.



7. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: When using mushrooms with a meat dish, be sure to cook them prior to adding any meat as they will release a lot of water and will not allow the meat to brown.

This was a super fun weekend and I am looking forward to doing the Sunday cooking next week as well.  Holler at me if you have any suggestions/recommendations for the week’s dishes.  I am looking for dishes that reheat well and pack up in a resealable container well.  I would love to hear your ideas.

Take care

zesty