the heat is on

So I’m in a rut.
Have you ever had one of those days where you really don’t feel like cooking? Well, my day actually turned into a whole month. I don’t know if it was the extremely humid weather or just lack of ambition, but June was such a blah month for us. Our dinners have been quick burgers, simple salads, and on particularly good days maybe some homemade hummus. I’m not sure why the inspiration has gone or why food has become so unimportant but I want that to change.

Last night, on a whim, we decided to spice things up with some tandoori shrimp with a side of spicy mango salsa. All through dinner, all I heard from Mony was a muffled ‘this is so good!’.
Now normally, I am not a huge mango fan. I think this comes from growing up in an Indian household where every night with dinner we had a small plate of sliced mango as our dessert. To this day, from May-September, my parents will still buy boxes of mango. Yes, you read that right. Not one or two mangoes, but boxes of them. I guess it's a nostalgic thing for them that goes back to when they were growing up in India. I’m sure Mony's not complaining since he always gets a few to take home with us when we go see them. This salsa was actually made with one of the mango’s that they gave us last week. It was an Alfonso mango – and as they say ‘unless you’ve had an Alfonso mango you’ve never had a mango’. It was super sweet and tender, a perfect platform for the tart lime juice and earthy black beans. A tiny Thai red chili also helped harmonize the flavors. The balance of sweet, sour, and spicy was a huge hit.

Black Bean Mango Salsa

• 1 cup drained canned black beans, rinsed
• 1 ripe medium mango, diced
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
• 1 small chili pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium green onion, chopped
  
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

In a bowl, combine the black beans, mango, red bell pepper, chili pepper and green onion. In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, salt and cayenne. Fold the mixture into the beans.
Stir in the cilantro and serve chilled or at room temperature.

We’re going to the farmer's market this weekend so hopefully there will be more to write about. Plus this summer CSA’s are starting next week! w00t!

What are you guys making to beat the heat?