When Life gives you sad Peaches.... make Peach - Mango Salsa!

When life gives you Lemons... you make Lemonade.

But what happens when it gives you sad peaches??

You make a Peach Salsa!

One of my favorite things to do at a farmers's market during summers is go through the fruit stand. The intoxicating aroma of peaches, nectarine, plums and apricots drives me insane. Needless to say, we comes back with bags of it.

All three of us are equally fond of these sweet-tart fruit and it doesn't even last us a whole week. 

But you know you have one of those days, where your judgement is clouded or you are in a superb hurry or you simply woke up on the wrong side of the bed... 

On those days you pick up fruits without smelling or feeling them. Did I just type "feeling up a fruit"? 

Midlife crisis. Lets move on.

Bottom line, I came home with sad, flavorless peaches, which both Sam and Sid refused to eat, even after a sprinkle of rock salt.

Little googling on 'what to do with flavorless peaches' gave me options like:

         ~ macerating them in sugar

         ~ making sweet and tangy chutney

         ~ pureeing them and adding to marinades

         ~ grilling them

         ~ making salsa

The top three requires a lot of added sugar and so were instantly struck out. I do not have a grill and so that option is not viable either. That leaves us with the salsa.

So Salsa it was!

Since the peaches didn't have a lot to give, in terms of juiciness or flavor, I paired it with another intoxicating and aromatic fruit - the Mango! 

By now you all must have guessed my favorite dressing - lime juice, ginger and Himalayan pink salt!

I mean you cannot beat it. It is the most refreshing and healthy dressing I can think of. Something magical happens when any fruit hits ginger. Especially mangoes. The flavor is exotic.

The sweetness of mango plus the spiciness of ginger equals 'a perfect harmony of flavors'. 

But you really do not need sad peaches to make this salsa. Sweet, aromatic and juicy peaches would be even better. And you also do not need to pair it with mangoes either. You can make "all peaches" or "all mango" salsa from this recipe. But combining them does heighten the flavors.

This Peach-Mango Salsa is not only great when served with Corn Chips, but is awesome on Grilled Pork Tenderloins, Chicken Breasts or Fish. But in our house, it is served with three big tablespoons.

And we go Chomp! Chomp!! Chomp!!!

Recipe Snapshot:  Peach Mango Salsa  Serves: 6 serving (1 serving = 1/4 cup) What I used: Peaches - 2, medium sized, skin on and diced into small cubes Mango - 1, medium sized, ripe but firm, diced into small cubes Red Onions - 1/4 of a lager one or about 2 tbsp, very finely chopped Bell pepper (any color) - 1 small sized or about 3 tbsp, very finely chopped Jalapenos or Serrano Peppers - 1, seeds and membranes removed and finely minced  Lime Juice - juice of 1 whole lime Ginger - 1 small knob, grated Himalayan Pink Salt - to taste Cilantro or Coriander leaves - a handful, finely chopped What I did: 1. In a big bowl, combine the fruits (mango and peaches), along with any juice that was released during the chopping process. 2. Add the finely chopped onions, bell pepper, jalapenos, chopped cilantro and the grated ginger. 3. Squeeze the juice of one lime and sprinkle the Himalayan pink salt. 4. Give everything a good mix and do a taste check. Add more salt, lime juice or jalapenos as needed. 5. You can and you should refrigerate the salsa for at least 1 hour for the flavors to deepen and amalgamate. But it rarely happens in our household. We start chomping as soon as the assembly is done. And it still tastes pretty darn good.  6. Serve with crackers or chips of choice or a big spoon! Notes/Tip:  1. Red onion looks pretty in this salsa due to its color but any onions or even scallions could be substituted. Just do not add to much. The pungency of onion might over power the delicate taste of the fruits.  2. The main purpose of the bell pepper is to provide the crunch. Any color will do, but red peppers really looks pretty against the yellowness of the fruit. Again do not add too much.  3. Removing the seeds and membranes from the jalapenos is a personal choice. We usually like spicy stuff, but since this is essentially about fruits, I did not want to do anything to overwhelm the fruity taste. I just wanted enough heat to balance the sweetness. 4. If you have really sad batch of mangoes or/and peaches, making this salsa might be the only way to salvage them. The fruits won't be juicy. Just chop them into really small bits so that each piece is well coated with the lime juice and salt. Also while mixing, smash few pieces of the fruit with the fork to release their juices and flavor.

Diabetic Platter: Though its not official, I would like to call this an antioxidant salsa, highly beneficial for diabetics. Both peach and mangoes are rich in anti oxidants and have anti-cancer properties. Both of them are fibrous fruit and heart healthy. Mango has a low glycemic index (41-60) so going a little overboard will not increase your sugar levels.  Read More at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/274620.php  and http://healthimpactnews.com/2013/17-reasons-why-you-need-a-mango-every-day/#sthash.EILLKgaU.dpuf

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