Tango with Mango: Fresh Salsa

This Monday marked the first official day of summer, so I'm celebrating with summer's official food: salsa.

I love salsa like some people love their immediate families. My absolute favorite salsa is Newman's Own mango. Paul Newman knew what he was doing for sure. A few months ago, I wrote to the good people at Newman's Own and informed them that if I wasn't already married to Ben, I would probably propose to their salsa. A customer service representative emailed me back and said she hoped Ben wasn't the jealous type because she was sending me the coupons. Ben managed not to be too threatened.

And while salsa in the jar is good, fresh salsa is better. Here's my version. I went light on the tomato because I didn't want to overwhelm the other fruits, but experiment and see what tickles the old taste buds.

Fresh Mango Salsa

• 1 medium mango, peeled and diced
• 1 to 2 cups fresh pineapple, diced
• 1/2 cup onion, diced
• 4 T. scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 to 2 T. fresh ginger, grated
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 to 3 T. rice vinegar
• 1 T. honey
• 1 c. black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Mix it all together. Give it an hour in the fridge. Procure some chips. And that's it.

The food: Fresh mango salsa
The verdict: Makes Paul proud. Does not make Ben jealous.