Our 11 year old daughter and my husband have been working together on a small container garden. Most of the plants are herbs and have been growing slowly. However, this weekend our daughter noticed that the cilantro was getting quite big and could be used for cooking.
This prompted the big question, “What can we make with cilantro?” After explaining that cilantro is a common ingredient in Mexican or Spanish dishes, she and I decided to make sort sort of homemade salsa.
In an attempt to make this dish more appealing for her, so that she would get to sample the fruits of her labor, I suggested making a fruit-based salsa. We had half of a pineapple already on hand and could find some other tropical fruit at the grocery store.
Although it was made to be a salsa, it ended up being more of a salad as the fruits and red pepper created a substantial dish, which was an excellent accompaniment for that evening’s pork chops. Unfortunately, this dish was not of great interest to the herb grower herself. She took a small bite and moved on to other dinner dishes. However, the rest of us found it to be quite enjoyable with a nice amount of sweetness from the fruit and a little bit of heat from the jalapeno.
- 1/2 pineapple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 2 mangoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 red pepper, seeds removed and chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1-2 Tb. honey
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
- Combine pineapple, mangoes, pepper, onion, and cilantro in a large bowl.
- In a 1-cup measuring cup, combine lemon juice, honey, and jalapeno, and mix well.
- Pour dressing on fruits and veggies, and toss to combine.
- Chill for at least 1 hour.
