Cool Summer Side Dishes - Veggie Salsa

This is a side dish that I make that is particularly suited for the hot summer months. I don't actually have a recipe for it as it changes each time I make it, but here are the basics. Start with whatever fresh vegetables and fruit that you have in the house. I usually use celery, cucumber, carrot, red onion and mango. I really love the mango and buy it specifically for this dish. Many times I will also add radish, red peppers, tomato, apple or pear. You can add any fresh vegetable that you wish as long as it is finely diced. Yellow squash or zucchini would make a good addition.

Wash, peel and otherwise prepare your vegetables. Then, finely dice all of them. I use the entire cucumber, seeded, half of the onion, three stalks of celery, about 1/3 bag of baby carrots and the entire mango. You want each of the items to be very finely diced. You can use a food processor, but watch it very carefully. You want your vegetables diced, not pureed. You can add as much of each vegeatble as you wish to make as large of an amount of salsa as you need.

Add your seasonings to this mixture. I usually use balsamic vinegar but any vinegar will work such as tarragon vinegar or red wine vinegar. Also add a little olive oil, salt, black pepper, a little minced garlic, a little sugar and some ginger. Mix this in and make sure that all of the vegetables and fruits are well coated and mixed together. You want to get a bite of all of the different things at once. Taste the mixture after each addition to see if you need to add anything else. You want the flavors to be tangy and sweet at the same time while still having the full flavors of each of the ingredients.

Put the mixture in the refrigerator and let it sit. The longer it sits, the more natural juices will mix with the seasoning and really wow your mouth. I usually give it at least an hour. Remix before serving. If you are making this more than an hour or two ahead of time, you may want to add a little lemon juice or lime juice to your mixture to keep your fruits and veggies from browning. Store any leftovers in a tightly sealed container. This is really good on day two!

I consider this a fairly frugal meal. Especially if you have leftover vegetables in your crisper that need to be used up. If you are tired of plain salads and want a little something different, this makes a great dish. This is especially good served as a side to grilled meats or vegetables as a cool alternative. You can also use this as the base for some grilled shrimp or tofu or to lay grilled kabobs on. The cool, tangy taste of the salsa compliments any meat or grilled vegetables. It is also fabulous to serve with a spicy main dish to cool your mouth.