Mango Gallo Pinto with Fried Egg and Avocado (Mango Habanero Balsamic)

Gallo Pinto is a classic staple in Nicaragua. Made with leftover rice and pinto beans, it serves as a side dish to any protein. This is a twist on the classic recipe using ingredients common to Central America, avocado and mango and adding egg as the protein making a satisfying dish for any meal.
The recipe below will produce enough for two hearty meals if you divide the rice in half and add two eggs to each serving. For a light meal, divide the rice in quarters and add one egg to each serving.

What you will need:

• 1/2 medium sized onion - diced

• 1/2 bell pepper any color - diced

• salt

• mango habanero balsamic vinegar

• extra virgin olive oil

• one cup cooked leftover rice (we made ours with brown rice)

• one cup of drained canned pinto beans

• one small bunch cilantro with large stems removed - lightly chopped.

• one ripe Ataulfo mango - cut into chunks

• 4 eggs

• 1 ripe avocado sliced or a cup of guacamole

• sour cream or queso fresco (optional)

Sauté onion and bell pepper on medium low heat in extra virgin olive oil and a dash of salt until translucent and soft.
Drizzle on mango habanero balsamic vinegar and continue cooking until veggies are coated and sticky.
Add more extra virgin olive oil and the the rice and beans. Cook together until rice is slightly crispy. Remove heat and stir in mango and cilantro. 
Place rice mixture on a plate. Add sliced avocado or guacamole on the side. 
Fry eggs keeping the center soft and runny and place on the rice. Drizzle with mango habanero balsamic vinegar and serve.

And, the best part is breaking the egg and mixing in the warm yolk!
Optional Touches:
To cool it off, add a dollop of sour cream.
To richen it up, crumble on queso fresco.

Spicy Thai Mango Salad (Mango Habanero Balsamic, Persian Lime Olive Oil)

When you can't wait for your mango to get ripe, don't! This recipe calls for ripe-ish mango, a little bit soft and sort of sweet sour.

What you will need:

• one slightly ripe Ataulfo mango, peeled and removed from the seed.

• one medium size red or orange bell pepper, halved with seeds and stem removed.

• one medium size carrot, peeled and cut in half

• two medium size Persian style cucumbers, cut in quarters long way and seeds sliced out.

• small bunch of cilantro de-stemmed and chopped (can substitute Italian parsley or fresh spinach)

• 8-10 cherry tomatoes cut in half

• 1/4 cup chopped raw nuts (peanuts or cashews)

• 3 Tablespoons mango habanero balsamic vinegar

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce (low salt preferred)

• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and juice from one lime (or 3 Tablespoons Persian Lime olive oil)

The mango, bell pepper carrot and cucumbers need to be cut julienne style (the thinner the better). Then place them in a salad bowl with the tomatoes and cilantro.

Whisk the mango habanero balsamic vinegar, soy sauce extra virgin olive oil, and lime juice together to make a dressing. Toss the salad ingredients with the dressing.

Serve topped with chopped nuts. We had this salad as a side to salmon. With extra nuts and noodles on the side, it can stand alone.

Apple Cinnamon Seasonal Slaw (Apple Cinnamon Balsamic)

Start with tart sweet apples, crunchy carrots, colorful cabbage and chewy golden raisins. Then add creamy apple cinnamon dressing to make a perfect side for Fall and Winter plating.

But it’s commonly said, “what’s the apple without the cheese, it’s like a kiss without a squeeze”! So we added some grated sharp cheddar and that make this recipe complete.

Place the following into a salad bowl.

• 2-3 large carrots grated

• 1 large crispy apple thinly sliced

• 1/4 small purple cabbage thinly sliced

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Whisk the following together until creaming to make a dressing.

• 1/3 cup Apple Cinnamon Balsamic Vinegar

• 1/3 cup EVOO

• 1/3 cup olive oil mayonnaise to make a dressing.

Pour dressing on salad ingredients and toss thoroughly to combine ingredients and dressing. Can be served immediately or kept cold and served later.

Festive Cranberry Pear Whipped Feta Dip (Cranberry Pear Balsamic)

Seasonal flavors make this dip just right for Fall and Winter. Pears, cranberries, and delicious feta cheese pull it all together.

What you will need:

• one large ripe pear (any variety)

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds

• extra virgin olive oil

• one block of Feta cheese

• 3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

• 3 tablespoons of blood orange olive oil

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• cranberry pear balsamic vinegar

Place thin slices of a pear on a cookie sheet. Brush with olive oil. Roast at 415 degrees until slightly caramelized. Set aside.

Sauté almond slivers in olive oil until lightly browned. Set aside on a paper towel.
Process the following in a food processor until creamy

• one block of Feta cheese

• 3/4 cup whole milk Greek yogurt

• 3 tablespoons of blood orange olive oil

Stir 1/4 cup dried cranberries into the creamy cheese mixture.

Prepare the dip in the center of a large serving dish as follows"

• Lay out the roasted pears holding a few back

• Plop on the creamy cheese mixture

• Top with toasted almond slivers

• Drizzle liberally with cranberry pear balsamic vinegar

• Place remaining pears on top

Serve with crostini or toasted pita chips.

Classic Vinaigrette

Wine vinegars are the basis for a classic vinaigrette dressing. You can start with the basic recipe and then add variation to make it your own.

The basic ingredients are:

• 1 part enfuso champagne white wine vinegar or Lambrusco red wine vinegar. .

• 3 parts extra virgin olive olive oil

• 2 Tablespoons Dijan style mustard

• salt and pepper taste (For salt I use kosher flake salt because it dissolves quickly. For pepper, I like to grind a multi-pepper blend (mine is black, pink, and green peppercorns.

I like to make mine in a mason jar. I measure it all into the jar and then just shake it up vigorously until the oil and vinegar start to emulsify. I also reshake before each use.

To add variation from there, here are some suggestions:

Fresh Goodies: If you know that you will be using the dressing quickly, you can add fresh herbs and vegetables like diced scallion, garlic, parsley, or basil. Fresh herbs will shorten the shelf life so I will make a batch I can use quickly or put the leftover in the fridge, knowing that it will harden and will have to come to room temp for reuse.

Shelf Stable Goodies: If you want to make a large batch to keep handy on the counter for use over several weeks, you can safely add dried herbs. Try dried herbes de provence, oregano, onion powder, granulated garlic, coriander, sage or cumin. The herbs you add can change the direction of the food style so think of salad style you are targeting and match the flavors appropriately. For example, I love a tart herbacious vinaigrette on a cold green been and potato salad. The herbes de provence work well here. In chilled steamed veggies like carrots and cauliflower, a little cumin or even curry seasoning works very well.

A Little Heat: You can add a little heat by mixing in some wasabi powder, a few dashes of tobasco, chili powder or dried chili flakes. These variations are great on greens with seared Ahi or a tortilla salad with beans, sharp cheese and cilantro.

A Little Sweet: Classic vinaigrette is very tart. To balance the acid, try a few tablespoons of artisanal honey (I love buckwheat or avocado) or some naturally sweet enfuso balsamic vinegar. This approach is especially good on delicate greens like butter lettuce, or red and green leaf.

Fresh greens tossed in a tangy tart vinaigrette do not need much adornment. The simplicity is the perfection.

Though you can certainly add goodies (tomato, avocado, nuts, cheese …) to your salad, every once in a while try the simple approach. We suggest a farmers market to find the freshest greens. You can often find some creative pre-mixes or go with a classic, spicy arugula. The fresher the greens, the better your simple salad will be.

This satisfying palate cleanser is the best complement on your plate in both color and taste to other rich dishes like hearty meats with sauces, pasta dishes, baked fish, etc.

Being part bunny rabbit, I can never get enough green stuff, and having a classic vinaigrette handy on the counter makes it so easy.