This tropical fusion salad is just what you need to put an end to cooking monotony.

My version of this recipe is based on the April/May Taste of Home magazine.  After being sick and out of the kitchen for so long, I needed some inspiration.  Something new and tasty and fabulous.  I wandered around for awhile and just when I thought I was getting my swagger back, our kitchen was overtaken by ants.   Hoards of them.  Every. Where.  Even in my spice cabinet!  All of my spices have been on the dining room table for weeks while we tried to get rid of these varmints.  We finally resorted to calling a professional after using way more chemicals than I would like to admit.  I also slammed my finger in the car door,  so that definitely took some time to get over.  But that is a different story for a different time, my friends.
In the midst of all this, I found this Taste of Home magazine, and it didn’t require that I use too many spices and I could use the  tiny portion of my counter space that wasn’t an ant playground.  There is nothing worse than trying to chop cilantro and a feisty little ant trying to get in your space.  It makes me shudder just to think about it.  I am kind of a germ nazi, and the thought of a stray ant in my food makes me gag a little.

So I saw this salad on the cover on Taste of Home, and I gave it a whirl.  Well, in a Gabby Gourmand-style kinda way.

Here’s their recipe (which I give a 10 out of 10 for flavor and ease of preparation):

• 2 cups cubed peeled papaya
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled and cubed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 tsp ground ancho chili pepper, divided
• 1/4 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 corn tortillas (6 in) cut into 1/4 inch strips

Now here’s where my substitutions come in:

• Instead of papaya, I used mango.  I couldn’t find any papaya at our grocery store.
• The corn does not have to be thawed.  It will thaw out in the salad as you are chopping/prepping other stuff.
• Instead of serrano peppers, I used jalapenos and I roasted them first (deseeded of course).  It takes a little of the spice out, and adds that great roasty jalapeno pepper flavor.
• Instead of the ancho chili powder, I used chipotle chili powder that I found for 99 cents at World Market.  I could not find ancho anywhere.  Chipotle powder is spicy as all heck, so I mixed 1 tsp of it with regular chili powder.
• Instead of corn tortillas, I used flour tortillas because that is all we had in the pantry.
• To make this salad a meal, we added Morning Star “meat” crumbles.  I sauteed this easy protein in some EVOO with the leftover chipotle/regular chili powder mixture and the jalapeno peppers.  When the fake meat crumbles are all cooked up, you can dish them up and throw the cold salad on top.  Delish!
• One thing you should not subsitute is the raisins.  Definitely invest in the golden ones because you will be making this salad more than once.

Instructions:

1. Mix OJ, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, sugar, and 1/4 tsp of chili powder mix in the bottom of a big glass bowl.
2. Throw in the beans, mango, corn, raisins, and cilantro.  You can add the avocado like the original recipe says, but it will get all guacamole on you with all the stirring.  Adding it at the end keeps it as pretty as the cover picture.
3. Cut tortilla strips coated with cooking spray and sprinkle 1 tsp of the chili powder mixture on them.  You can use more of your mixture if you prefer, especially if you aren’t cooking the crumbles.  Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until crisp.  Flour tortillas will burn real quick, y’all, so be careful.  We cooked up twice as much as the recipe called for because they are good to eat by themselves or on top of other stuff.  Yum!
4. Serve the salad with the spicy strips on top.

The OJ, lime juice, vinegar, and garlic would make a great dressing on other salads as well.

I found a great picture of the salad on another blog, and the author also includes ways to cut a papaya and an avocado.

I want to read Michael Pollan's "Food Rules" because I really agree with this philosophy. It's not bad to eat french fries--just make them yourself.

Alicia has a book out, too.  I really want to read The Kind Diet after reading some of her blog.  She has some amazing recipes in there.  I also liked the fact that she “leaned into” this whole vegetarian/vegan thing to begin with.  Now she’s fully vegan (with the few exceptions of some cheese after her wine-drinking).  I vehemently respect this decision that several of my friends have made (my other blog was about this respect and love for natural and actual FOOD, just more poetic and eloquently written).  I have been “leaning” this way for a long time…I guess ever since I read The Jungle in high school. And you probably already know I hate dealing with raw meat.

Alicia Silverstone's book, "The Kind Diet," has some great recipes in it. And she really loves food just as much as I do.

So what does my breakfast have to do with all of this?  It is a snow day, and I don’t want to get out.  We are, however, running low on milk (organic, of course).  I’ve been big into warm oatmeal in the mornings lately.  I happily remembered that I had some boxed soy milk and rice milk in the pantry, so there was no need to get out in this mess.  I made my oatmeal with the soymilk and added some wheat germ.  It cooked up nicely–creamy and slightly nutty from the soymilk.  And I thought, “look at me being all healthy and vegan!”

Then I remembered the wildflower honey I bought at our local produce store.  They get their stuff from the farmer’s market and local farms in the area, they’re right near the gym now, and their produce is way cheaper (and prettier) than the grocery store.  They get their honey from a local dude, and it is GOOD.  I had tried the clover before, and the wildflower has a nice dark amber color.  Local honey is good for folks with allergies because the bees use local pollen.  I topped it with some organic granola (Cascadian Farms is real good, y’all) and took a big bite…and then remembered that honey comes from BEES.  Yes, I have the agave nectar which is vegan-approved, but ya know, it was kinda too late at that point.

So I will continue to lean.

I also want to read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.

Smoky Chipotle Chili

2 or 3 tbsp EVOO
3/4 cup onion, chopped (or more if you like onions)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 chipotle pepper, diced
half bag of Morning Star Farms meat crumbles
1 can pinto beans
1 can light red kidney beans
1 can tomato paste (6 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup water
dash oregano
2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

for optional garnish:
shredded cheddar
sour cream
fresh chopped cilantro

• Cook onions with EVOO on medium heat until they are translucent.
• Add garlic, chipotle, and meat crumbles and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes.  Turn the heat down if the onions start to brown too fast.
• After all that delicious smoky spice seeps in to everything, add each of the rest of the ingredients, stirring each until incorporated.
• Before you add the salt at the end, let the chili cook on medium for about 5 minutes so that you can get an accurate read on how much you want.  You may like this a little on the sweeter, smokier side or you may want more salt to balance everything out.
• Cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
• Serve with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro

If you are really not into spicy foods, chop your pepper into 4 different piles.  Wait until you have added the other ingredients before you experiment with how much spice you can take, separately adding each pile and then tasting after each addition.  If you add too much spice, you can’t take it out.  Remember that the sugar balances the spicy pH levels, and it will lose a little kick after it sits in your frig overnight.