Green Mango Jicama & Chayote Salad

I love the taste of green mangos just as they are starting to turn colour.   I really think mangoes loose something when they are fully ripe.

When mangoes are still green, they are firm and juicy and have a wonderful sweetish tart taste.  

Today we had a Green Mango Jicama & Chayote Salad for lunch and it was delicious.

First I julienned the mango, jicama and chayote and layered everything in a large bowl.

Then I julienned half a red pepper and added it to the bowl.

Next I combined my dressing ingredients and set the dressing aside.  The dressing is the perfect combination of sweet, sour and salty with a bit of spiciness.

I toasted some coconut in a pan, toasted some cashews in the microwave and chopped some cilantro and red onion.

Just before lunchtime, I added the other ingredients to the julienned fruit and veggies and then poured the dressing over the salad and gently tossed everything to coat with dressing.

Before serving the salads, I garnished them with a bit of the toasted coconut, some chopped cilantro and some toasted, chopped cashews.

This salad was both refreshing and satisfying, yet low in calories.  

Carla is arriving next week and doesn't eat meat, so this salad is definitely on my list of meals to make while she's here.

Here is the recipe for the salad if you would like to try making it.

Green Mango Jicama & Chayote Salad

2 firm unripe, peeled mangos - quarter inch julienne (mangoes should be green or barely reddish orange in colour and firm to the touch)

1 small jicama - quarter inch julienne
1 chayote, quarter inch julienne
½ red pepper - quarter inch julienne
¼ cup dry shredded unsweetened coconut (the kind you use for baking) plus 2 tbsp for garnish
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped plus two tbsp for garnish
3 - 4 green onions, finely sliced or finely chopped red onion
½ cup fresh basil, roughly chopped plus 2 tbsp for garnish (optional)  
¼ cup of toasted peanuts or cashews, roughly chopped plus 2 tbsp for garnish
 

Dressing:

3 Tbsp fish sauce
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lime juice
2 Tbsp brown sugar, or more to taste
1 - 2 tsp Thai Sweet Chili Sauce or ½ tsp dried chili flakes

Place coconut in a frying pan or wok (no oil) and dry fry the coconut as if you were stir frying it for 2 - 3 minutes over medium heat, or ‘til it turns a light golden brown and is fragrant. Transfer to a bowl to cool.  Toast the nuts if you are using them and set aside.  Mix together all the salad dressing ingredients in a bowl or cup.  Set aside.   Put all salad ingredients in a large bowl.  Just before serving, pour the dressing over the salad and toss well.  Serve the salad immediately.  Garnish with a bit of cilantro, basil, coconut and nuts.  

Tiempo Arte

Tiempo Arte is a wonderful little jewelry shop owned by César Torres and his beautiful wife, Alejandrina.  They share space with Clarita's Backyard Coffee shop in Lo De Marcos, a small town a few miles south of here.

Last weekend, Bruce and I were invited to preview some of César's latest designs, but before visiting Tiempo Arte, we stopped and picked up this simple blown glass vase, a couple of leaves and just one exotic Heliconia stem to enhance their exhibition.
 

 






















César designs and creates beautiful silver jewelry which he embellishes with both natural and treated stones, many of which are indigenous to Mexico. 

Some of César's fine pieces are hand crafted from his wonderful collection of opals, lapis lazuli, coral and other beautiful stones.

Right now César has many fabulous pieces of fossilized amber in his shop.

  

 

César designs unique silver necklaces, bracelets and rings using colourful multi faceted gemstones such as citrine, amethyst, aquamarine, sapphire and topaz.
 
Have a look at the stunning pearl ring in the next photo.  César set this delicate pink pearl in a striking setting of both gold and silver.

This ring is definitely a favourite of mine.  The only problem for me is the pink pearl.  It think it's just a little too angelic for me.  Now, if the pearl had been black, I probably would have taken the ring home with me.  

Imagine wearing these beautiful strings of natural white and black pearls with a timeless little black dress or cashmere sweater.

 

When César isn't in his workshop, he can usually be found at the weekly tianguis in Guayabitos and La Peñita, while Alejandrina helps customers at their showroom in Lo de Marcos.

César does exquisite work for very fair prices, so if you are looking to treat yourself to something special, why not have a look at his latest collection.

 


























Or, choose a favourite stone or gemstone and have César personalize and custom design something beautiful and unique especially for you.

Naturally I left a few of my pesos behind at Tiempo Arte, but in exchange, I acquired a couple of pairs of gorgeous new earrings.

The visit was also a good opportunity to photograph some of César's work. 
       

One Lone Hibiscus Bloom

Sometimes flowers are especially beautiful if they are seen just on their own.

Yesterday one perfect reddish pink hibiscus bloom poked its head out amongst all the greenery at the far end of our courtyard garden.

Hibiscus blooms only last for a day, so it was gone by this morning, but while it was there, I got to enjoy it.

Hibiscus blooms are beautiful from all angles.

I don't get to see these blooms very often, because the iguanas usually devour the buds as soon as they appear.

Flame Flower

The other day I drove by this casa which is around the corner from us.

As you can see, there is a rampant growing vine clinging to the front and side walls of the casa and also to the power lines.   The vine, with its vibrant tangerine flowers, is really starting to take over. 

Orange Trumpet Vine (Pyrostegia Venusta), also known as Flame Vine, Golden Shower or Firecracker Vine clings by tendrils, making it a very powerful climber.  If it is left untouched, it can grow to 100 feet, covering everything in its path.

 

The bright orange tubular blooms are 3 - 4 inches long in abundant clusters.  They truly make for a very showy, brilliantly coloured vine.

Orange Trumpet Vine  prefers full sun and requires little to no fertilizing to make it an outstanding showpiece, especially when it has a pure white wall as a backdrop.

     

 

Nasty Neighbours

When we arrived in October, a couple of new neighbours had moved in.   Over the summer some squatters decided that the river next to us might be kind of a nice place to call home, so they put up these two lovely shacks.

They also built this beautiful outhouse (yes, right in the river).

And at some point, while we were back home, a couple of other squatters built these homes which they later abandoned.

Because our residents' association doesn't have any right to remove squatters, we had to wait until the proper authorities could get rid of them. 

Naturally there is no garbage pickup in the river, so over the past few months the squatters' garbage just kept piling up 'til the river bed looked like this.

This is just a bit of the garbage that was strewn around.  I have no idea why the squatters wanted old tires, but there were also lots and lots of them in the estuary.

Some time ago, Lourdes Gonzales Robles, Vice President of our residents' association, presented the proper authorities with photos of all the shacks and their garbage, and this week something was finally done about it.

 

My following blog will explain what happened next.