Jamie's M.A.P. Salsa

In addition to the 2 loaves of pumpkin seed ciabatta bread I made this afternoon, one for us and one for Siobhan's gift basket (see below)

(P.S. Suuuuuuuper psyched at how well this ciabatta came out! Look at all them air pockets!)

I also created a recipe for the best fruity salsa you will ever have in your entire life.

I take full credit for this recipe because it's delicious!

I think it's a perfect companion to tortilla chips, toasted pita or naan wedges, atop toasted baguette rounds, or on hamburgers. Heck this salsa would even go well as a side salad all on it's own!

I also have decided to abbreviate it and call it M.A.P. Salsa rather than Mango-Avocado-Peach salsa. And I like MAP better than PAM because, like a map, the fruits represent different areas of the world.

So deep, I know.

Jamie's M.A.P. Salsa

This recipe is very simple, involving 2 steps, 10 ingredients, 1 bowl, and 5 minutes of your time.

You'll need:

• 1 Avocado (to tell if you're buying a ripe one, give it a squeeze. The firmer it feels the less ripe it is).
• 1 Peach
• 1 Mango
• 1/2 Red Pepper
• 1/4 Red Onion
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp lime zest
• 1 tbsp cilantro, chopped (fresh or frozen cubes will work better than dried cilantro here)
• 1 tsp each of salt and ground black pepper

1. Cut avocado, peach, and mango into bite sized cubes. Finely dice the onion and dice the red pepper. Toss all into a bowl.

2. Zest the lime and add to the bowl. Squeeze the juice of half of one lemon and half of one lime into the mix. Sprinkle on salt, pepper, and mix in the cilantro. Toss to coat. Serve or store in an airtight container until ready to serve!

If you aren't good with knife skills or hate cutting slimy slippery avocados, let me show you an easy way to cut avocado into perfect sized pieces fast.

Cut the avocado in half lengthwise and twist in the sides in opposite directions until you end up with two halves.

Carefully (!) chop the knife into the avocado pit with a bit of force. The knife will stick into it and will pull it right out of the other half of the avocado.

Without removing the outer skin, make vertical and horizontal cuts in the avocado to give you the desired sized cubes.

Push on the skin to fan out the cubes. Some will fall out on their own. For the rest, gently run your knife under the skin to free the remaining cubes.

See Below...

The M.A.P. Salsa (all but the one spoonful I saved for myself) is now jarred up and in the fridge, ready to go into the gift basket tomorrow.

I'll jazz up the jar a bit in the morning.

The gift basket so far is really coming along.
I was browsing through the online LCBO magazine and found a bottle of wine called "Life is Good". I knew I had to find it - and I did! I hope she opens it tomorrow so I can try it (ha-ha-ha only I'm not really kidding). I'm a sucker for an interesting label and this wine's got one. Also, with every purchase, the wine company donates a percentage to an organization that works to make the cities greener, more liveable places.
So cool label and good cause.

Quick side note: if you like the LCBO's free Food & Drink magazine I strongly suggest you go pick one up asap. They come with a free sample of popcorn!
SPICY NACHO FLAVOURED POPCORN!
I made my sister get a copy of the magazine too just to have two popcorn samples.
One bag is gone. Verdict? Delicious.

Here's how my gift baske is shaping up thus far:


Former Tiffany & Co. bag, now housing meringues of a similar colour.
Under the Tiffany bag we've got Soy Butter jam thumprint cookies (recipe & pictures tomorrow).
The 'S' jar is the oven dried tomatoes.
And the wine is hiding in there behind the pumpkin seed ciabatta.
I heard once that pumpkin seeds are also called pepitas. Can anyone verify this for me?

Slash I'll wikipedia it in a few.

Nice quiet night, just me, my hot chocolate, baked goods all around, and many more episodes of How I Met Your Mother.