Mango Salsa Mexican Rice

Ingredients:
-1 ripe mango, diced
-1 pack of cherry tomatoes, chopped
-Cilantro, I used approximately 1 to 2 tsp of cilantro that comes in a tube from the produce section, you may want to start small with dried cilantro
-1/3 C frozen corn
-1/4 of a very small onion, very finely minced
-salt, ample.
-1/2 tsp taco seasoning
-1/4 tsp pureed chipotle peppers (I just used canned, nothing fancy)
-1 to 2 cups of cooked rice, depending on the ratio you want
-Optional additions of beef or chicken and cheese to make it a full meal instead of a side

Heat all the ingredients except rice and whatever else you are optionally adding in on medium or just a little higher.  You don't want to overcook the mango, and so if you want to cook the tomatoes down more you can just add the mango in later. 

I however just cooked it all together about ten minutes or so just to get all the flavors combined.  Remove it from the heat and stir in your yummies.  You could easily add peppers as well.  You also have the option of sauteeing onions and peppers first, then adding the tomato and cooking all that about 10-15 minutes with the herbs and seasoning, and then adding in the mangoes and cooking for another 5 minutes or so if you want more veggies but want them to be cooked not crunchy. 

This is a good way to stretch ingredients in rice, and a great way to add a really fresh variety of flavors.  I feel like we eat much heavier food over the winter months and stop eating a lot of bright flavors like cilantro.  But, if you just watch the grocery, you can stumble on a really ripe mango in the dead of winter when you least expect it!  You can also make cilantro-lime flavored foods all year round.

This rice would also be a great side dish to fish, or you can add things like beef or chicken in it and eat it like a meal. It is really versatile, which makes it a great quick side that can go with a variety of meals.

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