I love tacos with a fiery passion. I love coming up with new vegan taco fillings. I love pineapple on tacos. I love homemade salsas, and usually make this mango-pineapple salsa whenever there’s a corn tortilla in sight. There are still local strawberries kicking about, so I decided to mix it up. Strawberries standing in made perfect sense to me – they’re sweet and a little tart just like pineapple. This particular salsa had a very rounded flavour, which was perfect for corn chips and on top of the jackfruit carnitas I made for a friend’s birthday. You can adjust the heat to be wherever you’d like it; we went mild for a friend who’s still learning to love the chili pepper.

Strawberry Salsa
Serves 4
Total time: 5 minutes

1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped fine
1/2 ripe mango, peeled and diced (optional)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 small red onion, peeled and minced
1 jalapeno pepper, top removed, diced (Use more or less; discard the seeds if you’re concerned about heat)
Large handful fresh cilantro, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or the juice of one lime
Pinch of salt

Place all ingredients and a small mixing bowl and toss to combine. Before serving, taste for seasoning and adjust. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

I have a giant canister of something called Citron Oolong, but feel free to use your own preferred oolong, so long as it doesn’t have clashing flavours. Something mild, citrusy or even floral will be lovely in this recipe. I’m not going to lie, tequila is delicious in this, but totally not necessary.

Oolong Mango Iced Tea
Makes 2 litres

4 cups oolong tea, brewed double strength
1 cup mango simple syrup (recipe follows)
2 cups very cold water
Juice of one lemon, plus more for garnish
Juice of one lime, plus more for garnish
Ice and frozen mango chunks, to the top of the pitcher and in the serving glasses
Pineapple chunks, optional

Add the mango simple syrup, lemon and lime juice, ice, frozen mango and pineapple to a pitcher. Pour the tea over the top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to drink. Garnish as desired. For the coldest drink, shake with ice before serving.

Mango Simple Syrup
Makes 2 cups

1 cup puréed mango (I used frozen, done in a food processor)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

In a small pot, bring all ingredients to a boil. Let boil for a couple of minutes or so. Pour into a container and let cool.

A few things: Whatever kind of kale you like or have, is going to be just fine. I buy a clamshell of already washed and torn mixed kale for the week. Use a really tasty balsamic vinegar, it’s part of what makes this worth the daily revisit. Your mango can be anywhere from not quite ripe to overly ripe. I find all variations thereof work very well . You want more vegetables? Go for it! Just make sure they’re sliced thin enough to not monkey with the toothsome quality of this salad. I like cucumber and very thinly sliced carrot, too.

Rubbed Kale Salad
Serves One
Prep Time: Five Minutes

2 handfuls kale, washed and torn into bite sized pieces
1/2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon good quality balsamic vinegar, more to taste
Pinch of salt, freshly cracked black pepper and garlic powder
1 rib celery, sliced thin
1/4 mango, peeled and chopped
1/3 avocado, peeled and chopped
A few thin slices watermelon radish, or other radish such as daikon
1 tablespoon raw pumpkin seeds, or other seed or nut

In a medium bowl, drizzle olive oil and balsamic over kale. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dive right in with your hands and massage the kale until all the oil has been evenly distributed and the kale has started to soften, about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients, taste for seasoning and eat!

You can find our two previous Build-Your-Own-Taco Parties here and here.

Build-Your-Own-Taco Party: The Winter Edition
Serves 6 to 12 people

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Makes ~1/3 cup

2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon coriander (that’s the spice, not the herb, cilantro)
1 tablespoon Mexican chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
Chili flakes, to taste

Mix together and keep in a sealed container to maintain freshness.

Jackfruit Carnita Filling

1 tablespoon canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped fine
1 15 oz can green jackfruit in brine, drained
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons green pepper, diced (that’s about one quarter of a pepper)
2 tablespoons pineapple, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet, over medium heat and add the onions. Sautee until they become translucent. Add the jackfruit, taco seasoning, garlic, green pepper and pineapple and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir mixture occasionally over about 20 minutes, to help break down the jackfruit. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Using a fork, pull the jackfruit into strands (this will be easy and happen naturally). Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking. Lay filling out on prepared baking sheet and place in the oven for about 45 minutes. You can make the (recipe to follow) roasted corn at the same time, even using the same roasting sheet.

Coriander Roasted Corn
Makes ~1 cup

1 cup fresh, frozen or canned corn
1/4 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon coriander
A pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste

Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine the corn with oil, coriander and salt and pepper and lay out as flat as you can on a baking sheet. Roast for ~45 minutes, until the corn has started to take on a little darker colour. Serve hot, room temperature or cold.

Potato and Swiss Chard Taco Filling

3 medium Russet potatoes, scrubbed clean, quartered and sliced
1 tablespoon non-dairy margarine
1/2 tablespoon canola oil (or other neutral oil)
~1 cup sweet onion, such as Vidalia, peeled and chopped (this was about 1/3 of a large onion)
1 head Swiss chard, most of the stems removed, roughly chopped and rinsed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (sweet or hot)
Splash of lemon juice
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes to the boiling water and allow to cook for a couple of minutes. Drain. Heat the margarine and oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the drained potatoes, onion, salt and paprika and sautee for about 5 minutes, or until the potatoes have ever so slightly started to brown. Add the Swiss chard, lemon juice and black pepper and continue to sautee until the chard has wilted. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if needed. Serve hot or room temperature.

Leafy Cauldron’s Famous Black Bean and Eggplant Filling
Makes ~2 cups 

Updated from Build-Your-Own-Taco Party: The Autumn Edition

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 small eggplant, ends trimmed, diced and salted (how to pick eggplant can be found here)
1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 tomato, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1-540 ml can black beans, rinsed well
1 cup green salsa
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet, over medium heat. Add the salted eggplant and let it start to sweat. Add the onion and sautee until it is translucent. Add the tomato and tomato paste and cook until the eggplant is soft. Add the black beans, green salsa and seasoning and start to mash with a fork. You can mash with a fork until it has thickened, or you can take my easy out and put it all in a food processor and pulse until it’s smooth. I prefer the fork method, as it leads to a better, more substantial texture.

Green Salsa
Makes ~1 1/2 cups

6 tomatillos, husked and halved
2 – 3 jalapeno peppers, tops removed
Juice of half a lime
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Handful cilantro, stems included
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blitz to combine. Taste, and adjust the spice and seasoning to your tastes.

Cabbage and Chayote Salad

1 cup shredded cabbage, I used Savoy
1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded
1 chayote squash, peeled, core removed and sliced very thin (I used a peeler)
2 teaspoons canola oil (or other neutral oil)
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Accoutrements Suggestions 

Leafy Cauldron’s Mango-Pineapple Salsa
Shredded Lettuce
Thinly sliced bell peppers
Chopped red or green onions
Pickled Jalapenos
Your favourite jarred salsa
Diced Tomatoes
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Chopped Pineapple
Brown rice
Refried Beans
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Guacamole, or avocado slices

Is it apparent yet just how much The Leafy Cauldron loves fruit? This iced tea is truly refreshing; excellent for those endless summer days when all you want to do is fan yourself and drink iced tea. Background notes of mango, highlighted with limes delivered by the perrenial favourite black iced tea make this an excellent picnic drink. I do love picnics (and fruit).

Mango Black Iced Tea
Makes 2 litres

1 litre brewed black iced tea, brewed double strength and cooled
1 cup mango simple syrup (recipe follows), or more to your taste
2 cups cold water
Juice of 4 limes
Ice, to the top of the pitcher + more for the glasses

Stir all ingredients together and pour over ice. If you’re really overheated, shake the iced tea with ice and pour out over even more ice.

Mango Simple Syrup
Makes 2 cups

1 cup puréed mango (I used frozen, done in a food processor)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup water

In a small pot, bring all ingredients to a boil. Let boil for a minute or so. Pour into a container and let cool.

Note: We here think this drink would be lovely with a little golden tequila and a bit more lime juice, if you like that sort of thing.

The level of spice can be controlled on your end; A quarter of a jalapeño will produce a mild salsa. If you’re not sure where you fall on the spectrum, start with a quarter, mix, taste and repeat. It will keep for a couple of days in the fridge, tops, so use as quickly as you can (not that I think you’ll be able to stop yourself).

Mango-Pineapple Salsa
Makes ~ 2 cups

1/2 cup diced fresh pineapple (make sure it is ripe)
1/2 large mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (I like to use cherry tomatoes)
1/2 cup red onion, diced
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper, diced, seeds included
Large handful cilantro, stem included, chopped roughly
1/4 teaspoon salt, or more to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your preferences – that might be more lime juice, more spice or more salt. Marvel at the wonder you have just created.

I’m a sporadic smoothie drinker. Something about using the blender creates a mental block for me. Hmmm… Anyhow, as I’ve said before spring means green and the tricky bright colour of this smoothie belies the delicious fruity fun underneath. Plus side, my husband is able to have all the ingredients in this smoothie with no troubles at all.

My Favourite Green Smoothie
Makes 4 cups

1 cup green grapes
1 cup fresh or frozen mango
Several handfuls greens of your choice (I think baby kale is best)
1 cups water, plus more for thinning to desired texture or to get your crappy blender to work
2 tablespoons ground flax (optional)
Lemon wedges (optional)

Throw all ingredients together in a blender and let them go. If you have a weak blender, reserve some water and pour that in, whenever it needs to get moving. I love a squeeze of lemon on top, but this is already a little tart, so take caution.

Makes 2 servings (but I won’t judge you if it’s just one)

2 ripe ataulfo mangos
1 cup pineapple cubes
1 cup full fat coconut milk
Juice of one lime
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Raspberries and mint, for garnish

In a food processor or high powered blender, combine the mangos, pineapple, coconut milk, lime juice and lime zest and blitz until soft and creamy. Pour into serving glasses, layering with fresh raspberries and topping with mint leaves and more raspberries.