Garlicky Red Quinoa Patties with Mango Black Bean Salsa

One of the perks of living in Florida is that when fruit trees bear fruit, people suddenly have more than they know what do with, and the wealth inevitably gets shared. I remember waking up to a huge box of mangos on my front porch one morning when I lived there during law school…

One of my friend’s parents’ had a mango tree in their backyard (along with a grapefruit tree, those lucky ducks) and I was absolutely certain the fruit was from her family (who also frequently dropped off oranges and avocados that they got from a friend who also had fruit trees).

Well, just leaving them on the doorstep does sound like something my dad would do, my friend said with a laugh when I asked her about them; however, later when she asked her dad, he said wasn’t the culprit. I asked around a bit more, but never did find out who had left the mango bounty.

It didn’t matter though; I said a silent thank-you every time I enjoyed one of those delicious mangos, and I had a lot of fun thinking of different ways to use them.

One of my absolute favorite combos was a black bean and mango concoction I made. I’d mix up a big batch – adding other flavorings like onion, garlic, fresh herbs, and vinegar or lemon juice – and keep it in the fridge all week for quick meals.

I used to wrap it up in soft tortilla shells, eat it on top of salad greens, or as a topping for brown rice. Even aside from the fact that I got the mangos for free, it was a super cheap and incredibly tasty meal.

The other day I was at the fresh produce market here in Kuwait and saw stall after stall of produce with beautiful mangos on display. Memories of that mango black bean combo came back to me; before I knew it, I was on my way home with two large armfuls of mangos in tow.

Here I serve that fabulous salsa on top of garlicky red quinoa patties. The savory flavor of the garlicky patties is the perfect contrast to the sweet, fruity flavor of the salsa. It doesn’t take much time to fry up the quinoa patties, but if time is an issue, the Mango Black Bean Salsa is also wonderful on top of regular quinoa.

Disclosure: I received the quinoa that I used in this recipe for free from Bob’s Red Mill. I did not receive compensation for this post and I was under no obligation to review the product; as always, opinions stated are my own.