Since this blog is titled train.eat.smile, it’s not fair that I’ve skimped on the food related posts. I am by no means a great (or even good) cook. I’m terrible at it and after 20+ years of trying, it’s still not something that I enjoy. Eating, on the other hand, is one of my favorite activities in the whole wide world. I love food. I love the tastes, textures, emotions and memories it has the power to bring up. I love studying food origins, discovering new fruits & veggies, and of course, pairing meals with my favorite boozy concoctions.

When it comes to depression, food plays a different role for everyone. I have been fortunate in that neither binge eating nor lack of appetite have been problems for me. On the flip side, I often credit food with my continuous recovery.

Because I’m not a cook, I’d like to keep the recipes that I share simple, easy to make, and above all: packed with flavor. Today’s recipe is one of my favorite salads/salsas. It tastes amazing on its own, but I also love mixing it with some quinoa. Here’s why I dig it:

It’s easy: You’re just cutting up a bunch of stuff, grilling some corn, and mixing it all together. It’s a meal that you can make even on the bad days and it doesn’t take too long.

It’s an exercise in mindfulness: There’s quite a bit of chopping, slicing, and zesting. Pay close attention to each task. Try to appreciate the smell and feel of each ingredient. Really try to be present and in the moment, acknowledging each action.

It tastes freaking amazing and it’ll help boost your mood: When you take a bite of this salad, you can almost always taste each individual ingredient. You get such a rush of flavor and get to explore every taste and texture. If that doesn’t boost your mood a little, the nutrients will. The tomatoes are rich in lycopene, shown to help stop the build up of the inflammation that is linked to depression and the mango has some B-6 which helps to promote serotonin production.

Without further ado…

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 mango

½ large onion (red looks prettier, but white works just as well)

¼ jalapeno

¾ can of corn

½ can of black beans

1 Roma tomato

1 lemon

1 lime

Chop up the mango, onion, tomato, and jalapeno. Set aside. Rinse the black beans until the water is clear. Let them dry for about 5 minutes. Grill the corn until it’s a little brown. Let it cool. Mix everything together in a medium bowl. Zest a little of the lemon and lime. Squeeze the lemon and lime and mix everything together. Throw in some salt/pepper if you like.

This makes a good sized serving so it can last a couple meals. It also keeps well in the fridge for a couple days. .