salsa

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

Black Bean & Corn Salsa.

One of my favorite new healthy snacks is black bean and corn salsa.

It makes a wonderful “scoop” with tortilla chips.

It is also great all by itself as a salad or piled on top of a grilled chicken breast or fish.

It is light, healthy, crunchy, tangy, low-calorie, high-fiber, and absolutely DELISH too!

Here is how I make it, but you can surely tweak to your liking.  It would be great with a bit of fresh cilantro, which I didn’t have on hand when I made this batch on Sunday.  You could also switch it up with any other kind of bean you like or other veggies like cherry tomatoes or cucumbers.

Black Bean & Corn Salsa

  • Servings: approx. 3 cups
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Ingredients:

  • 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen or canned corn*
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/3 cup diced onion
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Balsamic vinegar to taste (approx. 2 Tbsp)

Directions:

Combine all  vegetables in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Drizzle with Balsamic vinegar to taste.

Serve as a salsa for tortilla chips, as a salad, or as a topping for grilled chicken or fish.

Store well in airtight refrigerator container for several days.

*TIP:  When we buy fresh corn on the cob in the summer, we always buy a full dozen, though we never eat all of that for the two of us.  We cut the leftover off the cob, throw it in a Ziploc freezer bag, and toss it in the freezer for the winter months or times when fresh corn is not available.  It is so much better than canned corn.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

Easy Fresh Homemade Salsa

/ Jodi / 32 Comments

Easy Fresh Homemade Salsa.

I LOVE salsa!

And this time of year when tomato plants in our gardens are overflowing with more tomatoes than we can eat, it is the perfect time to make fresh salsa.

It is so easy to make and so healthy and versatile for snacking or cooking.  I love dipping tortilla chips in it for snack.  It is also my favorite baked potato topping.  Skip the butter and sour cream for me, and pile on the salsa!  Throw frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts in a crockpot on low, top with a pint of salsa, and ignore it for 8 hours.  Return for a delicious, nutritous main course of Salsa Chicken.

There are gajillion ways to make salsa.  You can add corn and black beans for a heartier twist.  You can add chopped peaches or mango for a sweeter twist.  You can add jalapenos or your favorite spicy, hot peppers if heat is your style!

What are your favorite ways to enjoy salsa?

Here is how I made it this past weekend.

Fresh Homemade Salsa

  • Servings: approx. 6 cups
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Ingredients:

  • 4-6 Ripe Tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 10 oz. can Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chiles
  • 1/2 Large Vidalia Sweet Onion, quartered
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
  • Fresh Cilantro (or dried) to taste
  • 3 green onions, cut into pieces
  • Juice of a fresh Lime
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp Maldon Sea Salt Flakes or your favorite salt

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a food processor.  Pulse several times until desired chopped consistency.  Serve immediately or store in a jar or airtight container in refrigerator for up to several weeks.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

 

Cranberry Jalapeno Holiday Dip

/ Jodi / 36 Comments

Cranberry Jalapeno Holiday Dip.

When I was asked to bring an appetizer to my new Daughter-in-Law, Liz’s family Thanksgiving, I knew I had to make this after being told by my BFF, Jill that everyone was “jonesing it” when she made it for a party.

First I had to laugh at our 50+ year old selves using urban slang, then I had to make it and see if it was so!

Well – Yep!  It was a hit! One sister asked if the recipe was on the blog, because she wanted it (here it is Laura!), and another said she normally doesn’t like salsas, but she really liked it.

It is sweet, and it is spicy. It is crunchy, and it is creamy. All of this in a bite!

Thumbs up from all, except for hubby, who said it was… meh… He preferred the other appetizer I made – Pumpkin Pecan Baked Brie – which was pretty amazing too!

But will you make this and let me know and prove him wrong? <wink>

So secret revealed here.  I did not take pictures of the batch I made for Thanksgiving, so I made it again this past week just to get pictures <whistles and rolls eyes… not owning up to the fact that I ate a quarter of it for lunch one day…..>

And guess what else I did with it this week?  I made a leftover cold turkey sandwich and slathered some of this on the Smart Bun first.  YUM!  Who knew it would make a great turkey sandwich spread too??!!

This will be a hit at any holiday gathering, and it is so easy and pretty!  Here is the recipe as I slightly tweaked from a recipe I found through Pinterest:

Cranberry Jalapeno Holiday Dip

Ingredients:1 12oz. bag fresh cranberries

  • 1/3 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup sliced jalapeno pepper slices in a jar (or 1-2 fresh if you like it HOT!)
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro
  • Juice of 1 fresh lemon
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 16 oz. cream cheese, softened

Directions:

Chop cranberries (I used the Pampered Chef Food Chopper, and it worked wonderfully, but you can also chop by hand.  Do not put in a food processor as they will become too mushy), and place in a medium bowl.  Add chopped green onions, jalapenos, cilantro, lemon juice, salt, and sugar, and stir gently, but well.

Cover, and let refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, strain or squeeze liquid from cranberry relish.

Spread cream cheese in bottom of a pie plate or serving dish.  Top with cranberry relish mixture.

Serve with crackers, tortilla chips, pita chips, celery sticks, or your favorite “dipper.”

Enjoy, and let me know if you and your friends are jonesing it too!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

A Slice of Pineapple in Watercolor

/ Jodi / 69 Comments
pineapple slice

Watercolor Pineapple Slice 8 x 10 140# Hot Press Arches

I had so much fun painting my pineapple for my Be Like A Pineapple post about a week ago, that I wanted to do pineapple again.

This time I decided to do a juicy slice.

Pineapple is such a wonderful summertime fruit.   It is delicious to eat all by itself, but it also pairs well with so many things – like the Pineapple Blueberry Salsa recipe I shared last month that I made to go with Fish Tacos.  It’s delicious in rice and chicken dishes (like my Crock Pot Hawaiin BBQ Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Slaw), fruit salads, in upside down and Hummingbird Cake (oh do I love that!), and frozen in sorbet and sherbet.

What is your favorite way to eat pineapple?

I painted this pineapple slice on Arches Hot Press like I did the other as I love how fluid it allows the watercolor paint to flow when painting this luscious fruit.  The colors I used were Lemon Yellow, Azo Yellow, Cadmium Yellow, New Gamboge, Raw Sienna, Burnt Umber, Green Gold and Sap Green.

Have a sweet day!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

#WorldWatercolorMonth

Pineapple Blueberry Salsa

/ Jodi / 50 Comments

Pineapply Blueberry Salsa

It was HOT here in Mars this past weekend, so Sunday supper called for something light and fresh.  I rarely make fish as Hubby is a bit skeptical about it, but I had some frozen Hake loin filets in the freezer that needed to be used.

Pineapple Blueberry Salsa on Whole GrainTostitos Scoop

I was still OOGLING the amazing Fish Tacos I had the night before at Breakneck Tavern – O M G – and thought I’d try some type of version at home.

Pineapply Blueberry Salsa 2

So I made this super yummy, bright, fresh, fruity and savory (with just a touch of heat) Pineapple Blueberry Salsa to accompany the fish, but it also tastes AMAZING on tortilla chips.  I had some Tostitos Wholegrain Scoops, and they were just the ticket to balance out the flavors and allow for a healthy scoop of fruit and veggies in every bite!

This salsa and chips would be a great company or party snack to go with white wine spritzers or some white sangria (and everything goes with Gin and Tonics in the summertime!).

Here is the recipe.  Hope you’ll give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Pineapple Blueberry Salsa*

  • Servings: approx. 4 cups
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Ingredients:Pineapply Blueberry Salsa

  • 2 cups diced fresh pineapple
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 1 cup chopped sweet red and/or orange peppers
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 fresh lime, juiced (or lemon)
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped or 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (for a bit of heat)
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • 1/4 tsp cumin

Combine all ingredients and serve with tortilla chips (especially yummy with Frito Lay Whole Grain Tostitos Scoops, or alongside chicken or fish for a fresh and light, summery accompaniment.

Tastes bests when chilled for several hours to allow flavors to fully blend.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,
Jodi

*slightly adapted from Jen @ CarlsbadCravings

Thank You Berry (Salsa) Much

/ Jodi / 9 Comments

thank you berry much

Thank you cards might be my favorite cards to make and send.  There is something so heartwarming about putting to art and words your feelings of gratitude and sharing it with the person you are thankful to.

So when one of my co-workers did something especially nice and helpful (which is a regular occurrence from her – lucky me – eh?!), I had this little card I had made a while back when I was practicing water color painting where I had laid out some fruit and mint leaves and tried to create it.  I was goofing around with making it a (not sure of the term?) combination of words and “art.”  (Anybody know the technical name for this or is there even such a thing?)  Need to work on my handwriting, but thought it was fun… or maybe I ruined it??

Nonetheless, I used this, along with a little batch of my Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chip Cookies as a way to thank my friend and co-worker.  (Thank you Judy!!)

And while we are talking about the wonderful fruits of summer and berries, it brought to mind a favorite recipe I used to make and demonstrate from Pampered Chef years ago when I was a “Pampered Chef Lady” that I thought I’d share with you here today.  Only, I kicked it up a notch by adding fresh red raspberries too!  I’ve got to make this again soon!

Berry Salsa with Cinnamon Chips

Photo courtesy of myreciperoundup.blogspot.com

Ingredients:
2 Medium Granny Smith Apples, chopped
1 Cup Strawberries, hulled and chopped
1 Kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 Cup Red Raspberries
1 Medium Orange, juiced and zested
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Apple Jelly
4 Large Tortillas
2 Tbsp Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon

Directions:

Gently mix together first seven ingredients in a bowl.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.  Brush tortillas with water using a pastry brush.  Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle over tortillas.  Cut each tortilla into eight wedges, and place on a baking stone (or cookie sheet).  Bake 5-7 minutes until golden brown and crisp.  Remove to cooling rack, then place in a bowl or basket alongside the salsa, and ENJOY!

Recipe from The Pampered Chef (modified)

Cheers & Hugs & Thank You BERRY Much for Visiting LifeinBetween.me,
Jodi

How does your Garden Grow? With Prickly Cukes and Juicy ‘Maters and Spicy Peppers all in a Row

/ Jodi / 4 Comments

Ok – so I’m not quite the “Mary Mary Quite Contrary” Nursery Rhyme Poet that Mother Goose was…

But OH How I LOVE to watch my Garden Grow!

tomatoes

I only started vegetable gardening – again – a few years ago – and my garden is just a tiny, manageable patch…

tomatoes2

with enough tomatoes and cucumbers for fresh salads by mid to end of summer (and OH I just can’t wait for these to turn RED! – and my Orange Pineapple Heirloom tomatoes to emerge!)

cukes

and some spicyJalapeno peppers to zip up fresh salsa!

jalapenos

and some banana (Hungarian Wax?) peppers to stuff with spicy sausage!

bpeppers

and I love how fresh and clean everything looks in the morning after a night of nourishing rain.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi