Pickled Peppers and Onions

From the first page of my Summer Inspiration List:

This recipe comes from Southern Living. This is my first time pickling anything and I'm really excited about the outcome! This would be awesome on top of a barbeque sandwich or wrapped up in a taco.

Pickling is a process of preserving food in a mixture of vinegar, salt, sugar, and aromatics. Quick-pickling only takes a few minutes and can kick up your food in a few simple steps!

 Pickled Peppers and Onions

from Southern Living magazine

1. Slice red onion, green pepper, red pepper, and orange pepper into 1/4 in strips and place in a canning jar

2. Bring 1 cup vinegar, 6 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper, and 1 cup water to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved

3. Pour hot vinegar over vegetables in jar. Let stand, uncovered, 1 hour. Cover and chill 24 hours. (or eat if you are too anxious)

Mango Salsa

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

I am the salsa queen. I can put away an entire jar of salsa in one sitting. Homemade is always better though so here is my favorite salsa recipe. The mango adds a perfect sweetness to the kick of the jalapeno. Whip up a bowl of this, grab some lime flavored tortilla chips (or my new obsession, black bean chips) and soak up the cinco de mayo sun!

Hint: Also good on seis de mayo...siete de mayo...

 

* 8 roma tomatoes, diced

* 1/4 of a small vidalia onion, diced

* 1 mango, diced

* 1 jalapeno, diced (with seeds for heat)

* juice of 2 limes

* cilantro, a handful

* salt and pepper

Simple, healthy, delicious. Like life should be :)

A little about jalapeno peppers.

Jalapenos are a type of chili pepper. They come in either red or green, but both varieties contain a substance called Capsaicin. Capsaicin has been proven to temporarily increase metabolism through a reaction known as thermogenesis. The pepper causes your body to produce heat and then has to work to cool itself back down. Capsaicin also works as an anti-inflammatory and pain reliever. More studies are being done on the health benefits of capsaicin.

So don't shy away from spicy foods! Add the seeds and even the ribs of the jalapeno to your dishes, pour yourself a glass of water, and embrace the heat!