Strawberry Kiwi Salsa

When I was a kid, my favorite flavor of Lip Smackers was strawberry kiwi. I would apply it multiple times a day just to be able to lick and scrape it off my lips. Don't tell me you didn't do something similar. I just don't believe you.

Yes, I know it's disgusting. But, growing up, I wasn't the biggest fan of fruits and vegetables. I was more the cookies and chicken kind of girl. So I was just doing whatever I could to get my daily intake of produce, okay? Okay.

I also loved strawberry kiwi flavored waters. You know, like the Clear American ones they sell at Walmart? I used to love those. Strawberry kiwi smoothies are also delicious. Basically, I love strawberry kiwi.

It's like chocolate and peanut butter.

Chocolate and mint.

Chocolate and hazelnut.

Chooooocolaaaaaate.

Anyway. I came up with this brilliant salsa idea on the fly this morning. It seemed just crazy enough to work, what with perfectly ripe strawberries, tart kiwi and the right amount of heat.



It worked. It worked so well I ate almost the whole batch, and was left with a burning mouth and a chin full of fruit juices. Fruit salsas are one of the best ideas since combining chocolate and hazelnut to make Nutella.



Oh, Nutella, you make me so weak in the knees.

In short: this salsa rocks.


Strawberry kiwi salsa
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup strawberries, chopped
- 2 large kiwi or 4 small, chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro, torn
- Sea salt, to taste

Instructions
- Combine all ingredients, stir, and refridgerate for at least an hour, or until ready to serve. The longer it sits, the juicier it gets and the flavors begin to meld in the loveliest of ways.

Makes ~2 cups

Tropical getaway

The brisk change of the weather in western Massachusetts has definitely gotten me down. It was beautiful and warm last week, but now it's just gloomy and rainy. What to do when you want to be reminded of the warm breeze and sunshine? Cook! One of the many nice things about cooking is that you can travel wherever you want to go.

Teriyaki tempeh, red quinoa and peach salsa

I'm not lying when I say that this meal lifted my spirits. How could it not? It's gorgeous and bright. The star here is really the salsa; I could eat it by the bucketful.

Teriyaki tempeh
Ingredients
- 1/2 package of tempeh, cut into triangles
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 2 tsp agave nectar
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cornstarch + 1 tsp water

Instructions
- In a medium pot, bring water to boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add tempeh, and allow to steam for 10 minutes.
- In a sauce pan, combine remaining ingredients (except cornstarch). Bring to a slow boil, then quickly reduce to simmer. Add cornstarch and stir until thickened.
- Thoroughly coat tempeh triangles in teriyaki sauce.
- Grill for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until the sauce begins to caramelize.

Peach salsa
Ingedients
- 1/2 cup frozen peaches (you can use fresh or canned if desired)
- 1/3 cup frozen corn (though it would be even more delicious with fresh roasted corn)
- 1/3 cup red bell pepper
- 1 large shallot (red onion would be lovely too, but I only had shallots on hand)
- 1/2 lime, juice + zest
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- 1 tbsp cilantro
- Pinch of cayenne
- Salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions
- Cut all of the produce into bite size pieces.
- In a small bowl, combine lime juice, cayenne and agave. Whisk until combined. Mix into fruits/veggies.
- Top with cilantro. Stir until combined. Season as needed.
- For optimum results, allow to sit in the fridge for at least an hour. The longer it sits, the better the flavors meld.

The quinoa is pretty straight forward. Bring 1 part quinoa and 2 parts water to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and they sprout their little tails. I kept mine plain because there was more than enough flavor in this dish already. I quite like the red quinoa, it has more of a bite and a nicer color than its white counterpart. I think I'm going to combine both and make a "quinoa blend" since I'm running low on both, so we'll see how that turns out.



Now, to actually get to the islands...;)