salsa

Crab Cake Sliders with Pineapple Kiwi Salsa.

January 30, 2012 · 84 comments

This is one time in your life I’m going to say that you really want crabs.

The GOOD kind.

I mean, there’s just so much to be said about these short little sliders. !!!

…their crispy crab midsections.

…their tiny toasted buns.

…the cascading juicy fruits cubes.

…their adorable general plumpness.

Because if there’s one thing I love, it’s a sandwich packed so fat that you can barely get your mouth around it.

And I’m willing to do anything just so you’ll make them and join in the mush fest with me.

Well, that’s only three quarters true.

Anything including video cameras or broccoli is strictly prohibited.

Back around the time when I wore silk shirts blanketed by paisley vests, leggings with lace squares on the bottoms, my fair share of skorts and bowed down every Sunday at the temple known as Limited Too, I sort of thought crab cakes sucked.

Like… why would I want to eat a cake made of crustaceans when I really just want to eat a cake made of sugar? And why would I order crab cakes when the only seafood I ever think about is that lobster romano that my mom brings home half of in a styrofoam container nearly every.single.week.? That I hurry up and eat when no one’s looking then blame it on my brother? And why am I finding, like… thick chunks of stale bread in my crab[less] cakes and not any actual crabs?

And seriously… why is my hair permed?

I’m so glad that phase is behind me. All of them.

Crab Cake Sliders

[from my simple & light crab cakes]

makes 8-10 sliders, depending on bun size

1 pound lump crabmeat

8 saltine crackers, crushed (I used multigrain)

1 large egg

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon plain greek yogurt or mayo

pinch of cayenne pepper

salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

8-10 whole grain slider buns or dinner rolls

Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in a bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Heat a skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. While it’s heating, form the crab mixture into small patties that will fit the size of bun you’ve purchased. Place them in the skillet and cook until lightly golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side.

 

Spicy Lime Yogurt Spread

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (or more if desired)

zest of half of a lime

juice of half a lime

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth and combined.

 

Pineapple Kiwi Salsa

1 kiwi, peeled and chopped

1/2 jalapeno, chopped

2 pineapple rings, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

the juice of half a lime

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to mix. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Monday is better with these.

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{ 84 comments }

Cranberry Pear Salsa.

November 15, 2011 · 132 comments

I seriously don’t know what possessed me to buy these cranberries.

How pathetic is this? I didn’t even know if cranberries could be eaten raw… and whole. I didn’t think it was possible to bite into them without breaking a tooth or something. What the what?

And don’t act so surprised… I come from a long line of women who fully support the Ocean Spray can, and while we’re on the topic, I’m going to admit that I sort of love it. Like want-to-crawl-inside-and-burrow-a-little-tunnel-in-that-sauce love it. Come next Thursday, if I have the choice between lovely, orange-scented, fresh-busting cranberry sauce and the gelled cylinder that just slid out of a can… I’m totally going with the gel. Sue me!

Go ahead and slap me silly. I don’t hate it.

Since one of the only things I really succeed at in life is spending money, a stupid giant bag of cranberries made it into my cart without any plan or thought last week.

This is typical. I was annoyed by said purchase within five minutes of arriving home and continued to glare at these little NON-JUICY (this is important people) red pearls allll weekend long.

Like… who created a fruit that isn’t juicy when you bite into it?! Or that needs sixteen cups of sugar to taste good? Whatever.

 

So…

First, I baked something flakey with cranberries.

I’ll show you that later.

Then, I dumped 5 pounds of cranberries on the floor.

I’ll show you that now.

And since I don’t really have all these warm and fuzzy loving feelings for cranberries, I didn’t want them to rot in my fridge for the all of eternity. Or, you know… the next four months when I most likely decide to clean the fridge.

Into the food processor they went! I mean, if blueberries can do it… why not cranberries? Oh… because cranberries ARE NOTHING LIKE BLUEBERRIES. Don’t let the circular shape fool you. FYI.

 

But. Wait for it… wait for it…

…it worked! Pretty in color, super tart, sweet from the honey and full of salsa-like qualities… blue corn chips don’t stand a chance near this salsa. Other appropriate vehicles? Melty brie… crispy white fish… turkey paninis (how the heck do you spell that?) and… spoons.

Cranberry Pear Salsa

makes about 1 1/2 cups of salsa

1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries

1 anjou pear, peeled and chopped

1 large apple, peeled and chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

1/2 jalapeno, chopped

1/3 cup fresh cilantro

the juice of two limes

the juice of one orange

4 tablespoons honey

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and season with additional salt or honey if desired.

Note: this salsa can be very TART depending on your cranberries. Don’t be afraid to add more honey, salt or even a few spoonfuls of sugar (yes, sugar!) to the mix.

Thanksgiving is the best day ever.

{ 132 comments }

Grilled Corn, Peach and Basil Salsa.

August 24, 2011 · 79 comments

 To Whom It May Concern:

Remember when you asked me for a people pleasing appetizer and I coyly gave you four salsa recipes and a smile?

Not crostini. Not baked brie. Not bean dip.

Well… it’s not a copout. I’m all about little cubes of produce chucked together and salted heavily.

And it’s not because I’m lazy (which I am) or because it’s easy (which it really, really is). It’s because I find that in the middle of summer, when you’re born with the sweat gene that makes it pour down your front, back, head and unmentionables the minute the temperature exceeds 75 degrees, and the sun is beating down like something fierce while you try to feed ten hungry mouths, fruit salsa makes a huge splash.

 

You should also know that I rarely follow a recipe for salsa and it often goes something like this:

1. cut up vegetables (ew) without trying to chop off fingers

2. add fruit because it is SO much better than vegetables

3. add salt-n-pepa (not the rap stars… that would be weird)

4. “taste” by inhaling an entire bag of blue corn chips

5. chop up more fruits and veggies (ew) because you ate so much

6. go buy more blue corn chips because you are really good at spending money… and you ate so much

7. eat a cookie because you deserve it since you ate so many vegetables

 

I just tell it like it is.

I’m telling you that real people LOVE this. You know… as opposed to fake people. Throw a little fruit plus a little salt in your coarsely chopped vegetables and friends think you should open a restaurant or something. Serve it with salty tortillas chips and sweet pita chips and you’re the most popular kid on the block.

 

I’m not lying when I tell you that salsas are my number one go-to for parties. Easy, sweet, savory, no muss, no fuss. I don’t wear aprons and I don’t like worrying about making food when I could be throwing back shots and giggling with friends. It’s the truth!

Now do you believe me?

Grilled Corn, Peach and Basil Salsa

makes about 3 cups

4 ears grilled corn, cut off the cob

2 large peaches, chopped

1 large tomato, chopped

1/4 red onion, chopped

6 large basil leaves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

a few fresh squeezes of lemon juice

Combine all ingredients together and toss. Season with the salt and pepper, then mix again. I find the salsa is best one it’s sat together for 2-4 hours. Refrigerate leftovers for up to one week.

Sincerely,

The One Who Hogged The Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips

{ 79 comments }

Blueberry Lime Salsa.

Blueberry Lime Salsa inspired by American Spoon makes about 1 1/2 cups 1 cup fresh blueberries 5 medium strawberries 1/4 red onion 1 teaspoon lime zest juice of two limes 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves 1/2 avocado, chopped salt and pepper to taste Combine blueberries, strawberries, onion, lime zest, juice and cilantro in a food processor or blender and pulse. The consistency is up to you but I like to leave mine a bit chunky, so I only pulse it about 5-6 times. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Scrape salsa into a bowl and fold in chopped avocado. Serve with pita or corn chips, or on top of fish or chicken.

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Strawberry Mango Basil Salsa.

I have a slight basil obsession going on right now. As you can imagine, it is quite an expensive obsession considering basil is not in season at the moment. But would you expect anything less from me? Plus, the mangos have been on sale for two weeks. Cheap mangos make up for expensive basil. Initially, I was going to make a batch of kiwi mango salsa. But then I started thinking about the strawberries in my fridge and was reminded of how delicious the quick mango salsa that I chopped for the shrimp tacos was. We’ve only eaten those shrimp tacos six times in the last two weeks. No big deal.   The strawberries were calling my name. I couldn’t help it. They just smell so sweet! I’m a bit enamored with strawberries too… in case you didn’t notice. I love the strawberries and basil separately, but right now I can’t get over how delicious they are when combined. They were destined for salsa. The fun part? You can serve this as a layered salsa or mix it up. I chose to mix mine up because I wanted to get a taste of everything with each bite. Which wasn’t hard at [...]

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Sweet Corn and Avocado Salsa.

  A few months ago, I went through a blue corn chip addiction. I sent myself to rehab, otherwise know as ‘winter’ here in Pittsburgh.   See, the blue corn chip addiction was exacerbated by fresh, ripe avocados made into delicious guacamole. And since avocado’s cost an arm and a leg here during the winter, I kicked the habit. I’m not a chips-and-salsa gal, unless we are at a Mexican restaurant with homemade chips and I’m 4 margarita’s deep.   I had a half-full bag of blue corn chips that were most likely a bit stale and a few months old. In true Mother Lovett fashion, I didn’t let them go to waste and created this concoction to dip them in. Unlike Mother Lovett, they weren’t 6 years expired. Yes, folks. That was perfectly acceptable.   I love corn. I love sweet corn. If corn was the only vegetable on earth, I would love vegetables. Speaking of those treacherous things, I ate a few veggies yesterday. Sandwiched in between some wheat bread and goat cheese, I chomped down a few roasted sweet peppers. They were . . . eh, alright. I kind of enjoyed them. But I’m not ready to [...]

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Kiwi Mango Salsa.

Become a fan of How Sweet It Is on Facebook!   Last week I found myself with an undying desire for kiwi. I bought 4 when I was grocery shopping, and by morning was left with 2. I guess hungry, angry husband syndrome set in.   He must have really enjoyed the kiwi, because he came home Saturday afternoon with 3lbs of them. That equals out to approximately 24 fuzzy guys. But don’t take my word for it, because I’m really bad at math.  Each kiwi tasted better than the next – juicy, fresh and sweet. Is it kiwi season? Is there such a thing? But what was I to do with all of them? Unlike my husband, I can’t eat things over and over and over again. First idea that came to mind? Make a salsa with it. I love fruit salsa. I love any kind of salsa. I love anything I can dip a chip into. And yes, salsa is one of the only way I eat veggies. They are always edible when smothered on a salty chip.   Into the mix went kiwi, mango, orange bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, avocado and lime juice. It’s easy for me [...]

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