Grilled Cherry Salsa + Weekly Menu

I hate when cars don’t stop at cross-walks for runners, walkers, bikers…you know, people exercising and/or commuting in a very green way. It’s one of my biggest pet peeves.

I also hate when people people pay with a personal check at the grocery store, ESPECIALLY if it’s not even signed. Unless you’re 97, you have no excuse. I’m sorry, you’re annoying…please enter the world of cash, credit, or debit. I swear to you, I’ve never balanced a checkbook in my life. I let Chase.com do this for me.

Lastly, I hate when people say they don’t like something before they’ve even tried it. Granted, I draw the line at organ meat and insects, but otherwise, I’m an open book. I especially love unique combinations that create masterful flavors that I would’ve never, in a million years, made up on my own.

Recently, I’ve tried watermelon + jalapeno, peach + pineapple, watermelon + feta, pimento + cheese, mango + fish sauce, ginger + rhubarb, and many more, I’m sure.

When Biz posted this recipe for Grilled Cherry Salsa, I jumped with excitement (cherries! salsa!) and then scratched my head with apprehension. This process repeated itself several times over until I finally bit the bullet and tried this. Well, actually…I was just waiting for cherries to come into season and to come down in price. And finally, they did.

Summer. Is. Here.

I tried the salsa and liked it…a lot. I asked Mr. Prevention to try it…and he liked it…a lot.

“Be honest,” I said to him. “I’m taking this to Matt and Tiffany’s for other people to eat and if it’s too ‘weird’, I need to know now to throw together a plan B.”

“No, it’s really, really good,” he assured me.

So off we went with the Grilled Cherry Salsa. Little did I know, one of the attendees was a super picky eater. Not only we were to hide the presence of cherries in the salsa but the burgers were “beef”, not “lamb”. Well, someone finally caved and told Josh, the picky eater, what he had consumed, with chip and cherry salsa en route to his mouth. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Whatever, it’s good!”

Men…

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Grilled Cherry Salsa slightly adapted from My Bizzy Kitchen

4 large tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper
3 garlic cloves
2 cup fresh cherries, pitted
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 lime, zested and juiced
1 tsp kosher salt

Directions:

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Char the tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic and cherries (you may need to thread the cherries onto skewers depending on your grates – I just threw mine on!).

Add all the ingredients to a blender and puree smooth. Chill for for at least 3-4 hours, until ready to serve.

Yield: ~4 cups (16 servings – 1/4 cup each).

Nutrition Information (per serving): 16 calories; 0.06 g. fat; 0 mg. cholesterol; 144 mg. sodium; 3.8 g. carbohydrate; 0.7 g. fiber; 0.5 g. protein

Result: Delicious! The cherry isn’t over-powering, but it creates an indescribable depth to the flavor and really tames down the spice of the jalapeno making this a not-too-hot salsa option for those who don’t want all the heat. The cherries also make for this stunning, deep-red color. And the scents…mmmm! A sure hit, this one!

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Weekly Menu: July 8th – 12th

• Sunday: Foil Packet Fish over Greek Orzo
• Monday: Thai Shrimp Soup with Lemon and Jalapenos
• Tuesday: ­Pasta with Tomatoes, Pine Nuts and Raisins
• Wednesday: Quinoa Black Bean Burrito Bowls
• Thursday: leftovers

 It’s my last day of care-free joblessness. Ahhh!

P.S. There was a request for Lily pictures at the beach. So, here we go!

Be well,