Summertime Recipes

Summer grilled recipes can be spiced up without adding a lot of fat or calories. Sandy Amato, Personal Chef and Private Cooking Instructor has provided a great summer recipe for Pineapple-Lime Salsa and Pumped Up Salsa.

Summertime Pineapple-Lime Salsa
1/3 cup pineapple (or apricot) preserves
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped red onion
1 tbsp. seeded, finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1 tsp. dried mint flakes (or 2 tsp. fresh, torn)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
8 oz. fresh pineapple, diced

Place the preserves in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on medium power for about 30 seconds to loosen it up a bit.

Combine the preserves and the remaining ingredients in a bowl and gently toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

Serve with grilled fish or pork.

Pumped-up Salsa
1 container of fresh salsa (Giant and Whole Foods both care good ones)
1 can black beans or pinto beans, rinsed and drained well
1 cup fresh corn (boiled or grilled and removed from the cob) or frozen sweet corn (defrosted)

The beans and corn make this a substantial and healthful salad or a refreshing side dish with grilled steak.