Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

*** NOTE: For some very odd reason, there were some funky things going on with my posts a couple of weeks ago. This was initially due to be published on August 20th, and I apologize if it’s popping up in your inbox/reader late. Technology has not been my friend recently, but thank you for your patience and here’s to hoping all glitches have been resolved! ***

Hey guys!

As I type this I’m vibrating with excitement at the prospect of flying to Vancouver TOMORROW! I’m never one to pack days in advance but I was pretty much ready to fly out on Monday. Unfortunately, I have to get through an exam (for work) this afternoon first, so this morning will be spent reading user manuals, watching set-up videos, and trying to cram as much into my ready-for-vacation brain as possible. Don’t get too jealous. 😉

For now, let’s talk about something far tastier and interesting than exams.

1. Recipe of the Week. In honour of my upcoming trip out to the west coast, today’s featured recipe stars one of my favourite ingredients: salmon. Last year’s Vancouver holiday involved plenty of seafood and this year promises to be the same.

It just so happens that wild salmon is commonly touted as a superfood for runners, and this is fantastic because it gives me an excuse to enjoy even more of it. As you probably already know, it’s high in protein which our bodies need for muscle repair and growth. Salmon is also packed with omega-3 essential fatty acids, which boost heart health and help our nervous system to function properly. But that’s not all!

Healthy fats also help the body to regulate its response to inflammation. As I described here, inflammation is a sign that your body is functioning properly, but long-lasting chronic inflammation can lead to disease. Aint no runners got time for that! Studies show that fish oil supplementation is effective in reducing pain from arthritis as well as symptoms of exercise induced asthma. You could take fish oil capsules, but if you ask me, real fish tastes SO much better!

This Sweet Grilled Salmon with Pineapple Salsa is a way to do exactly that. The salsa can be made from fresh or frozen (and then thawed) pineapple, and the salmon gets its sweetness from the pineapple juices. And if you don’t have a grill, no problem! By barbecue is still out of propane (my fault) so I made this dish in my cast iron grill pan. It turned out perfectly, with gorgeous charring marks and everything!

Click here for the recipe.

2. Tostitos Roasted Red Pepper Salsa. A couple of weeks ago, my fellow SeaWheezing buddy Christina told me that I HAD to get my hands on a jar of the new Tostitos Roasted Red Pepper Salsa. See, Christina knows that I am a huge fan of baby carrots. I eat them on long car journeys (and by long I mean anything over 1 hour) in order to stay awake, as well as for snacks almost every day. While they’re lovely on their own, they’re even better with salsa. Not long after Christina told me about this fabulous new creation, I was in the car on my way to the grocery store to track some down.

Guys. This salsa. It’s deeeeelish. As in, so delish that the photo above is actually the second jar purchased because the first disappeared in only a couple of hours – along with a bag of baby carrots. Yours truly was the only one responsible. The roasted red pepper bits inside are like mini foodgasm surprises in every bite, and I’m pretty sure this is my all-time favourite store-bought salsa. There’s only one problem with it.

The size of the jar. 423mL is simply not enough.

We have an acronym at work, SOSD. It stands for See it, Own it, Solve it, Do it. As in, see the problem, own the problem, solve the problem, then do it. So that was what I did.

Using the ingredients on the label as my guide, I bought an enormous jar of roasted red peppers from Costco, as well as some diced tomatoes, tomato paste, jalapenos, and a few other salsa making essentials. I started by sauteeing the onion, garlic and jalapenos in a large pot for 5 mins, then added the tomatoes, some roasted red peppers that I pureed in my Vitamix, and some seasonings. It simmered on the stove for 20 minutes, then I let it cool a bit before transferring everything back into the Vitamix.

It was at this point that I realized the roasted red pepper flavour was nowhere near as prominent as it needed to be, so in went a couple more diced ones. In the end, this was the recipe I came up with, and this is what it looked like:

My version was more chunky than the Tostitos kind, but I tend to like my salsa that way. If you prefer a smoother consistency (which is vey much what Tostitos has), you could just continue pureeing the mixture in the blender until it’s nearly smooth. As for the roasted red pepper flavour, my version was close, but didn’t quite as strong of a RRP taste. If I were to make it again, I’d use even fewer diced tomatoes and more peppers. Having said that, Tostitos puts a LOT of salt in their products and I thought my much lower-salt version was delicious!

So tell me…

• Have you tried the new Tostitos salsa yet? Thoughts?
• Chunky or smooth salsa, which camp are you in?
• Did you try anything new yesterday?

And last but not least, the winner of my birthday Vega Giveaway is Mistene C. Congratulations, and I will be emailing you shortly! 🙂