Welcome to another year around the sun! I hope 2022 brings what your heart desires the most.
For me, as I’ve started to get older, the only real wish that I have daily, is to maintain my good health. Everything else seems so unimportant. And everything else seems to naturally flow from good health. I get a good night’s rest, and that flows into an energetic day. A good deed – however small, sets a positive mood – both for the receiver and the giver. A wholesome and nourishing meal creates a sense of fullness and satisfaction without the guilt and the bloat. You see, good health is not just from food. It encompasses a whole lot more. Read more about You Are What You Digest.
As the year-end partying is coming to a close, I see garbage bins on our street literally bursting at the tops (they can’t even close the lids down) with huge dessert boxes, deep fried food containers with ingredient lists so long, that it makes your head reel.
How are we expecting to get through the current and other future pandemics without paying any attention to our physical and mental wellbeing?
Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad
Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad
Need a side dish that will nourish you inside out? Then, you’ve come to the right spot.
This recipe is my sister Meera’s. She served it at a cousins’ meetup when I was in Bangalore late last year. Even though there was a ton of other foods, this salad dish got totally empty even before dinner had started. I have made a couple of modifications to her recipe, and I am sure it will be a huge hit at your place, as it was at hers.
This Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad will add a festive touch to your meal. There’s the looks of course – think of the pop up of the yellows, reds, greens and oranges!!. And then, there’s also an explosion of flavors in your mouth. The sweetness from the pineapple, the delicious crunchiness from the bell peppers play nicely together. The tiny spice bombs from the serrano peppers add just the right touch of surprise element to the salad. The dash of lemon juice creates that mouth-watering blend that will make your guests go back for many seconds.
How to Serve the Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad?
You can get super creative with how to serve this delicious dish. For one, serve it as is, with some crunchy toppings. If you are not vegan, a few crumbles of feta cheese or a dash of dry herbs like oregano or Herbes de Provence will add a nice touch.
Another option is to serve as a dip for chips. I have used colorful vegetable chips to scoop up this salsa.
Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad – Use as a Dip with Chips
I have also used this as a topping over French baguettes. Slice the bread (use the freshest you can find), gently toast on a pan on both sides. Top with this salsa and enjoy.
Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad – Serve on French Bread
Eating the Rainbow is one of the best things you can do for your mind and body. Pineapples have a compound called Bromelain which helps lower pain and inflammation. Bell peppers are extremely rich in vitamin C and antioxidants. This raw salad is your first step towards strengthening your immune system and warding off disease.
Salad Recipes
It doesn’t matter what time of the year it is, salads are a definite must at my home for several lunches a week. Do try a few of my favorites:
- Harvest Salad with Spinach-Apple-Pomegranate
- Raw Dosakaya Salad
- Spicy, Tangy Sprouts & Carrot Salad
- Spicy-Sweet Jicama Salad
- Summery Quinoa Salad
- Zesty Carrot Garbanzo Usli
- Colorfully Crunchy Strawberry-Grape-Kale Salad
- Balsamic Caprese
- Carrot-Cucumber Kosumbari
- Tabbouli/Tabbouleh
- Kale-Pear-Turnip-Goat Cheese Salad
- Sprouted Moong-Cucumber Kosumbari Salad
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Tropical Pineapple and Bell Pepper Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Pineapple - Finely cut
- 1 Cup Red Bell Peppers - Finely cut
- 1 Cup Orange Bell Peppers - Finely cut
- 1 Green Chili Pepper - Serrano works best
- 2 Teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Lime Juice - Freshly squeezed. Lemon juice also works
- 1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt - Or to taste
- 1 Teaspoon Sunflower Seeds - Roasted
- 1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Seeds - Roasted
Instructions
- Cut pineapple into small pieces and add to mixing bowl. Add finely chopped red and orange bell peppers to the bowl. Add olive oil.
- Add finely cut serrano peppers according to taste. Add salt to taste. Mix well and add freshly squeezed lemon/lime juice. Mix well and adjust spice, salt and tanginess.
- Store in the fridge for about an hour and allow the juices to marinate. Just before serving, mix in the roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
- Serve as a salsa, side dish, salad, appetizer or as topping on toasted sourdough bread. Be creative!
