Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Spicy Grilled Pineapple and Red Onion Salsa


Like many of you, we try to maintain a healthy life-style through diet and exercise. A comedian was asked if he watched what he ate and quipped, “You bet.  I watch every bite when it goes in my mouth.”

Several weeks ago Meakin hit a plateau with his weight loss program and our trainer at the gym suggested that he keep a daily food diary. At first it sounded like a pain to write down every bite you eat and then calculate the calories, but apps and websites have changed all that. Meakin uses My Fitness Pal and what once would have been a chore is now a snap to do. We’ve found that it’s amazing that the simple act of writing down everything you eat makes you much more conscious of what you put in your mouth. My Fitness Pal is a free calorie counter and food diary using an app and a website that sync automatically.

Now, just like the comedian, we watch every bite we eat. But we wanted our bites to be delicious and low in calories, not boring and dull, so we turned to Cooking Light for help. It turns out that most of the Cooking Light recipes are on My Fitness Pal and those that are not are available on-line, making it simple to calculate your calories. As one of my favorite Food Network stars would say, “How easy is that?”

This spicy salsa with grilled pineapple and red onions is a perfect example of recipes that can be found in Cooking Light. The original recipe served the salsa with a grilled pork chop, but we substituted grilled slices of lean pork tenderloin. It would be equally delicious with grilled chicken, or your favorite fish. Enjoy this flavorful salsa and your waistline and the scale will thank you.


Spicy Grilled Pineapple and Red Onion Salsa
Adapted from Cooking Light – serves 4

4 slices of fresh pineapple, about ½” thick each
1 medium red onion, cut into ½” thick slices
Cooking spray, such as Pam
1 tablespoon seeded and minced jalapeno pepper
2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Coat a grill pan with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Add pineapple and onion and cook about 4 minutes on each side or until onion is tender. Remove both from the pan and coarsely chop. Add to a bowl and toss with remaining 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice and chopped jalapeno pepper.


The opinions expressed here are solely my own and I was not compensated to recommend this. This recipe will be linked to Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and On the Menu Monday at Stone Gable. Be sure to drop by and see what’s cooking.

Just so you don't think all we think about is food at My Carolina Kitchen, these pretty Black-eyed Susans have been blooming in our garden in the mountains for quite a while now.

36 comments:

  1. Oh, this looks amazing and so good! A beautiful salsa.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
  2. The dish looks delicious and healthy - you make great use of fruit and onion. Looks like Mother Nature is putting on her late summer show at your place.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a lovely combination; that is my goal this fall cooking healthy...for our heart and for our soul.
    Rita

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love cooked pineapple so this one is for me. Thanks Diane

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know how good this must taste:)

    I make a salsa AnnT recommended..and it has the same kick factor:) I like the link to the calorie thing too..Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks great! I'm all about foods that are good for you AND taste amazing :) Buzzed

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love the onion salsa. Adds so much flavor and color! It looks amazing

    ReplyDelete
  8. I used to write down everything I ate and calculated fat and calories. Haven't done it in a while, but it's amazing to know the totals sometimes. This salsa looks really good. I love how grilling pineapple caramelizes the sugars and increases flavor.

    ReplyDelete
  9. That sounds wonderful! Pineapple is one of those things I often to forget about, it goes so well with most meats. Recently, I've been obsessed with pineapple, black bean, and cheese quesadilla at my local vegetarian food truck. I can't wait to try this! By the way, I made your Thai BBQ chicken last weekend, it's delicious.

    -Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  10. I would probably be amazed if I actually tracked what I eat. I'm sure it would be a rude awakening for me!

    ReplyDelete
  11. That salsa looks delicious! Thanks for the link to the fitness site. I think Mr. Comforts and I both could use something like that.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's summer salsas just like this one that make food taste delicious without adding a lot of calories or fat.

    Always, the colors of your dishes are vibrant and inviting.

    Velva

    ReplyDelete
  13. This makes my mouth water...we both love pineapples a lot and this is for sure the right salsa for us. Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I needed this salsa recipe. I love pineapple! Now, on the fitness thing...I gave up all white carbs, ALL, and sugar. Sorta like Adkins, but I did not give up fresh fruits.
    I've dropped 8 lbs without doing anything. Now to get back in shape.
    I think you need to lose the weight 1st, then workout. Also, I just came back from a cruise (non-stop food availability) and managed to keep to my resolve because it's not hard. But, I couldn't walk up more than 8 flights of stairs without huffing. Good luck. & love....

    ReplyDelete
  15. Love this, and the susan's are gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. So when is the book coming out? You have become my go-to spot for healthy, appealing, delicious recipes! I just bought a pineapple today...

    Bises,
    Genie

    ReplyDelete
  17. I once documented everything I put in my mouth and it was quite the eye opener. Nice to know there's a more fun way to do it! And that salsa looks just great.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Sam I just got a look at your Salsa recipe. I would have never thought of this combination. It sounds really good. Going to have to make some.
    Pat

    ReplyDelete
  19. What a wonderful salsa! So nice with fish or chicken.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Your beautiful salsa would be delicious with the fresh petrale sole I just bought at the fish market. Pineapple and red onion are a great combo. I probably would be shocked by the true calorie count of everything I ate in a day. I'm sure I'm not as virtuous as I think I am.

    ReplyDelete
  21. My mouth is watering. Out here in California we live for salsa. I'd like to eat this on fish too.

    ReplyDelete
  22. wow love this salsa so want to eat your wonderful healthy and fresh food, thanks for the congrats on the baby

    ReplyDelete
  23. What a delicious way to add pep and flavor to a dish and not add a lot of extra calories to the plate. I love how your Black-eyed Susans echo the color of the pineapple :) Our have been blooming for a few weeks too.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Your flowers are lovely. And I'm quite interested to try that recipe. I was planning on some nice pork chops this weekend and I'm going to try this salsa with them. Thank you for a great idea!

    ReplyDelete
  25. This sounds so lovely...and it is beautiful to look at, as well. I think the grilling process is wonderful for onions and pineapple...and I think I would add the jalapeños to grill too, actually. Lovely recipe, Same :D

    ReplyDelete
  26. I will be making this salsa to eat along with fish. This kind of me is my husband's favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I would probably be horrified if I had to know how many calories I was consuming on the weekends:)

    This salsa would rock with so many grilled foods, I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh, my! Putting pineapple on the grocery list right now!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I love pineapple salsa, especially with pork. Keeping a food diary is wonderful. Sometimes people don't realize how much fat and calories they are consuming in a day.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Sam, I am finally checking in on my blog, and I wanted to drop by and thank you for the well wishes. They mean so much to us.

    Things here are still up in the air, but I'm hoping to see daylight soon. I'm heading to check on the girls this week and hoping that they are feeling a little better with each day's passing. We are all trying to find a new "normal" with Adelaide's death.

    This recipe looks good. I always love to read your blog, and I usually head to the icebox when I do. LOL! I thought about you today at lunch when I had a delicious meal followed by a positively sinful chocolate dessert, and I mean sin on a fork. YUM!

    Sending you warm hugs and hoping that all is well on your side of the mountain.

    XO,

    Sheila

    ReplyDelete
  31. Wonderful slasa, Sam!

    This weekend I began Dr. Neal Barnard's "21 Day Weight Loss Kickstart Diet." It is a vegan diet --something totally new to me. I know I will have to work hard at it at first, as I normally love eggs and dairy, but I can see the health benefits of sticking with it for at least 21 days.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm amazed by the number of great apps that are available out there, and most of them are free.
    This looks like a wonderful tropical salad. I've always enjoyed pineapple grilled.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Great recipe Sam. I love Cooking Light recipes and appreciate the tip about the app. I am resurfing after a week of company.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Love cooked or grilled pineapple. Right away i was thinking to add to chicken breast.

    Thanks a lot for the useful links, even though my blog might not look like that, we also watch what we it and writing down what you eat really pays off.

    Regards,

    Mely

    ReplyDelete
  35. What an interesting way to fix pineapple. Since it is something we always have on hand, as well as all of the other ingredients, there is no reason not to try it. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Oh..my goodness...that was so good on our salmon this week!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for stopping by.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.