Nothing Says Summer Like Pineapple

Last year was a bit of a milestone birthday for my husband and I was at a loss as to how to celebrate.

I procrastinated...and then I procrastinated some more...when it came to planning a celebration.

Finally I spotted a tropical party or something random like that on Pinterest- lightbulbs went off and I decided to run with it.

I went all-in.

My house had fishing nets, leis, coconut bras, grass skirts, and all manner of tropical-y things.

I made a giant container of man-tais and served island-inspired foods all with a beachy playlist I'd curated playing in the background.

It turned out so well.

I was so happy that he liked it...it was a special birthday for him and I didn't want to disappoint.

One of the things that I served that day was this Pineapple Salsa.  It went over so well, I could hardly keep my hands off of it!  I immediately swore that I would make it regularly so I could snack on it often.

I envisioned fish and chicken topped with the glorious concoction as I enthusiastically loaded chip after crispy tortilla chip with the amazing stuff.

Guess what?

That was 11 months ago- and I hadn't made it a single time since.

I do that a lot.

I just get so caught up in trying new things that I forget about the amazing stuff I've made in the past.

I mentioned that I've been doing a lot of tacos lately, and when I decided on salmon tacos the other night I remembered this salsa and decided to make a big batch of it to top them off.  Also to snack on.

Lets be honest, there was lots of snacking going on- I even took the extra on a trip to see my sister-in-law this weekend and stuffed myself full of it at her house too!

Ok, so a couple of things- this isn't your traditional salsa.

First of all, there aren't any tomatoes in sight- I've had tomato-based salsas that really benefited from the sweetness of pineapple, this just isn't one of them.

Secondly, it's not super spicy.  It only calls for two jalapeños, and while you could certainly up that amount for a little more kick I honestly think it's pretty well-balanced just the way it is.  

So onto the salsa...

Corn (it calls for frozen originally, but I've used both boiled and canned successfully.  Grilled would probably be great too!).  Black beans (rinse those babies!).  Cilantro.  Pineapple (duh).  Some red bell pepper.  A little citrus juice and seasoning.

Everything sounding good so far?

Of course it is.  Unless you're crazy.

And hey, I'm ok with crazy most of the time...but I'm still going to go ahead and say this is a pretty darn phenomenal salsa no matter what you think.

We're a little over a week out from Independence Day and I can unequivocally say that this salsa will be making a reappearance for our celebrations- culinary fireworks!

Pineapple Salsa

Modified slightly from Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 C finely chopped fresh pineapple

1 C diced red bell pepper

1 cup corn kernels, cooked

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and well-rinsed

1/4 C chopped onions

2 jalapeños peppers, seeded and diced

1/4 C orange juice

1 Tbsp lime juice

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, toss together pineapple, bell pepper, corn, black beans, onions, jalapeños  orange juice, lime juice, and cilantro. Season with cumin, chipotle powder, salt, and pepper. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator until serving.