photo © 2009 Ginny | more info (via: Wylio)

What is fruit salsa? Does it contain hot peppers? I assumed it would so I never bothered to look at any of the recipes before. I confess, I’m not a fan of hot food. It turns out fruit salsa is basically chopped up fruit that can be eaten as an appetizer, snack or condiment!! Who knew?

I’m going to surprise hubby with fruit salsa and cinnamon chips this weekend. We both enjoy fruit and he’s always looking for something to snack on so I think it will be a great treat. Here’s the recipe:

2 cups fresh strawberries hulled and chopped
1 fresh mango, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup green grapes, halved
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup pineapple (fresh or canned)
2 tsp of fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey

Directions: Add all chopped fruit to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with lime juice, drizzle with honey and mix gently. Chill for a few hours to allow the flavors to develop. Serve with cinnamon chips.

Cinnamon Chips
4-6 whole wheat flour tortillas
2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoon honey
Watkins cinnamon

Directions: Melt butter and honey, brush on one side of the tortillas, place on a cookie sheet butter side up and sprinkle with a little cinnamon. Use a pizza cutter to cut the tortillas into wedges. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Tip: use what ever seasonal fruits and berries you have available, or your favorites, you don’t need to stick to the one’s listed above.

So are you a fan of fruit salsa? Go ahead tell me what I’ve been missing!

Barbecue Basted Ribs
5 lbs/2.27 kg pork loin back ribs
2 cups/500 mL water
1/2 cup/125 mL apple cider vinegar
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Garlic Granules
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Watkins Seasoning Salt
1/3 cup/80 mL Watkins Original Barbecue Sauce

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Place ribs in a large, shallow roasting pan, bone side down. Combine water and vinegar and pour over ribs. Sprinkle with garlic granules and seasoning salt. Cover and bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until ribs are nearly tender. Let cool. (Ribs can be covered and chilled at this point if you wish to make them ahead.)  Place ribs on grill over indirect heat or bake at 350°F/180°C for 30 to 35 minutes or until tender, brushing the ribs with Watkins Barbecue Sauce.
Makes 6 servings

Backyard BBQ Pizza
1 Watkins Pizza Crust Mix (deep dish or whole wheat)
Watkins Barbecue Sauce
Up to 1 lb. Ground Turkey, as desired (may substitute beef)
7 or 8 strips crumbled Cooked Bacon (use thin cut and cook crisp)
2 cups grated Mozzarella Cheese,
Parmesan Cheese, as desired

Following the directions on the label of the Watkins Pizza Crust Mix, prepare dough. Roll dough out onto a large cookie sheet sprayed with Watkins Cooking Spray so crust will be thin. Bake the crust in oven for 4-5 minutes. Remove crust from oven and thinly spread Watkins BBQ Sauce over partially cooked crust.  Layer remaining ingredients in order listed and return to oven for 10 minutes to complete baking cycle. You could also add your other favorite toppings to this pizza. Watkins Omelet and Soufflé Seasoning would be a great quick addition to shake over the top of pizza prior to final baking!

Watkins Barbecue Sauce Ideas:

• Use on chicken, turkey, pork, beef and vegetables for basting on the grill or in the oven.
• Mix one tablespoon of Watkins BBQ sauce into 8 oz. of cream cheese plus 1/2 tsp. Watkins Cayenne Pepper to make a cheese ball.
• Add BBQ sauce to browned ground meat with addition of ketchup and a small amount of brown sugar for Sloppy Joes.
• It’s great on any  sandwich, for open face sandwiches brush on BBQ sauce and place under broiler pan for one minute or less!

Watkins barbecue sauce is a perfect blend of spices and seasonings, you can order it along with your other pantry essentials in the Canadian catalog or the US catalog.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Watkins grapeseed oil, original or flavor of choice
1 cup popping corn
6 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp Watkins cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Watkins paprika
1/4 teaspoon Watkins garlic granules
1 tsp Watkins seasoning salt

Directions: in a large, heavy saucepan heat the oil, add the popcorn, cover and cook while shaking the pan until the corn stops popping. Place the popcorn in a large serving bowl.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in the saucepan, stir in cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic and seasoning salt and pour over popcorn. Mix well and enjoy!

Tips from the kitchen:

• Make this an even healthier snack, reduce the fat, calories and cholesterol by substituting 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil for the butter called for.

• Craving plain buttered popcorn but want a low fat snack? Simply use Watkins butter flavored salt instead of butter and salt.

Don’t like it hot? Substitute one or a combination of these herbs and spices for another tasty snack, try parsley, dill, onion granules, minced green onion or curry powder.

You can find the best gourmet or organic herbs, spices, seasonings and grapeseed oil for delicious and healthy popcorn at Watkins.

You can find lots of great popcorn information, recipes and tips at PopCorn.org.