Pineapple Salsa - Video Recipe

Pineapple is not only for a Thai or Chinese stir fry, it makes a great salsa, too. This refreshing salsa combines the best of two worlds, sweet pineapple from Hawaii and spicy jalapeño from Mexico. 

I've made all kinds of salsas from scratch, just click on any name to view: tangy Roasted Salsa Verde (tomatillo,) Red Chili (2 dried types - but same recipe,) Pico de Gallo, and Mango Salsa.

I use canned pineapple, but fresh is even better. My local Latin market carries them for less than a dollar per pound, and if you live in Hawaii, then you know where (and when) to get them for sure. 

Of all the canned fruit out there pineapple holds up the best while peaches are a close second. Canned pineapple retains some crunchy texture, and doesn't seem to lose any tart sweetness.

Canned pineapple comes crushed, in chunks, or rings. It's all good. Just make the pieces bite-sized. I prefer pineapple in its own juice. If you use pineapple in light syrup, the pineapple will be a little sweeter, that's all. This recipe does not use juice or syrup, save that for a smoothie or cocktail.

I also used fresh jalapeño, but you can use the jar type as well. They will have a little vinegar taste, but that's okay, just drain them first. I also remove the jalapeño seeds and the inside pith when fresh cut. 

The other ingredients come cheaply and are easy to get at my local Latin grocer. Cilantro is now carried by most markets these days. I used red onion, but you can use cheaper white or yellow onion.

For my last taco party I set out a bowl of Pineapple Salsa and regular Red Chili Salsa. Guess which one disappeared first - yep, it was the Pineapple Salsa. 

Of course, cheap Tortilla Chips are what I serve Pineapple Salsa with, but if you have a Latin Grocery then get them freshly made. They cost an extra buck or so, but for a special occasion, I would indulge.

The fruity salsa is good in tacos and in burritos. Pineapple Salsa is even a light accompaniment to grilled chicken and fish.

For a fresh take on traditional tomato-based or red chili salsas, give my Pineapple Salsa a taste. All it takes is a little veggie chopping...and sweet pineapple!

Pineapple Salsa - VIDEO        Play it here. The video runs for 1 minute, 43 seconds. 

To view or embed from YouTube, click here.

Ingredients

• Pineapple - 15-ounce canned pineapple chunks, drained. About 2 cups.
• Onion - 1/4 chopped or about 1/2 cup. I used a red/purple onion, but okay to use a white or yellow onion. Add as much onion as you like.
• Lime or Lemon juice - juice of 1/2 lime. Okay to add more lime juice to taste. 
• Cilantro - 2 tablespoons chopped. Okay to add more or less to taste.
• Jalapeño - 1/4 chopped, optional. I removed seeds and white inner veins or piths. Okay to use jalapeño from the jar. Play with the amount to reach your spice level.

Directions

Add drained pineapple chunks to a bowl. 

Chop the onion into small pieces. I used about a cup. You can add more or less onion to taste.

Chop enough cilantro leaves to fill 4 tablespoons or 1/4 cup. Okay to add more or less to taste.

Add cilantro and onion to the bowl of pineapple chunks.

Squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lime or lemon. Okay to use lime juice from the jar. Add more or less lime juice to taste. A good trick to get extra lime juice is to slice it in half, then microwave it for about 10-20 seconds until warm. This will release more juice.

Finally, add a little chopped jalapeño at a time to reach the desired spiciness.

Mix well and serve with tortilla chips or crackers, in a taco or burrito, as a tasty cool side dish, or a topping on grilled fish.

Hindsight

This recipe is easy to double or triple for more guests.

You can adjust the ingredients to suit your taste - add more pineapple or less jalapeño, more cilantro, or leave out the onion.

When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!

I like to slice the jalapeño lengthwise to cut out the white pith and remove the seeds. Discard the stem. You will have a little spiciness from jalapeno flesh, but not as much as when adding the seeds.

I used about a quarter of a large jalapeño, or about a tablespoon when chopped. If you like your salsa hotter then add more chopped jalapeno. 

If you are unsure about how much spiciness you can take, just add a little chopped jalapeño at a time and mix, then try salsa.

Top 9 Recipes of 2023

As year-end recipe lists go, my Top 9 Recipes of 2022 is one you can really sink your incisors into. And all of my top picks are deliciously cheap to make. Just click on any recipe name to see the original 2022 blog post for tasty photos and my money-saving tips, and be sure to play any embedded videos below. The ranking order is random and not by delectability, so go ahead and dig in! 

1. Country Breakfast

Let's start with breakfast, a cheap$kate Country Breakfast with ingredients from the Dollar Tree. Click here to see bacon to biscuits that I scrounged up.

2. Quail Egg & Avocado Crostini

Ever had a quail egg? They are very small and speckled. A quail egg is harder to break as there is a thick membrane just underneath the shell. Use a knife to pierce it and the yolk comes right out. I didn't notice a real flavor difference from a chicken egg. They are just cool to cook with. Check out my Crostini with Quail Egg & Avocado.

3. Cauliflower Vegan Soup

I like a fresh vegan soup and mine can be served chilled or warm. I use a head of steamed cauliflower and almond milk as the main ingredients. My Cauliflower Vegan Soup is quick and easy to do.

4. Cassoulet - Beans, Sausage, and Chicken

I make this recipe the most during winter days. It's a one-pot dish loaded with white beans, veggies and meat. I boil the beans until tender then finish the dish topped with chicken and sausage roasted in the oven Make my version of the French dish Cassoulet, this recipe makes enough to last the next day.

5. Tuna Melt

A Tuna Melt is so satisfying. It may seem strange to grill a Tuna Salad Sandwich with Cheese, but it works deliciously. I use cheap canned tuna and American cheese of course. I make a simple Tuna Salad as the main ingredient. Try it out!

6. Mom's Sugar-Free Cupcakes

My Mom's brother has diabetes and every time she visits him she likes to bring a container of Sugar-Free Cupcakes. She uses a box mix and frosting that is labeled sugar-free, so anyone can make these, and they taste just like regular sugary Cupcakes. My Mom is 89 years old and does not cook anymore, so enjoy the last video I may make with her? 

7. Fried Baloney Sandwich

I never thought I would have a Fried Baloney Sandwich again. I guess you can call this a return to childhood recipes and how they hold up. And it was quite a tasty sandwich. Now you can get baloney with minimum preservatives and made with low-fat turkey. Check out my flashback recipe below, it ended up being my most popular YouTube video of the month.

8. Huevos Rancheros with Tortilla Chips

I make breakfast Huevos Rancheros the most. Beans, cheese, tortillas, salsa, and a fried egg, what's not to like? When I serve Salsa for a party I usually have tortilla chips left over. I usually make Huevos Rancheros with heated soft corn tortillas, but one time I ran out and had a partial bag of tortilla chips - Wow, what a great substitution tortilla chips make! The crunchy texture elevated the recipe. Anytime I have tortilla chips I make my Huevos Ranchos with them.

9. Shrimp, Jalapeño & Egg Tacos 

Tex-Mex cuisine is familiar to the 99 Cent Chef as I grew up with it in Texas. I lived in a seaside small fishing town called Port O'Connor where shrimp is king. Seafood and eggs go together, especially with a spicy jalapeño kick. Every time I return to Port O'Connor I get them from Josies Mexican Food and Cantina. Lucky you, just click on my recipe link for Shrimp, Jalapeño & Egg Tacos to make them right in your own kitchen.

Here are some Honorable Mention Recipes of 2023, just click on the recipe name to check it out: Bagel with Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread, Easy Coleslaw with Pineapple, Egg Salad, Kiwi Salsa, Persimmon Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Caramelized Onions, Easy Pineapple Cobbler, Pretzel Egg Sandwich, Blueberries and Yogurt, Shepherd's Pie, Cottage Pie, and Dirty Rice with Chicken Liver, 

It has been a fruitfully abundant year of recipes here at the Cheap$kate Chateau. I did the heavy lifting for you, so now all you have to do is pick a recipe link and save yourself some hard-earned cash by trying out any of the above. And if you have a favorite recipe of mine, then leave a comment to share.

And make sure to keep checking in here from time to time. I create yummy-looking blog posts with a dollop of humor, and while my tastes are cheap, my recipe flavors are top-shelf !!

Kiwi Salsa - Video Recipe

You don't have to go Down Under for my lasted cheap$kate recipe made from New Zealand Kiwi fruit or berries. Get a bag of tortilla chips and try out my Kiwi Salsa!

My Kiwi Salsa is not as sweet as my Peach or Mango Salsa, but not at sour as a salsa made with green tomatillos. It hits the sweet spot between a typical Tomato or other Fruit Salsas.

You want to choose Kiwi without soft spots or blemishes. A Kiwi is ripe when slightly soft to the touch. 

You can eat the peel as it is not bitter or tough. For Salsa, I go ahead and peel it. If I am just eating Kiwi by itself I will sometimes munch on some of the skin.

The skin is loaded with nutrients, and while weirdly fuzzy in texture, still tasty. I peeled the Kiwi, you can also slice Kiwi lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. 

Kiwi originated in China and was commercialized in New Zealand. Click here to read a fascinating story of the L.A. woman, Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, who peddled and  popularized the Chinese Gooseberry, or Kiwi, to American palates  in the 1960s (she even wisely trademarked the name.)

Kiwi is grown locally here in California and Mexico so we locals can get them on sale often at 4 for a dollar. I even see plastic containers at my local 99c only Stores. So the price is right for this Chintzy Chef. It was only a matter of time before I added to my Fruit Salsa Series, which also includes Mango and Peach Salsas.

Kiwi fruit is a little tangy, so less lime juice may be needed for your taste? I like to add chopped red onion, but you can use any onion on sale. I also add cilantro and a little jalapeno. 

Of course, cheap Dollar Tree and 99c only Store Tortilla Chips are what I serve with Kiwi Salsa but if you have a Latin Grocery then get them freshly made. They cost an extra buck or so, but for a special occasion with friends or family, I would indulge.

There is nothing to cook but you do need to do some chopping so have a sharp knife to make your life easier. Finish my recipe with a squeeze of lime juice and mix well.

That's it really, so it's an easy recipe anyone can make and enjoy. And it's just out there enough to make an impression on your guests. 

Kiwi Salsa - VIDEO

Play it here, video runs 2 minutes, 21 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients (about 2 servings)

• 4-5 Kiwis - peeled. About 1 1/2 cups chopped.
• 1 cup Onion - chopped. I used red onion, but okay to use white or yellow onion. Okay to add more or less onion to your taste.
• Lime or Lemon Juice - I used the juice of one whole lime. Okay to use juice from a plastic lemon or lime, about a tablespoon. 
• 1/4 cup Cilantro - chopped. Okay to add more or less to your taste.
• 1/4 chopped Jalapeño - optional. Okay to use jalapeño from the jar. I removed the seeds. Best to add a little at a time and taste, until your heat level is reached. 

Directions

Kiwis are ripe when slightly soft to the touch. Peel Kiwis. The skin is hairy but thin and actually easy to peel.

Kiwi has small seeds in the center that you can eat. Chop Kiwi and add to a bowl. 

Chop the onion into small pieces. I used about half a large red onion. You can add more or less onion to taste. I use red onion for the color, it's okay to use cheaper white or yellow onion.

Chop 1/4 cup of cilantro leaves. Okay to add more or less to taste. I remove some of the longer stems. 

Mix mango, cilantro, and onion with lemon or lime juice. Finally, add the chopped jalapeño.

Squeeze in the juice of one lemon or lime. Normally I use lime juice but okay to use easy-to-get lemon juice. Okay to use juice from the jar or plastic container from the grocery shelf.

A good trick to get your lemon or lime extra juicy is to slice it in half, then microwave it for about 10-20 seconds until warm. This will release more juice when squeezed.

When handling jalapeño make sure not to touch your eyes or lips or you will get burned. Be sure to wash your hands with soap after working with a jalapeño. The oil from a jalapeño is very hot to delicate body parts!

I like to slice the jalapeño lengthwise to cut out the white pith and remove the seeds. Discard the stem. You will have a little spiciness from jalapeno flesh, but not as much as when adding the seeds.

I used about a quarter of a large jalapeño, or about a tablespoon when chopped. If you like your salsa hotter then add more chopped jalapeno, or add jalapeño with the seeds. 

If you are unsure about how much spiciness you can take, just add a little chopped jalapeño at a time and mix, then try Kiwi Salsa.

Serve with tortilla chips, on a taco, or in a burrito. Double the Kiwi Salsa recipe to serve party guests and get ready for all the compliments that come your way!