Fresh Pineapple, Chile, and Black Pepper Salsa

Rather than serving this salsa with chips, the original recipe recommended it as an accompaniment to pork or chicken. I tried it with the meatless chicken patties from Health is Wealth. They make a variety of vegan and vegetarian products that you can check out: www.healthiswealthfoods.com

The original recipe called for seasoned rice vinegar, a product I'd never heard of before, which differs from regular rice vinegar in that it contains sugar. Since none of the varieties I found used raw or organic sugar, I simply made my own at home! Whisk about 1 teaspoon sugar into 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, and add to the recipe below:

In a bowl, combine 1 cup chopped pineapple (I assumed I should keep the pieces small, in order to fit the definition of a "salsa"), 1/2 cup peeled and chopped kiwi, 2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno pepper, 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar (see above), 1/2 tsp. raw sugar, 1/2 tsp. grated lime rind, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom, and just a pinch of salt.

Toss gently to combine, then let stand an hour before serving. I actually made this closer to 3 hours in advance, which seemed to work fine.

1/4 cup of salsa is 30 calories.

Cost:
pineapple $3.73
kiwi $1.38
jalapeno $0.48
cilantro $1.99
rice vinegar $3.99
lime $0.50