The Mayberry Sparrow

Grape Pico Salsa Salad, With Barbequed Chicken and Sriracha

What was once a salsa, is now a salad.
It started about four summers ago, when i decided to go all out and throw some grapes in my fajita. The grapes tasted so good with the cilantro, that I decided to try making some salsa out of grapes.
It was a huge hit, so tasty in fact, that all we started eating it alone on the side. So I started adding other veggies as well. We've tried many different things, from julienned carrots and water cress, to tomatillos and broccoli. Even diced pears! The trick is with this recipe is to make sure everything is chopped fairly small so that the flavors can mingle.

Here's the base recipe for the Salsa:

1 lb of Grapes, cut in half. Use seedless, unless you'd like to pit all those grapes. (I actually like eating the seeds, but I understand that not everyone does;)

1 med sized red onion, diced

1 stalk of Green onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic. crushed (I've used garlic powder too, you need more of that, obviously, but it works fine)

1 chipotle pepper (I use the canned variety) Chop it up really well, you don't want huge chunks of that;) You can add more if you like, (i usually use two, if we aren't having company) but do it one at a time to make sure that it isn't so spicy you can't eat it!

1 cup of chopped cilantro. (curly leaf or saw tooth, doesn't matter)

1/4 cup olive oil (great opportunity to use a extra virgin, or any other oil that's best raw)

1/4 cup Vinegar

Ok, so that's the base recipe. Mix it all together really well (I like to shake it in a sealed tub a while), and let it sit a little while in the fridge to marinate. It really is best over night.
If you plan on eating it right way, it IS good, just not AS good as the next day.

For more of a salad...

Add 1 whole red or orange bell pepper, half a head of cauliflower, finely chopped raw spinach leaves, and sesame seeds.

I still want to try adding some okra, or bbq'd zucchini or eggplant.
Doesn't seem to matter what I add, it's always been good! Goes great along side of anything bbq'd, or right on sandwiches, burgers, and wraps.
Enjoy!