A Condiment with a Kick

This relish was served as a condiment at most of the restaurants throughout Belize.  If you like a little heat, then this is definitely something you might want to make a weekly batch of and keep on hand to use on, well…anything.  You can adjust the heat slightly by omitting the seeds of the habanero, but either way, it’s going to pack some kick.  We’ve used this on tacos, quesadillas, mole, enchiladas and more!

What will you serve it with?

Hot Habanero Relish

printable recipe 

• 1 white onion, roughly chopped
• 1 habanero, roughly chopped and deseeded (for less heat)
• 2 tbs white vinegar
• 1tbs water

Mix everything together in a small dish and refrigerate. The longer it sits, the bigger the punch it packs.

Que caliente!

Related articles

• Habanero compound butter (culinaryengineering.me)

#SundaySupper #BeatTheHeat Gazpacho

When my husband and I were on our honeymoon in San Pedro, Belize in May, we shared a delicious bowl of gazpacho at the Blue Water Grill.  It was our final night on the island before heading inland to San Ignacio –what a delicious choice for our  last meal! The refreshingly cool bowl of soup was welcome on the palate after a long hot day at the beach.  As soon as we returned home I immediately searched, and found, an amazing recipe for the chilled appetizer by Ina Garten.  This has definitely made it to the list of summer staples!

P.S.Be sure to check out more #BeatTheHeat recipes listed below from fellow members of the #SundaySupper community!

Gazpacho

Printable recipe 

Ingredients

• 1 cucumber, halved and seeded, not peeled
• 2 red bell peppers, cored and seeded
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 1 red onion, I’ve alo used Vidalia, which is a sweet substitution
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 cups Mott’s Low Sodium Garden Blend tomato juice
• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Garnish – fresh avocado, mango, pineapple or papaya, cubed

Directions

Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped for a chunky soup.  Blend longer for a smoother version (we prefer chunky). After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill overnight before serving. Garnish with ripe avocado, mango, pineapple or papaya.

#BeatTheHeat Appetizers:

• Refreshing Chunky Shrimp Salsa ~ The Weekend Gourmet
• Totally Cool Green Hummus ~ My Kitchen and I
• Smoked Whitefish Salad Bagel Bites ~ Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Watermelon and Goat Cheese Bites ~ Chelsea’s Culinary Indulgence
• Strawberry Gazpacho ~ Diabetic Foodie
• Grilled Loaded Baked Potato Skins ~ In the Kitchen with KP
• Sweet & Tangy Chili Lime Fruit Salad ~ Sue’s Nutrition Buzz

#BeatTheHeat Salads, Soups, & Sides:

• Cool Cucumber Salad ~ Momma’s Meals
• Lemony Garbanzo Kale Salad with Tuna ~ Shockingly Delicious
• Hungarian Cucumber Salad Recipe – Uborkasaláta Recept ~ The Watering Mouth
• Tomato Salad with Macadamia Cheese ~ Cooking’s Good Vegetarian Cafe
• Char-Grilled Corn Salad ~ The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Summertime Sweet Pea Salad ~ Granny’s Down Home Southern Cooking
• Apple and Poppy Seed Coleslaw ~ Damn Delicious
• Cold Cucumber and Rice Salad ~ Mama.Mommy.Mom
• Chilly Dilly Cucumber Soup with Shrimp ~ Comfy Cuisine
• Mom’s Creamy Pea Salad ~ Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
• Greek (Yogurt) Potato Salad ~ Family Foodie

#BeatTheHeat Main Dishes:

• Rainbow Slaw with Steak and Chipotle Crema ~ Cooking By The Seat of our Pants
• Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken ~ Make Dinner Easy
• Rolling with Kimbap ~ Kimchi Mom
• Ranch Chicken Tacos ~ Pippi’s In The Kitchen Again
• Serrano Ham, Mozzarella and Arugula Sandwiches ~ Vintage Kitchen Notes
• Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork ~ Cupcakes and Kale Chips
• No Bake Pizza ~ The Meltaways

#BeatTheHeat Desserts:

• Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Supper for a Steal
• No-Cook Egg-Free Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream ~ Chocolate Moosey
• Peach Sorbet ~ Magnolia Days
• Icebox Chocolate Pie ~ Doggie at the Dinner Table
• Honey and Elderflower Ice Cream ~ Small Wallet Big Appetite
• Blackberry Lavender Popsicles ~ Girlichef
• Frozen Chocolate Bananas ~ In the Kitchen with Audrey
• Strawberry-Lime Margarita Ice Cream ~ Cookistry
• Elegant Fruit Jellies ~ Happy Baking Days
• Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches ~ That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream ~ Baker Street
• Vanilla Peach Swirl Frozen Yogurt ~ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts
• Espresso and Toasted Almond Semifreddo ~ The Messy Baker
• Mango Ice Cream ~ Queen’s Notebook
• Raspberry Mousse ~ Basic and Delicious
• White Apricot & Honeysuckle Sorbet ~ Family Spice
• Biscoff Ice Cream Cupcakes ~ Juanita’s Cocina

#BeatTheHeat Drinks & Cocktails:

• Shirley Temple ~ Cravings of a Lunatic
• Prickly Pear White Wine Spritzer ~ Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Classic Daquiri ~ Katherine Martinelli
• Salty Lassi ~ Soni’s Food for Thought
• Blueberry Mint Lemonade ~ Pescetarian Journal
• Sweet Basil & Cucumber Melon Smoothie ~ Daily Dish Recipes

La Isla Bonita

Since I’ve been on a blogging hiatus due to wedding hecticness, I thought it was only appropriate to kick off the summer featuring some of the amazing food my husband and I experienced during our honeymoon in Belize.  We actually had two legs of our trip, so I’m going to write two posts on our travels, one from each region we vacationed.

We first visited the island of San Pedro, Belize, which you may not know, inspired Madonna’s song, La Isla Bonita.  The “isla” was, in fact, very beautiful and the people friendly.  My favorite part, of course, was the food!  Our favorite restaurant, Waruguma, was El Salvadoran inspired and had two of the best dishes we ate on the island (we actually went there twice during the week we were there).  Our favorite were the Pupusas, which is a corn pancake filled with whatever you like.  Choices usually include beans and cheese (our go-to order), pork, chicken, shrimp, etc.  This dish is served with a cabbage slaw that you pile on top as well as a mild “red” sauce.  The first day we arrived, we went straight to this little hole in the wall and ordered a few Pupusas and a Shrimp Coconut Cream Burrito.  Wow.  Probably the best burrito I’ve tasted in my life.  I’ve already tried recreating it, but, in my opinion, was not even close (although Jim said it was fantastic).

Another highlight of the trip was the Friday night Mayan buffet at Elvi’s Kitchen.  What a spread!  There was a delicious Cream of Squash Soup garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds and croutons, Caramelized Plantains, Chicken Mole, Refried Black Beans, Shrimp Tostadas, Fish in a Coconut Broth, Tamales and Flan and Fresh Fruit to end the meal.  Jim was unable to surpass his buffet record of six plates of food.  I ate a mere four.  Needless to say, we were stuffed upon leaving!

Most of our other meals consisted of popping into places someone had recommended.  A local bartender at the Wahoo Lounge recommended The Reef Restaurant which was very good.  We ordered Pupusas (of course), Panades (which is basically an empanada) and Salbutes (similar to a tostada). Another place we tried was Hemingway’s.  The owner, John, was extremely friendly and the Snapper Cakes there were divine.  Since we were honeymooners, he offered us a special concoction of fresh squeezed juices and rum.  It was very refreshing and I will be making this at home, as well.

If you are a coffee drinker, the best (read strongest) coffee can be found at the Sailaway Cafe.  They also serve a pretty mean pannini with chipotle dipping sauce that Jim and I split for an afternoon snack.

Throughout the trip we also made a couple late-night stops at the street vendors.  They might quite possibly have the best food in the country!  Cooked fresh right in front of you and loaded with veggies and hot sauces.  Yum!

The last evening we went out to a fancy dinner at Blue Water Grill, white tablecloths and all.  Although we were a little wary upon entering because there were no locals inside, we were blown away by the service and taste and presentation of the food.  We ordered Gazpacho and Coconut Shrimp to start off with and both were absolutely delicious.  I’ve already recreated an amazing Gazpacho and will be sharing that recipe soon.  I ordered the special which was an Oven-Fried Grouper with a Lemon Mustard Sauce, Rice and Roasted Veggies.  Jim ordered Grilled Grouper topped with a Mango Salsa and served with Sweet Potato Patties.  The meal here was an exquisite end to our journey.

We were definitely sad to leave the island when our time was up…especially since we missed the start of lobster season/LobsterFest by two and a half weeks!  In between meals we spent our time snorkeling, biking, fishing and enjoying island life.  However, the second leg of our trip did not disappoint.  Next up: San Ignacio, Belize!

Oh, and everything’s better with a Belikin.

Related articles

• Honeymoon in La Isla Bonita (itinerariesnow.com)