Red Wine Charred Tomato and Corn Salsa

Grill or no grill, you can whip up this Red Wine Charred Tomato and Corn Salsa. Serve it piping hot on top of your favorite meat or rice, or chilled as a flavorful salsa.

ME BEFORE THE RECIPE…

Really?!?! Is it REALLY 2018 already??? I can’t even believe that! Where did the year go?

Oh wait, now that I think about it, we did PLENTY this year. We could have chalked this past year up to 2 or 3 years worth of adventures. I don’t even know where to start with 2017. How about I just narrow it down to our top 5 life changes for the year.

Ben accepted a new position back in Arizona which caused us to leave Hawaii. That jerk! Seriously, just who does he think he is tearing us away from paradise?! I shall never forgive him! Actually, that man of mine is passionate about his career and works tirelessly each and every day to provide for our family. He deserves this new venture and we will root for him all the way.
I was a single mom for 2 months. Being surrounded by friends in Hawaii whose husbands have been deployed at times, I feel like I can’t even complain about this. But, while Ben headed back to Arizona and left me with the girls for two months so Braelyn could finish up school, I had a taste of what single parenthood is like. Kudos to all those single mamas and papas out there. It’s rough and tough and NOT the ideal life. Although, I did enjoy the evenings all to myself, blogging and editing pictures in pure peace.
We bought a home! This may seem like no big deal for some families, but after living in a place where homes are completely unaffordable, this was HUGE! And guess what? Our new house in Arizona has ZERO millipedes!!! If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you know my torture of millipedes in Hawaii. Don’t ever make me relive that episode!
Emry started kindergarten!!! Yep, I am officially an “all my kids are in school so do the happy dance” mama! I thought I would inevitably face some major midlife crisis and re-enroll myself in college, get a job, or have another baby, but I’m actually dealing with the kid-less transition quite well. I seem to be just as busy as I was before all my kids hopped on that glorious yellow school bus, leaving me kid-free with no distractions all day.
Braelyn was baptized! In our church, children are baptized at 8 years old. It’s the first and arguably the most important religious covenant they will ever make. We had the opportunity to baptize her up in Utah with all our closest family there to support us. Now I’m no emotional crybaby, but watching your oldest child make a conscious choice to serve God and witnessing her develop into a beautiful young woman brought tears to this mama’s eyes. Such a sweet, sweet day.

Now these are only a few of the momentous memories of the year, but definitely the most impactful. Some other favorites were visiting the Big Island of Hawaii and nearly dying on my surf board, running the St. George Marathon and qualifying for Boston 2019, auditioning for a cooking show (totally out of my comfort zone) and receiving positive feedback about my culinary skills, chopping my hair (hey, it’s a big deal for us women), taking family pictures for the first time in YEARS, and accidentally locking Emry in the washing machine (it was only for a few minutes and she survived).

WHAT A LIFE!

And here’s what I’m hoping; I’m hoping 2018 can be just as eventful, crazy, unpredictable, challenging, rewarding, and epic as the year before. Bring it on!

So to start this year off right, I figured why not embark on a challenge? Not a crazy difficult challenge. There’s plenty of time for one of those this year. No need jump into the fire quite yet. I simply need something just challenging enough that can test my will power and boost my confidence once completed. Do you ever crave a challenge like that? Yeah, me neither. Haha!

Okay, but in reality, I really did get the itch this year to torture myself just a little bit and embark on the no sugar challenge for the month of January. Say what?! You all know I like my sugar. My mantra is basically exercise and eat healthy 95% percent of the time so you can indulge in the remaining 5% of life.

Let me be clear: I see NOTHING wrong with some sugar in your life. However, after the holidays (I’m talking from Halloween until Christmas) I’ve watched my kids become more and more obsessed with treats and candy and I’ll be honest, it irks me. And I’m not blameless. Part of the reason they love their treats so much is because I’m constantly baking.

Now I’m not expecting my kids or hubby to go sugar free, but if mama’s not baking and eating treats herself, their sugar intake will naturally decline. So I guess you could say I’m doing this for the good of my family. Looks like I’ll be the martyr for the well being of my favorite crew.

Oh and that reminds me. Ben, all of his own idea, says he is giving up soda and energy drinks this month; two things I utterly despise and trash the minute I see them. Homeboy knows better than to walk into the house with one of those. So, if anyone knows my hubby, you had better keep your hawk eyes on him and make sure he follows through. I have little to no faith in him.

HERE COMES THE RECIPE…

So to start the New Year off right, I think it’s time for some ultra healthy and super tasty recipes, don’t ya think??? And what can be healthier than VEGGIES???!

C’mon, you know you love veggies. And I’m not talking about hiding your veggies in some nasty green smoothie. Nope. You eat those veggies loud and proud in all their glory! No hiding nothing around here. But let me give you a little tip. Veggies always taste better with the right amount of seasoning and a little love from the oven, stove, or grill. I’m telling you, raw veggies just ain’t as fun.

And just to prove veggies can be tasty, I’m sharing this recipe for Red Wine Charred Tomato and Corn Salsa with you. You can eat is as a side, as a dip, or throw it in as a filling for some burritos or tacos. Heck, slap some on top of whole grain tortilla chips and call them nachos! You do whatever you want as long as you’re enjoying the rainbow of veggies that make up this “dip”.

This salsa is exactly how it sounds. A mixture of flavorful veggies (onion, jalapeno, and zucchini) sauteed in some red wine, mixed with charred corn kernels, and thrown into the oven with fresh grape tomatoes. Finish it off with a splash of lime and a handful of cilantro and VIOLA! I’m telling you, tasty TASTY!

You really can’t complain about eating healthy when you have this mixture staring you in the face.

Since I STILL don’t own a grill (I know, I know…I keep complaining about that), I charred my corn on the cobs over the open flame of my stove top. Worked like a charm except for the slight clean up afterward. So, if you own a grill, go ahead and char out there. Otherwise, try not to burn your house down with your gas stove top. If you do, it ain’t my fault!

A cast iron is really useful for obtaining all the flavor in this dish. I LOVE using my cast iron. Nothing compares when trying to enhance the flavor of your meals. Plus, it’s nice to throw right in the oven straight from the stove top. If you don’t own a cast iron, rub your tomatoes with a little olive oil and roast them on a pan. Then toss them into your veggie mixture. The charred tomatoes are the best part, so don’t skip this step.

So there you have it. Your very first healthy recipe for 2018 from yours truly! Still can’t believe it. 2018, here we come in all our glory!!!