Hello! Welcome to Dontmissmyplate.

Thank you for visiting my website! I'm Maxine, a food blogger, home cook, travel enthusiast, and lover of food and culture. I’m passionate about fusion cuisine, a style of cooking that blends ingredients and techniques from different countries, regions, and traditions.

My approach is influenced by both Southern African and American cooking, shaped by my life experiences and reflected in the diversity of my recipes. I also focus on farm-to-table cooking, using fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced locally whenever possible. I believe food tastes best when it’s in season and close to its origin.

Travel plays a big role in how I cook and create. I love sharing my food adventures, from what I’ve eaten to where to eat, while discovering new flavors, cultures, and techniques that continue to inspire me.

I hope this space feels helpful and inspiring. Whether you're in the mood for something familiar or ready to try something new, you’ll find plenty to explore here. Happy cooking!

Pineapple Boat with Salsa and Guacamole

Pineapple Boat with Salsa and Guacamole

dontmissmyplate
Vegetarian, Vegan, Healthy snack

Warm weather calls for fruit-centred salsa! I'm a huge fan of chips and dip, as are most people. It's a snack that meets all my expectations for a salty craving while providing something refreshing and spicy. I'm also a fan of the more imaginative combinations. Salsa is, however, always in danger of being presented pretty bland; you want a good selection of natural ingredients that don't need a lot of seasoning.

So in this quick and easy, the pineapple is combined and balanced with red onion, green and red bell pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, and cucumber.

One important tip if you are hosting and want to keep the pineapple head for aesthetics, as I did, would give with that is to make sure you drain as much of the juice as possible so that it doesn't start to seep when you serve. I would also suggest serving immediately, then transferring to a container and storing in the fridge for no more than 1-2 days.

For the guacamole you want it to be just as tasty, I recommend this recipe inspired by Chipotle; you can't go wrong!

Trouble handling avocadoes? There is no need for that! I never regretted getting this tool available on Amazon for cheap. It makes the slicing and decoring so much easier. The tool makes for a cute kitchen gift as well.

Ingredients

Salsa:

1/2 a pineapple, diced

1/2 a Roma tomato, diced

1/4 of a large cucumber, diced

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

1/4 green bell pepper, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

1 tablespoon jalapeno, finely diced

2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper0

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)

Guacamole, you can follow this recipe for it.

1 ripe Hass avocado

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1/8 cup red onion , finely chopped

1/4 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, mix all the cleaned and diced ingredients together, drain and add to the pineapple or serving bowl.

Prepare your guacamole according to the instructions in this recipe.

Serve immediately with your favorite tortilla chips.

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