Quick pickled vegetables with goat cheese dip

For some reason I am not cooking this year on the Mayan Riviera. Other than a couple of simple pasta dishes and grilling a few vegetables I haven’t even messed up the kitchen once. This means, since we need to eat, that we are exploring the culinary treasures of Tulum and the Mayan coast with, happy to say, a great deal of success. I have gotten to know the Tulum hotels and their respective food and settings and ventured to a few eateries serving locals and visitors. The Playa food scene is also on my list. Don’t worry, I will report on all in due course, either here on on social media. Follow where it suits you to keep up.

Not cooking does not mean no recipes. Before we left, anticipating a lazy streak coming on, I prepared and photographed a few dishes that I thought you may enjoy and find useful in your own kitchen. I will be posting those, interspersed with travel posts here and there. I do have a lot to tell.

These easy quick pickled vegetables became a favourite right away. they are refreshing pre-dinner appetizer or a nice dish to serve along with dinner, adding crunch and tang to whatever else is on the menu. You can keep them in the fridge for a day or two but they are at their best the same day, with only a few hours of marinating.

Enjoy.

---

---

Ingredients:

---

Vegetables:

Enough vegetables to fill a 1 quart mason jar:

Multi coloured carrots

Small cucumbers

Breakfast readishes

Watermelon radishes

Celery, inner stalks

Pickling liquid:

2 cups sugar

1 cup water

3/4 cup rice wine vinegar

A pinch of salt

1 stalk fresh rosemary

Goat cheese dip:

6 oz goat cheese

1 cup sour cream

1/3 cup mayonnaise

Juice of 1/2 a lime or lemon

Salt and white pepper to taste

Chopped chives

Chia seeds

---

Directions:

---

Cut he vegetables into irregular sized sticks, cutting in various diagonal angles.

Pack vegetables into a clean quart jar but separate dark purple ones from the rest as they may colour everything. Put purple carrots and beets in use a small jar for the red vegetables.

Bring the pickling ingredients to a simmer in a small pot and cook until sugar dissolves.

Pour into a 2 cup container and refrigerate until cool.

When the liquid has cooled pour it over the vegetables in the jar and secure the lid on top.

Refrigerate until needed, a few hours. It will keep a few days in the fridge but the vegetables will loose their crispness.

Goat cheese dip:

Place goat cheese, sour cream and mayo in a food processor and process until blended. Remove to a bowl, add lemon/lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

When serving sprinkle the chopped chives over as well as chia seeds

Serve chilled

---

---

 

---

---