Last night was taco bowl night in our house (a regular on the meal rotation, to be honest).  We decided to switch up our usual toppings with something more fun and colorful than our normal salsa.  We had some bell peppers from the store and delightful, fresh radishes and scallions from our CSA haul.  I paired this beautiful produce with a little bit of vinegar and salt for a quick pickle, and topped with some fresh parsley leaves for a bit of brightness. 

The acidity in the vinegar cut through the fattiness of our ground beef taco meat, and fully brightened the base of rice to make this meal fun and exciting.  The sweetness of the peppers, zing from the radish, onion-y notes from the scallions, and bright, green freshness from the parsley all played together so nicely in this salad.  Plus, the abundance of colors made the meal feel so fresh and fun, it was exciting to eat!

Any color bell peppers will work here, or swap for your favorite raw eating peppers (poblanos, banana peppers, mini bell peppers, all will be fun and work great!).  If you want to add some spice, feel free to pop in a jalapeno or a habanero, which will definitely pack some heat.  The vinegar can be swapped with lime juice, and the parsley can be swapped with cilantro to give this salad a whole different flavor profile – a nice Tex/Mex style that would work really well.  This salad is meant to be fun and playful, so make it your own with your favorite types of peppers, herbs, and acids!

Recipe down below, photo up top!  This makes enough for 2 big servings of salad, or four smaller servings for a taco or burrito topper.  Feel free to scale up for a crowd!

Colorful Bell Pepper Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 bell peppers
• 8-10 radishes, sliced
• 3-4 scallions, sliced
• 6-8 parsley fronds
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• ½ tsp salt

Method:

1. Using a knife, cut the bell peppers in half (lengthwise, through the stem), and remove the seeds and stem from the top of the pepper halves.  Slice the peppers in half again (lengthwise) to create quarters.  Slice the pepper quarters (crosswise) into thin strips (about ¼ inch thick).  Place the strips into a large bowl.
2. Remove the leaves and bottom tip (root) of the radishes, and wash thoroughly to ensure that all of the dirt has been removed.  Slice each radish in half to form a flat surface, then slice each half into thin half-moons, about 1/8 inch thick.  Add sliced radishes to the peppers.
3. Peel off the outer layer of the scallions, and wash if necessary.  Chop off the root end and discard, then continue chopping thin rounds (about 1/8 inch thick) starting with the white end of the scallions.  You can also include the green leaves of the scallions if they are looking fresh, if greens are old or limp, discard.  Add scallions to the bowl with the peppers.
4. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and top stems, and add to the bowl with the peppers.
5. Add vinegar and salt to the bowl with the peppers, and toss to fully combine.
6. Serve as a side or as a topper to your favorite taco bowl.  Enjoy!