Crispy Bits of Awesome!

Okay peeps, today I'm going to talk about salads.  And by salads, I mean toppings.  And by toppings, I mean one kind in particular... Crispy Red Peppers by Fresh Gourmet.

Before I discovered these crunchy little pieces of heaven, I didn't really care for salad...any salad.  Sure I like lettuce, even different kinds of lettuce.  I enjoy fresh cucumbers, spinach, carrots, broccoli, hard-boiled eggs, red and green bell peppers, even alfalfa sprouts!  But I have never ever liked dressing...ever.  And it's not that I haven't found one that I like yet (which I hear all the time), I just don't think the textures mix, not for me anyway.  I don't want soggy veggies on my crisp salad.  Now, my not liking dressing also has a lot to do with the dressing bases like vinegar and/or mayonnaise.  If you've been keeping up with my posts, you'll know that I don't like either of those things.  I know, I'm a weirdy.  Does it stop me from making them for other people?  Nope.  I know what certain foods/dips.etc. should taste like.  Just because I don't care for it, doesn't mean everyone else has to suffer. Plus, I get honest feedback from tasters who do like dips and dressings and other vinegar/mayo-based things, good or bad, believe me it's honest!

Okay, so I ate salads semi-regularly that I had made, trying all different combinations, and they were good, but I just wished that salad could have a certain something that made me crave it.  I found these Crispy Red Peppers in a local Homeland Grocery store and I thought I'd give them a go.  Man, I was sooo hooked!  These things are great!  I thought maybe they would have too much breading on them and that would distract from the sweet red pepper flavor, but no, they are very lightly breaded and very lightly salted.  The package says that it adds "a burst of flavor & crunch to Salads, Casseroles, Burgers & More!"   It totally does.

I haven't used them on Casseroles or Burgers, but I have used them on More.  I've dumped, sprinkled them over turkey sandwiches, pizza, and even dipped them in chocolate!  That last one is a lie, but I've thought about it.  The point is, there's no limit to what you can garnish with them.  I used the last of this bag to add a bit of kick to an eggplant, spinach, wrap that I had for lunch.  Mmmmm, tasty!  See, the bag is empty...all gone :(

Bottom line, whether you like salads or don't, try these out on (or in) some boring ol' dishes for something new.  (That is, if you're feeling adventurous!)  If you don't like 'em, you can give them to me.  I'll gladly take them off your hands!

...because I'm out.  See the above picture?

Seriously though, if you don't like these, maybe you would enjoy something else from Fresh Gourmet's line of Crunchy Toppings.  There's Garlic Pepper Crispy Onions, Lightly Salted Crispy Jalapenos, Lightly Salted Tortilla Strips, Santa Fe Style Tortilla Strips, Tri-Color Tortilla Strips, Wonton Strips, Wasabi Ranch Wonton Strips, and Garlic Ginger Wonton Strips. 

You can even use the Store Locator on Fresh Gourmet's website, to find out which stores around you carry the flavor that you want.  (And no, Fresh Gourmet is not paying me to advocate for them, however, I may send them an invoice anyway).  So, check them out and have fun spicing up old recipes, or creating new ones to share (or keep to yourself, if you make something too good to part with)!