Healthy Highlight: Pickles

by

Recipes

The perfect side to accompany your favorite summer sandwich or burger is a pickle. Pickles give a tangy bite to compliment our lunches and escalate our meals, so how good for our body are they? We want to feel confident in our bodies this summer and focus on having fun rather than how we look, so let's see if we should be stocking up on those pickles. The nutritional value depends on the type of pickle but below is some information about a Dill Pickle.

  • A pickle has 20% of the daily recommended amount of Vitamin K to keep your bones strong and helps your blood clot
  • Contains 6% of your daily requirement of potassium to keep your nerves working right
  • 1% of the daily value for Vitamin A to improve vision, immune system, and insure a healthy pregnancy
  • Pickle juice can quickly replace lost electrolytes after exercise and can ease muscle cramps

Recipes:

Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles (Foodiecrush.com)

For Homemade Pickling Spice

  • 2 tablespoons Black Peppercorns
  • 2 tablespoons Mustard Seeds
  • 2 tablespoons Coriander Seeds
  • 2 tablespoons Dill Seed
  • 1 tablespoon Allspice Berries
  • 1 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
  • 10-12 Bay Leaves

For Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles

  • 10-12 pounds pickling Cucumbers
  • 2 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 2 cups White Vinegar
  • 4 cups Water
  • 5 tablespoons Pickling Salt
  • Dried Dill Weed from a 2-ounce package
  • 10-18 small Thai Red Peppers
  • 20-30 whole Garlic Cloves
  • Homemade Pickling Spice (above)
  1. For the Homemade Pickling Spice: Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix.
  2. Prepare your jars and lids for canning. I run my jars through the dishwasher to sterilize and remove them while still warm. Add the lids to a small pot of simmering boiled water to pull from for the canning process.
  3. In a large stock pot to avoid contaminationbring the vinegars, water and salt to a simmer.
  4. To each sterilized jar add: 2-3 tablespoons of pickling spice, 2-3 fronds and stalks of dried dill weed, 2-3 Thai red peppers depending on your preference and 4-5 whole garlic cloves to each jar. Pack the whole or sliced cucumbers into the jars so they are tight but aren't damaged in the process. The cucumbers should sit below the neck of the jar. Trim the cucumbers if they're poking up too high.
  5. Pour the brine into the jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace, just covering the cucumbers.
  6. Wipe the rims of the jars and use tongs to place the lids and rings (that have been sterilized in simmering water) on top of the jars. To avoid contamination, do not touch the lids where they sit on the jars with your fingers.
  7. Process in a canner water bath of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the jars from the pot and allow them to cool on a dishtowel on the counter. As the jars cool you will hear them pop as they seal. Sealed jars should feel solid when tapped and be concave in shape.
  8. Store in a dry cool place. Pickles will be ready to try in about 7-10 days but get even better over time. They can be stored for up to 1 year.

Classic Sweet Hot Dog Relish (Thespruceeats.com)

  • 4-5 Cucumbers, seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 medium Onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 small Red Bell Pepper, seeded and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar
  • 3/4 cup Sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon Celery Seed
  • 1/4 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • Dash Black Pepper
  1. In a large, nonreactive bowl, combine cucumbers, onion, bell pepper, and salt. Mix well. If this seems like a lot of salt, don't worry: Most of it is rinsed off later. The salt is there to draw water out of the vegetables, a step that results in better texture and flavor in the finished relish.
  2. Cover the bowl of vegetables and leave in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
  3. Transfer vegetables to a finely meshed sieve or strainer and let drain for a couple of minutes. Rinse well with cool water and drain again. Get out even more of the liquid by squeezing hard with clean hands or by pressing vegetables against sieve with the back of a wooden spoon.
  4. Whisk cornstarch into cool or room temperature vinegar in a medium saucepan. Stir in sugar, celery seed, mustard seeds, mustard, turmeric, nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often to help dissolve sugar and prevent lumps.
  5. Once syrup is boiling and becoming translucent, add vegetables. Simmer relish for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  6. Scoop hot dog relish into clean, hot canning jars leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Screw on the lids. If canning, process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Regardless, the flavor will be even better a week later.

Judy's Macaroni Salad (Tasteofhome.com)

  • 2 1/2 cups uncooked Elbow Macaroni
  • 1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Sweet Pickle Juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
  • 6 Hard-Boiled Large Eggs, chopped
  • 6 Sweet Pickles, chopped
  1. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Drain macaroni; rinse with cold water and drain well.
  2. In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, pickle juice, salt and pepper. Stir in cheese, eggs and pickles. Add macaroni; toss gently to coat. Refrigerate, covered, until chilled, at least 2 hours.