Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Raku Cutlery. I received products and compensation in exchange for writing an honest review and all opinions [and recipes!] are my own. I only recommend products & services that I use and love myself, so I know you’ll be in good hands.
I’m super excited to have a giveaway for you today for 3 different sets of ceramic knives courtesy of Raku Cutlery! Ceramic knives have been all the rage on the cooking shows lately, and I’ve really been wanting to give them a try to see if they work as well as I hear they do.
I was expecting these to come in standard plastic packaging, so I was surprised to open the box and find this beautiful gift set. The set comes with 2 knives: a santoku, and a paring knife. They are packed snugly in a gift box, tucked into black foam and come with protective plastic sheaths so you can keep them safe even if you store them in your drawer rather than a knife block.
My knives are probably my most-used kitchen tools, and I’ve always been particularly partial to my Henkel santoku blade. It’s my favorite for slicing and dicing veggies for salsas and soups because of its size and the ridges in the top of the blade that help food top slide off instead of sticking. To give this ceramic santoku a good test, I decided to make some of my favorite peach salsa.
Peach salsa is the best this time of year because Colorado peaches are bountiful and our gardens are producing the last few harvests of peppers and tomatoes. It has such a great mix of sweet, salty and spicy that you just can’t resist. If you’ve never tried peach salsa before, it’s not as strange as it might sound, especially once you consider that tomatoes are also a fruit. The sweet and juicy flavor of peaches go perfectly with the tomatoes and basil and I just love to eat this salsa on blue corn chips or use it to top chicken or fish.
I’m not ashamed to say that I often dice everything up, give it a good stir, and then sit on the back deck and devour it all with an entire bag of blue corn chips. Then I go back to the kitchen and dice up more fruits and veggies for a second batch of peach salsa that I can keep around long enough to share with my guests. It really is better when it sits in the fridge to meld together for a few hours.
I went into this recipe pretty skeptical of ceramic knives, but I was really, really happy with the way the Raku ceramic knives sliced and diced smoothly through all the fruits and veggies. They are super duper sharp and they shaved through the tomatoes without mashing them at all like my steel knives are sometimes prone to do. Since they’re made from ceramic, they hold their edges much better and are said to be much harder than metal knives. The only trade off is that they are not malleable like metal knives, so where a steel knife would bend out of shape and need to be repaired if used improperly, ceramic knives could chip and might need to be replaced instead. Because of this, you can’t use them on frozen foods and you shouldn’t put them (or any knives!) through the dishwasher. I’m excited to add them to my knife block and see how they hold up over the months.
As I write this post, I’m driving (well, riding) down the road heading to Texas for Texas Antiques Week in Round Top, Texas. We packed a batch of this peach salsa in our cooler, and I can tell you that it’s an awesome healthy road trip snack. So much better than the fast food stuff we usually end up with. The only down side is that I can’t go make some more when I run out! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and you can find the recipe below the giveaway.
Win A Set Of Raku Ceramic Knives!
Raku has been generous enough to give me 3 more ceramic knife sets that I get to giveaway to you! If you don’t win in the giveaway below, you can also use the coupon code “POWERS15” over on Amazon to get $5 off your own knife set anytime between now and January 15th. This would be an awesome Christmas gift set for your favorite home cook or to keep on hand for a last minute neighbor gift.
Giveaway is open to US residents 18 years of age and older. Entries will be accepted via the Rafflecopter below from 9/23/2015 to 9/30/2015 at 11:59 PM EST. Three winners will be randomly selected and will be verified. Winners will be emailed and must respond with a mailing address within 48 hours to claim their prize.
Peach Basil Salsa
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 large, ripe peaches, peel on, diced large
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced medium
- 3 medium tomatoes, diced large
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Tortilla chips for serving.
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and enjoy!
- Allow to meld in the fridge for at least 2 hours for maximum flavor.
Notes
- Gluten-free: This recipe is gluten-free.
- Vegetarian/Vegan: This recipe is vegan.
- Serve with chips, your favorite salad, or over chicken or fish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
would love to win
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Good luck!
We are a big salsa household. I do love a nice peach mango salsa, but my all-time favorite is my homemade salsa verde. I add an avocado which really gives it nice texture and taste. My favorite things (I can’t pick just one) to put salsa on are eggs, potatoes, tortillas, and salad!
I’m with you. Salsa on all the things!! Especially eggs. Migas is my favorite breakfast ever. Have you tried it?
What a great idea to add an avocado! Do you blend it in or dice it?
I blend it in. Granted, the salsa only lasts a day or two, but it’s worth it. Give it a try!
This sounds delicious. Love peach anything. My favorite salsa is green tomatillo salsa my MIL makes. I love it with chicken enchiladas!
Chicken enchiladas are the best! I’ve never tried making tomatillo salsa before, but it’s on my to-do list.
Yay enchiladas! I’ve never tried making tomatillo salsa, but I hear they grow really well in Colorado. I may have to try it soon.
I love Mex salsa with bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, corn, and lime juice.
Mmmmm. That sounds so yummy! Salsa party at my house?
Yum! I’d love eating that too. It sounds wonderful.
this looks like something I could eat all day, everyday! those peaches look so yummy! what an awesome recipe. can’t wait to go stalk the rest of your site 🙂 I haven’t been on here in a while for some reason! 🙂
I could totally eat this all day every day. And feel free to stalk away! I’ve got tons to eat here!
I could totally eat it all day too. And thank you! I’ve got lots to “eat” with your eyes lately, so I hope you find some other new recipes to try. 🙂
Yum!! I’m such a fan of mango salsa. The sweetness mixed with the memories of early married life just makes it oh so good. I found you through The Peony Project! I’m new there. 🙂
How fun! Memories are always best when tied to food. Mango salsa sounds awesome. Do you have a recipe on your blog?
Oh how sweet that it brings back great memories. Is that the inspiration for your blog name? Thanks for stopping by!
Oh! I hadn’t thought of that! Our family is preparing to move to Kenya as long-term missionaries. The mango tree is something that we’ve always connected to as a place to gather & for community. So, mango memoirs! 🙂
I like avocado salsa and I love it just plain on corn chips
Avocado salsa sounds soooo yummy! I’m happy with pretty much anything on a tortilla chip.
I’m always game for anything with avocados. Good choice!
Oh my word this looks super delicious. I am going to have to make it this weekend!
That sounds like a great idea. 😉 Let me know how you like it!
Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!
Mmmm this sounds good! I don’t think I’ve ever tried adding peaches to salsa. It would be a nice, sweet twist! These knives sound awesome, too.
It adds just enough sweet to off set the spice without going overboard. And I think you’d really love the knives! I hope you win!
It adds a really fun twist to salsa. And I think you’d enjoy these knives too!
This looks delicious! Normally I’m not a huge fan of sweet salsas, but I do love peaches.
It’s actually not that sweet since I don’t like super sweet ones either. Just enough to counter the spice in the jalapenos. We will have to make some more when you visit!
It’s actually not too super sweet. Mostly just like regular salsa, but the peaches bring out the fruity flavor of the tomatoes and enhance it.
I like salsa with tomatoes,onions,chives,lime and NO cilantro.I like to eat salsa with chips or on a vegetable omelet.
Cilantro is such a polarizing ingredient. I hear it tastes like soap to some people. Is that true for you?
It tastes like poison with an aftertaste that makes me get really nauseous.I think soap tastes better than cilantro.
I’ve never tried making salsa before…a shame really! I do take avocado and mash it with healthy mayo and dip veggies and homemade tortilla chips in it…that’s the closest I’ve come.
You really should give it a try! It’s almost as easy as mashing an avocado. And if you’re feeling lazy, you can dump it all into a food processor or blender and give it a whirl. I like your simple guacamole idea.
I have to say, that looks mighty delicious. I have never tried anything like this but you make it look beautiful. My favorite salsa is my homemade salsa with lots of fresh jalapeno. I also love to occasionally add mango to it!
Thank you Starla! And adding mango sounds like a great idea. I’ll have to try it the next time they’re in season.
I like mango salsa. We use the tortilla chips. Thanks!
Mango is another favorite of mine too!
My favorite type of salsa is mango salsa. It is something that I never get tired of having as a condiment.
I’m with you – salsa is always a welcome addition.
My favorite is peach pineapple salsa…sweet and spicy!
That sounds awesome!
That looks delish!
My all-time fave is Salsa Verde with roasted veggies or grilled meat.
Roasted veggies are the best. What a great idea to add salsa verde to them!
I like to incorporate regular hot salsa into a roasted chicken dish.
That sounds delicious. I’m always a fan of salsa chicken.
I LOVE using salsa on top of taco pie! I haven’t tried it with a fruit-based salsa, but I’m sure I could adjust the seasoning in taco pie to complement the peaches.
Yum! Taco pie sounds amazing!
I love peach mango salsa! [email protected]
I like peach salsa