Sweet n' Spicy Zucchini Pickles

There are lots of recipes out there for zucchini, but plenty of them involve baking or frying.  Neither of which I was up for the other night, so when I found this recipe for Sweet n' Spicy Zucchini Pickles in the latest issue of Cooking Light I was excited!  I hadn't heard of zucchini pickles before but they sounded like fun to me so I made them.  Why not?  They're yummy and totally delicious by themselves as a light snack or on hamburgers or anything that you would use regular pickles for with an extra kick! 

Sweet n' Spicy Zucchini Pickles

source: Cooking Light, August 2010 issue
serves: makes full 2 Ball jars of pickles

Ingredients:
4 cups zucchini, sliced in 1/8" slices
1 cup sweet onions, slivered
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp mustard seeds
3/4 tsp sea salt


Combine vinegar, sugar, red pepper flakes, mustard seeds and salt in a small sauce pan.  Bring to a boil.  While mixture is coming to a boil combine zucchini, onions, garlic in 2 Ball jars.  Pour half the vinegar mixture over the zucchini in each jar.  Fill the rest of the way up with water and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before serving. 

These pickles are so pretty!

These zucchini pickles don't give off their heat right away, but after chewing for a few seconds you will feel the kick!  Then the sweet kicks back in and the flavor that is left in your mouth is fresh and summery.