Moroccan Style Spicy Pickled Vegetables

I love crunchy veggies & low cal options are always a plus. this recipe from chefbarrae caught my eye as a must try. i liked that it is diabetic friendly and think it would be picnic friendly. this dish is easy to prepare and stores well in the refrigerator for at least a week. i plan to try adding additional veggies such as celery and cauliflower too.

Steps

Make the marinade.

Pour the vinegar and water into a sauce pan.

Add all of the dried spices , herbs , julienned lemon zest and splenda.

Bring to a simmer and simmer on low for about 15 or 20 minutes.

While the pickling blend is simmering bring another small pot of water to the boil.

Blanch the carrots , onions and green pepper separately , cooking the carrots about 2 minutes , the onion and green pepper about 1 minute.

Place all of the vegetables , including the tomatoes , garlic and olives into a large bowl or other vessel with a cover and gently stir to blend and evenly distribute them.

Pour the hot pickling liquid over the top.

Carefully stir so that all of the vegetables are submerged in the pickling liquid.

Cool to room temperature , about 1 hour and then cover and refrigerate.

This needs to marinate overnight at the least but the longer it marinates the stronger and more flavorful it will become.

Ingredients

white vinegar, water, coriander seed, cumin seed, black peppercorns, fennel seed, brown mustard seeds, yellow mustard seeds, lemon zest, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, dried thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, splenda sugar substitute, carrots, onion, green bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic cloves, stuffed green olive