We live in a part of the country where people love to put salsa on everything. Sure, you can spoon it onto your tacos and burritos, or use it as a dip for tortilla chips. But salsa is also great on breakfast stir-fries, or poured inside a gluten-free pita bread wedge with the filling of your choice.

Salsa is always best when fresh, and it’s incredibly easy to make your own with only a few ingredients. Our batch took all of fifteen minutes to prepare, from start to finish. And the results were stellar!

Note: We used fresh tomatoes in our recipe, which resulted in a lighter color and texture. For a brighter red hue and a thicker texture, use canned, diced tomatoes instead.

INGREDIENTS

3 ripe, medium-sized tomatoes, or 1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup coarsely chopped red onion
1/2 medium-sized jalapeno
1-2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
generous dash of fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
dash of chipotle chili powder (optional)

Pour all ingredients into a blender or food processor and pulse until the contents are thoroughly combined. Shut off the blender and taste the contents, adding a little more sea salt if necessary. If you like a smoother salsa, pulse a bit longer.

Transfer the contents to a medium-sized container. Cover it securely and chill the contents in your refrigerator for at least an hour before using.

Remove the salsa from the refrigerator and pour some of it into a smaller bowl. Add it to whatever dish you’ve prepared, or try it with some gluten-free tortilla chips.

Suggestion: Spread a generous helping of tortilla chips onto a cookie sheet, cover them with a layer of pinto beans or black beans, then pour on a generous helping of salsa and top with vegan cheese. Place the cookie sheet in your oven and broil for a few minutes to make nachos!

Note: This salsa will have a zesty flavor, and you’ll also have quite a large amount. Ideally, you should use it all up within five days, which means that you might have to give some to neighbors or friends. We doubt if they’ll mind.

Supposedly, spicy food helps you cool off on a hot day, which is one of the reasons why salsa is so popular in the southwestern United States. We don’t know whether this is true, but we sure loved eating this salsa! It costs only a few dollars to make, and will give your meal a nice bite! Enjoy.

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