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Salsa Recipes

All are okay for Phase 1 except as noted. I usually buy my salsa, sometimes fresh and sometimes in a jar. For those of you who prefer to make your own, here are some recipes using both fresh tomatoes and canned tomatoes. Almost all salsas are fat free. There are several recipes on this site that use salsa as an ingredient.

Salsas Using Fresh Tomatoes

Salsa

Recipe from the Susan Powter recipe book.

3 medium tomatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks

1 scallion, with top, cut into large pieces

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, optional

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (include seeds for a hotter salsa)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Put all the ingredients into a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse to coarsely chop. The salsa will keep up to a week in the refrigerator.

Serves 6. Calories: 24 (1/2 cup), fat: 0 gm, 0% fat

Tricolor Salsa

From "The Great Salsa Book" by Mark Miller.

1/2 cup red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, seeded and finely diced

4 teaspoons minced serrano chile, seeded

1/3 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons minced shallot

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar (you can omit, or use a packet of Splenda instead)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Cilantro Lime Salsa Fresca

From Andrew Evans: Here is my favorite—very easy.

3 large tomatoes or 5 or 6 plum tomatoes, diced small

1 medium white onion, diced small

1 jalapeno or other hot pepper, diced (you decide if you want to seed it or not)

Juice of 2 limes, or one lemon and one lime

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Salt to taste

Combine everything in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight before serving.

Salsa

1 large tomato, seeded and chopped

1/2 onion, chopped (or more if you like)

1 green (or yellow or red or all 3) pepper, seeded and chopped fine

1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon sugar (this draws out the juices of the veggies) See note.*

1/2 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)

Jalapenos (optional, in whatever amount to your taste)

Put all ingredients into a bowl. Mix well. Let sit on counter for at least an hour, covered with plastic wrap, stirring every once in a while.

Before serving, add a sprinkling of cilantro, fresh or dried. If you like, you can add a chopped garlic clove. Of course, you can make as big or small a batch as you like. Just experiment, and you'll get the right combo of vinegar, salt, and sugar. If you like the heat (which I don't) add jalapenos.

*Note: This is such a small amount of sugar that it shouldn’t cause a problem. However, if you prefer, just leave it out, or use Whey Low, which works like sugar. I don't know is Splenda would work in this recipe.

Salsa-Fresca

From a forum: Here's some salsa that turned out really well and is mild—even with the jalapenos! Really.

4 or 5 ripe medium tomatoes, diced (you can seed them or not, your preference)

1 small red onion, diced finely

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bunch of fresh cilantro, stems removed and coarsely chopped

2 or 3 jalapenos, seeded and diced finely

Juice of one lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all and serve immediately or let it set to combine flavors. This keeps a few days in the fridge. If you want to spice it up, add some generous shakes of chili sauce or serrano peppers. If you like a stronger onion flavor use white onions.

Favorite Salsa

From Jan Gordon: I don't measure when I make this, so bear with me and taste as you go.

2 cups (more or less) fresh vine ripened tomatoes, chopped

1 cup (about) purple or sweet white onions, chopped fairly fine

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Chopped jalapenos to your taste

          (you can use pickled nacho slices, diced, or use fresh pepper)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced very fine, or use a garlic press

1 to 2 tablespoons diced fresh cilantro (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper, a few grinds

Dash of salt

Mix all ingredients and chill for at least an hour.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

From www.drsinatra.com.

2 large tomatoes, diced
2 tablespoons chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and chill several hours before serving.

Makes 2 servings.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving: Calories 70, Calories from Fat 10, Total Fat 1 g, Saturated Fat 0 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 20 mg, Carbohydrate 16 g, Dietary Fiber 3 g, Sugars 8 g, Protein 3 g.

Green, yellow, and orange bell peppers are among the best vegetable sources of vitamin C, but red bell peppers are even better.  They provide three times as much vitamin C as oranges. They are also outstanding for their ability to boost your immune system and fight free-radical damage to your cells, helping you to fend off ailments such as cancer and heart disease. Bell peppers are also an excellent source of cancer-fighting beta carotene, but red peppers provide 20 times more beta carotene than other peppers.

Honus's Summer Salsa

From www.reluctantgourmet.com.

6 cups chopped tomatoes

1/2 cup scallions, minced

1 cup  FRESH cilantro, chopped, no stems

6-8 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup chopped FRESH oregano

2 tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, minced (more if your taste buds can handle it)

1 red pepper, chopped

2 yellow peppers, chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons FRESH lime juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

If you have the time, chop all the ingredients by hand. It's more work, but the salsa will look better and for some unknown reason, taste better. Otherwise, use your food processor to speed up the preparation. Once all the ingredients are prepped, add them to a large bowl and stir gently until well combined. Cover, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

You'll find the leftovers are better the next day after a night of marinating and will make a great omelet the next morning. When I prepare this recipe, I usually make a large amount at one time and dine on it all week. If you just want to make enough for one meal, reduce the amounts proportionately. Enjoy—RG.

 Salsas Using Canned Tomatoes

Salsa

From Graham Gibbs: Someone wrote awhile back asking for a salsa recipe. Well, here's mine, and it's easy and so good I use it as a dressing on salads. I love this stuff.

1 16-oz can tomatoes (chop up tomatoes and dump liquid and tomatoes in bowl)

1 7-ounce can chopped green chilies

1 bunch of green onions chopped

Basil, hot sauce, and pepper to taste (it gets a little hotter the longer it sets)

Mix let chill for at least an hour.

Mexican Salsa

Combine all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Let stand 2 hours to let flavors blend.

Incredible Salsa

1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes*

3 large jalapenos

4 large garlic cloves peeled

salt to taste

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Roast jalapenos (in the oven under broiler) until skins are blackened. Do not remove skins but remove stems. Blend jalapenos in juice of tomatoes, (no tomatoes at this point). Add seasonings, garlic, tomatoes, and cilantro leaves; chop in blender for 3 seconds. Keep refrigerated.

*Note: Stewed tomatoes usually have added sugar, so read label. You can substitute two 14.5 oz cans of petite diced tomatoes.

Cajun Salsa

1 can of Cajun stewed tomatoes (these might have some added sugar, read label)

1/4 cup minced Vidalia onion

1/2 clove minced garlic

Juice of 1/2 lime

1 tablespoon dried cilantro

Blend all ingredients just until chunky. You don’t want to let it get smooth.

Drain the juice from the tomatoes into a food processor or blender. Then squeeze the tomatoes to extract more juice, adding the juice to the food processor or blender, reserving the tomatoes. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos, and honey to the food processor or blender. Process until smooth.

Add the tomatoes and just hit the button on the food processor a couple of times to chop the tomatoes. DO NOT process them, just chop coarsely.

The salsa has a slightly sweet flavor due to the honey, and combined with the hotness of the jalapenos, gives it a unique taste.

Old-Time Salsa

Stir well and add a little water if too thick. Tomatoes have lots of salt, so check before adding the salt, then add to your taste. If you like oregano or cilantro, that can be added. Make ahead of time as the flavor will be better as it sets.

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This page on-line December 22, 2003