National Salsa Month! Healthy and tasty!
May is National Salsa Month! Made with fresh vegetables – and sometimes fresh fruits – salsa is one of the healthiest condiments you can put on the table. According to some sales figures, salsa long ago surpassed ketchup as America’s favorite condiment.
Salsa is a low-calorie, low-fat treat unless any kind of oil is one of the ingredients. Oil adds 14 grams of fat and 120 calories per tablespoon of salsa.
Peppers are a great ingredient because they bring vitamins A, C, B6 and K to the party. Jalapenos and chili peppers bring capsaicin, a valuable antioxidant, to the party. Here are two simple recipes: California Salsa and – because this is Wisconsin – Cherry Salsa.
Fresh salsa should keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Pro tip: Use a vegetable chopper to cut your salsa prep time way down.
Fresh California Salsa
Makes 16 servings.
Ingredients
4 large tomatoes, diced
½ large onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
Directions
In a small mixing bowl, combine tomatoes, onion, garlic, cilantro and lime juice. Add jalapenos 2 teaspoons at a time. Because jalapenos vary in heat, taste after each addition to see how hot the salsa has become. Salt to taste.
Nutrition facts per serving
12 calories
0.1 g fat (0.0 g saturated fat)
0 mg cholesterol
3 mg sodium
131 mg potassium
2.7 g carbohydrates
0.7 g dietary fiber
0.5 g protein
1 g sugars
Source: Allrecipes
Cherry Salsa
4 cups cherries, stemmed, pitted and chopped
8 green onions, chopped
1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
¼ cup lemon juice
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
Directions
Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until well combined. Serve with chips.
Source: Food Network