Salsa

I'm going back a few years here but I totally think about the salsa conversation on Seinfeld when I hear the word "salsa."

Tis' the season for fresh garden salsa!  Do you have a garden?  I usually have a small garden with tomatoes and herbs...I won't bore you with my many excuses of not having a garden this summer. Next year for sure; no excuses!

Even without having a garden I have been able to find some great, local produce at neighborhood fruit/veggie stands and the farmer's market.  I also have a really awesome neighbor who has an abundance of tomatoes and hand delivers his extras to my doorstep (part of my list of excuses for not planting a garden was counting on these tomatoes).

Home grown summer tomatoes are the BEST!  The impostors at the grocery store don't even come close to comparison.  I've always loved tomatoes... even as a little girl my mom & grandma would serve home-grown tomatoes on crackers with cottage cheese and I couldn't get enough.  I can eat tomatoes on a toasted English muffin, in caprese salad, topped on a burger or egg sandwich, etc the list goes on and on.  My daughter likes them as well and picks them out of my salads when we go out to eat.  She is not shy when it comes to salsa either...some children dip their chip and don't get much but my daughter wants her chip loaded and the spicier the better!

Good tasting salsa starts with good tasting tomatoes.   So even if you don't have a garden you can still find some of these tasty red tomatoes at your local farmers market or maybe, like me, you are lucky enough to have a generous neighbor.  This salsa recipe is perfect with tortilla chips or you could use it to top off grilled fish or chicken. I used this recipe last week to top off some beer battered fish tacos*.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 red or yellow pepper, chopped
juice from 1/4 of a lime
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 cup black beans (or chopped pineapple or chopped mango)
3 tablespoons jalapenos, chopped (more or less depending on how spicy you like your salsa)
dash of salt & pepper

Mix all of the ingredients and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. If you prefer a more finely blended salsa versus chopped you can put all the ingredients in a food processor. I like a more rustic chopped look but there are no rules here!  Enjoy!

*here's a pic of the fish tacos topped with the black bean salsa, pickled onions and a cilantro slaw ... they were delicious!