Clean Salsa & Other Secrets

Okay, so this took me a long time to get right and perfect. At times I was making salsa that tasted like shredded onions because I overdid the onions. Other times it was so tart from all the lime AND lemon (what was I thinking?) that my jaws hurt from the stinging in the back of my mouth. And then there was the time that I put so much cilantro that it was looking more like green mash!

The good thing is that while I have a taste for good food, I had a coworker who is quite literally OBSESSED with salsa. I don’t think she can live without it. Seriously. So obviously I used her for all my taste testing and thankfully, with her input, helped me perfect this amazing recipe.

This recipe will yield about 2 of the larger 30oz Mason jars of salsa. Feel free to half or double it to your heart’s desire. Here it goes. Since this is a clean recipe, you’ll need to get everything organic. If you chose not to, that’s fine.

Gather these goodies:

12 Roma tomatoes

½ Large white onion (use whichever you prefer)

1 Bunch of cilantro (however your store packages it)

2 Limes

1 TBS Sea Salt

½ of each: Red, Yellow & Orange Bell Pepper

2 Jalapeños (one seeded, the other whole)

Before you even begin, please take note of the following IMPORTANT step: have chips ready so you can constantly taste your salsa as it develops and takes shape!

I like to make my salsa in stages. I learned this after throwing everything in the food processor only to realize that I couldn't take out something I put too much of in! Boo. Nobody likes that.

Start with your tomatoes first. Cut into large wedges and pulse them in your food processor to desired chunkiness or if you’re like me, blend the mess out of it, because I like it restaurant style. Following, place tomatoes in a sieve and drain over a large bowl. If you don’t do this, you’ll end up with a morphed version of salsa soup gazpacho in the end. No thanks.

Meanwhile, work on your other ingredients: cilantro, bell peppers, jalapeño and onion, which I pulse in my food processor all at one time. Don’t forget to wash your hands after handling the jalapenos otherwise you’re in for a fire-filled night but not in a good way. By this time, your tomatoes should be ready so add the rest of your ingredients. Juice your two limes and add salt a little at a time.

Let your salsa rest for about 10 minutes and if needed, drain again because the salt will cause the tomatoes to render additional juices. This should come out as a MILD salsa. If you want it hotter, start by adding the stem of the second jalapeño. If you want it even hotter, well I'll say a prayer for you while you add more....

Refrigerate and enjoy over and over until it’s all gone. Any questions?

Secret Tip: Dying for some guacamole? SUPER EASY. Mash up two avocados and spoon in some of your delicious salsa and a dash of ground cumin to taste. You can thank me later.