One of my favourite ways to use fruits and veggies up is to make salsa. It’s such an easy way to add lots of bursting flavour to any meal you’re eating. Here are a few easy salsa recipes, variations and ideas on where to use them.
- Sunshine Salsa
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 red tomatoes
- 1 yellow tomato
- ½ small red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper*
- ½ cup of fresh chopped cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Chop your tomatoes into rough small pieces and put them in a bowl
- Dice your onion, the pepper and cilantro and add them to the bowl
- Slice your lime in half and juice over the salsa
- Add salt and pepper to taste
*If you prefer a milder salsa, remove the jalapeno seeds. A tip that I use is to remove all the seeds and keep them in a small bowl. After I’ve finished making the salsa I give it a quick taste and if it isn’t spicy enough I’ll start to add some seeds. It’s much easier than taking them out!
Express Directions
Use your food processor to save time. Chop your onion, jalapeno and cilantro right in the food processor. Cut your tomatoes into 4 and add them. Pulse a few times until your tomato pieces have turned into cubes and before they become a puree.
Storing
Since the salsa is made with fresh ingredients you can keep it in your fridge for up to 5 days.
Ideal for….
- This recipe is delicious as a dip for tortilla chips. It’s so taste you can even use veggies to dip instead of the chips!
- Add it as a topping to Mexican meals like tacos, burritos or quesadillas
- Use it in your egg dishes, like an omelette or frittata
- Use it on your pizza instead of pizza sauce
- Stuff your zucchini with it, add some lentils or ground beef for protein
- Mix the salsa with Greek yogurt and use it as a topping for baked sweet potato
- Add to your canned tuna and use it as filling for sandwich, topping for salad or on crackers
- Fruity Salsa
For a special sweet treat, add fruit to your salsa just like this grilled pineapple salsa recipe
Peach Salsa
Ingredients
- 4 peaches, cut into cubes
- 1 red pepper, cut into cubes
- ½ red onion, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into 4
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Juice from 1 lime
Directions
Combine all the ingredients and keep in the refrigerator
- This goes great with meats like pork, beef, fish and shrimp
- Top your hamburger
- In your lunch sandwiches
- It makes a full meal when you add it to leftover pasta, quinoa or barley, as well as leftover chicken, fish or legumes (lentils, kidney beans…)
- Strawberry basil salsa
Looking for fresh taste and bright colour. Try this fruity strawberry basil salsa and picture yourself transported to July no matter what time of the year you’re snacking on it.
- Travels great for a picnic: eat with crackers or even better a fresh baguette
- Top your fresh served fish with it (tilapia, salmon, sole, trout…)
- It’s delicious added to a quinoa salad with roasted nuts
- Serve it as your main, with crackers or on cucumber slices
What’s your favourite salsa? How do you use it to fill Half Your Plate
Written by Marie-Ève Caplette, Registered Dietitian and Half Your Plate Campus ambassador
