Wholesome Goodness

As much as I love fresh pico de gallo, it’s not always the most practical choice.  Good, fresh tomatoes are hard to find in the summer, and in the winter, well, they don’t exist.  Even in the summertime, I don’t always have time to de-seed tomatoes and chop them up with all the other goodies.  That’s why I am so thrilled about this ridiculously easy recipe. 

I had no idea that canned tomatoes could produce such a tasty homemade salsa!  I first tried something similar last month at a 4th of July party.  One of the guests brought a delicious salsa that she said was made from canned tomatoes, onion, lime juice, and cilantro.  I went home, poked around on the internet, and found this recipe.  Then I decided to play in the kitchen.  The recipe below is what I came up with.  I’ve made it twice, and I timed myself the second time around.  It truly is a 5 minute recipe. 

Please note that this is a very mild salsa.  As much as I love spicy food, my husband’s tummy does not.  So I try to be nice.  Add jalapenos, with or without seeds, to your heart’s content in the step with the onions.  If Rotel tomatoes aren’t available in your area, add a small can of regular tomatoes and throw in some more jalapeno.  Finally, do try to make this salsa one day ahead.  It tastes much, much better the second day.

5 Minute Salsa

1 large clove garlic, peeled
1/2 large onion, cut into four chunks
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, lightly packed
28 oz can whole tomatoes
10 oz can Rotel tomatoes (tomatoes with green chilies)
3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (Real Salt and Celtic Sea Salt are great choices)

Step 1: Pull out your food processor, turn it on, and drop the clove of garlic into the machine while the blade is running.

Step 2:  Stop the processor and drop in the four chunks of onion:

Add the cilantro too.  If you’re using extra jalapenos, add them now.

Now, pulse the processor 3 or 4 times, until you get something that looks like this:

Step 3:  Add the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, lime juice, and salt) and pulse 4 to 6 times.  The mixture should look a bit like this:

That’s it!  Just pour it into a storage container and refrigerate overnight.  This salsa tastes great with scrambled eggs (especially these Mexican scrambled eggs), taco salads, and organic corn chips.  Enjoy!

Yield: ~5 cups