simple homemade salsa & guacamole

Still buy your salsa from the grocery store??  

Read the jar!!!  Check out those ingredients!

Here are the ingredients in a popular brand of store bought salsa:

Salsa Ingredients: Tomatoes, Onion, Assorted Peppers & Chilies, Tomato Puree (Tomatoes, Water), Cilantro, Salt, Red Wine Vinegar, Sodium Metabisulfite & Sodium Erythorbate Added to Maintain Freshness, Citric Acid, Spices, Garlic, Xanthan Gum, Sugar.   

No thanks, I prefer chemical free Salsa!!!  It's SO much better made fresh at home!  

OH!  and, I heard that there's a guacamole dip out in the grocery stores that doesn't have any avocado in it...yikes!!  Just make homemade!!

Use the recipes below for a base and change them up to suite your taste!  We like them just the way they are!

Double or triple these recipes for a large crowd!

Fresh Chunky Salsa
(make it the day before you want to eat it!) 

INGREDIENTS:
5-6 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 small sweet onion, chopped 
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 Jalapeño peppers, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
2 tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice 
salt & pepper to taste


INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all ingredients and let sit overnight to allow flavors to blend.

Don't like it so chunky?  Pulse it a few times in your blender to get it to the consistency you like!  Simple!


Homemade Guacamole

INGREDIENTS:
3 avocados, peeled and seeded (save one of the seeds!)
1 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 sweet onion, finely chopped
1 Jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced 
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced

INSTRUCTIONS:
Combine all ingredients except avocados.  

Mash avocados with a fork and then fold into the other ingredients.  

Put the reserved seed into the middle of the completed guacamole to prevent browning!  It works!!  

Let sit at room temperature for an hour to let ingredients blend.

TIP!!!  If you make the salsa then later want guacamole, all you have to do is mash avocados and add them to the salsa!!!  

BONUS!!!  Homemade BAKED corn chips!!!
(makes 16 tortillas)

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups Instant Corn Masa Flour
1 1/3 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt
extra virgin olive oil (light flavor!)
salt 

Combine ingredients and mix thoroughly to form a soft dough.  (It's pretty crumbly, just smash it together with your hands!) Add a tiny bit more water if dough seems very dry.

Divide dough into 16 equal size balls.  Cover with a damp paper towel to keep moist.

Place a ball of dough between two sheets of parchment paper and press with a glass pie plate until tortilla is 5-6 inches in diameter (and very thin!).  Or use a tortilla press if you have one--wish I did!!! 

Pre-heat un-greased griddle or skillet on medium-high heat and cook tortillas one at a time for 50 seconds then turn and cook another 50 seconds.  

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Very lightly brush both sides of tortilla with olive oil.  Cut each tortilla into 4 triangles and put pieces onto a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake until chips are crisp.  About 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!!!