I love salsa and am always on the lookout for new recipes. I’ve come up with a few easy homemade salsa recipes to share with you today. Use these for dipping veggies and chips, serve them on tacos or main dishes. Don’t feel guilty about adding salsa, either, because it’s made of fresh, healthy ingredients and isn’t loaded in fat and calories. Consider it a relatively worry-free snack. It’s also great to serve at parties and other get-togethers, or just to keep on hand at home for snack time. In the summers, you can even grow your own fresh ingredients. Or at least become a frequent flyer at your local farmers market.

Here I have four fresh salsa recipes for you to try. Happy cooking and eating!

Spicy Salsa

Because this spicy salsa recipe is ready in just 20 minutes, it’s a great one to make on the fly. It also holds up pretty well in the refrigerator for several days, so you can make up an extra large batch to have on hand. That is, if it lasts that long.

Ingredients:

• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ medium yellow onion, diced small
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced small
• 1 medium jalapeno, finely chopped
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ½ t. dried Mexican oregano
• ¼ t. smoked paprika
• ¼ – ½ t. crushed red pepper flakes
• ¼ c. water
• 2½ T. fresh lime juice
• 2-3 T. fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno and season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion and peppers become soft, around 4-5 minutes.
2. Add tomatoes, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and water. Stir to combine and reduce heat to medium-low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for another 4-5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for a few minutes. Once slightly cool, puree mixture with an immersion blender, leaving slightly chunky, or transfer to a regular blender or food processor and pulse a couple of times until just blended.
4. Transfer salsa to a bowl and stir in fresh lime juice and cilantro. Season with additional salt and black pepper, if desired. Serve immediately or cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use. Enjoy!

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Homemade Tomato Salsa

What better excuse do you have to grow your own tomatoes than making this homemade tomato salsa recipe? The best time to make it is at the height of summer when there are plenty of fresh tomatoes available, either from your own garden or your local farmers market. For the best flavor, make this recipe a day ahead of time to give the flavors a chance to really mix together.

Ingredients:  

• 4 medium ripe tomatoes, cored and seeded
• 2 – 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• Juice from 1 fresh lime (about ¼ cup)
• 1 – 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
  salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cut 3 of the tomatoes into quarters and place in blender or food processor.  Add garlic cloves and half the lime juice. Pulse until thoroughly combined.
2. Dice remaining tomato into evenly sized small pieces. Stir into tomato garlic mixture to create a chunkier texture. Stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro (adjust according to personal preference).
3. Add remaining lime and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with your favorite Mexican entrée or by itself with crispy tortilla chips.

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Pico de Gallo

I love pico de gallo because it is extra chunky. Salsas are great, but can be a little watery. This is perfect for when you want something hearty as a dip. It’s almost like eating a mini salad with every chip. Make this ahead of time, because this recipe is best when the flavors have had a chance to meld together for several hours or overnight.

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
• ½ large white or red onion, minced (*red has much more flavor)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 large bunch fresh cilantro, stems removed and finely minced
• Juice from 1 fresh lime
• salt and pepper, to taste
• Optional, for more heat: 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely minced

Directions:

Note: To soften the intensity of the red onion, soak them in cold water for 15 minutes before adding them to the recipe.

1. Place diced tomatoes, red onion, garlic and cumin in a glass bowl and stir to combine. Stir in ½ of the cilantro and lime juice and taste. Add remaining cilantro and lime juice, along with salt and pepper, to taste.
2. Cover and let stand at room temperature for several hours before serving.

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Sweet and Spicy Corn Salsa (Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa)

I don’t get to Chipotle very often anymore, but when I do, I absolutely must have their corn salsa on my burrito bowl. It’s just that perfect blend of sweet and savory, with just enough heat to enhance the flavor and not overpower it. Enjoy it with your favorite tortilla chips, or use as a topping on some of your favorite recipes, such as salads, sandwiches and wraps, burrito bowls, or as a perfect garnish on all sorts of entrees.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium poblano chile
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small red onion
• 1 large jalapeño pepper
• 5-6 sprigs fresh cilantro
• 2 tbsp Lime juice
• 1 cup can corn (or you can use thawed, frozen corn as well)
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions:

Cut the poblano chile into two and remove the seeds. Brush with olive oil inside and out. Broil at 400F for about 5-10 minutes. Remove chile from oven/broiler and let cool. Peel the skin and chop it.

Chop red onion, jalapeño peppers, and cilantro.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients, including the corn, sugar and salt together. Serve chilled.