Salsa Fresca

Fresh salsa makes use of the best flavors of summer, even the end of summer! Fresh tomatoes along with fresh peppers and plenty of cilantro, add some chips or enjoy it on top of eggs. Here's another way to add some veggies to your meals or snacks.

Ingredients:

2 cups diced tomatoes, about 8 Roma tomatoes

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced Anaheim chili, or green pepper

1 minced jalapeno pepper (see Stealthy Cooking Tip below)

1/2 tsp minced garlic

juice of 1/2 lime

1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro

1/4 tsp freshly ground sea salt

1 tsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions:

Remove the core from the stem end of the tomatoes, and dice them into about 1/4 inch cubes. Dice the red onion and Anaheim chili or green pepper about the same size, 1/4 inch by 1/4 inch. Mince the jalapeno pepper and garlic very small. Roll the lime before cutting it in half, as this helps to release the juices. Cut the cilantro, including both leaves and stems. Mix everything together into a glass bowl. Taste and correct the seasoning by adding salt. If the salsa needs more flavor, you can add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. This recipe is very flexible. Add more tomatoes if you really like tomatoes, or add more peppers or onions if that's a taste you prefer. Just play with this, and you'll find a new favorite.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Jalapeno peppers vary in their heat. Some of them are very hot, and others are very mild. However, they're all usually hot enough to affect your hands when you're cutting them. That said, wear gloves! Removing the seeds will significantly cool the heat, and removing the white membranes will cool the heat even further. That's because the capsacin is found in the membranes and seeds. Vary the amount of jalapeno, so that it suits your tastebuds.