Our Favorite Bottled Salsa

It's that time of year and I'm excited to bottle a bunch of salsa since we ran out in June. We have been making this salsa every year for at least 8 years and it's still some of our very favorite. It's so good why not give it a try this year. If you like spicy don't be afraid to add extra jalapenos or we actually like to add habanero to some extra spicy batches. Yum!





Our Favorite Bottled Salsa

4 quarts tomatoes, scalded, peeled and smashed (preferable with your hands;)
6-8 green bell peppers, chopped
4 onions, chopped
1/2-1 cup chopped jalapenos, more if you want it hotter
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup Sucanat
4 cloves garlic
12 oz. tomato paste
2 cups tomato puree
2 teaspoons cumin
4 bunches cilantro, chopped
2-3 Tablespoons Real salt

In a very large pot add all ingredients except for cilantro bring to a boil add the cilantro.  Water bath can in pints for about 20 minutes or quarts for about 30 minutes. Now enjoy great tasting homemade salsa ALL YEAR LONG!

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

A few weeks ago we were visiting my Parents and Mom had taken some tomatoes from their garden and made pineapple salsa! I thought it was super yummy and asked her what she put in it. I know I learned how to cook from my Mom.....she was like, "Oh a little of this and a little of that."

She did say it would be good with cilantro and I readily agreed but we all knew why she didn't put any in.....my Dad despises the stuff. ;) Oh but I love cilantro such a wonderfully tasty and healthy herb. So not long after I got home I made my own version with cilantro right from my herb garden!

This is what I came up with.....

Fresh Pineapple Salsa

8-10 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 of a fresh pineapple peeled, cored and chopped
1 mango, peeled and chopped (optional)
6-8 green onions, sliced thin
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped

In 8 cup bowl or larger stir all ingredients together. Great on top of a veggie burger or as a chip dip or however else you want to use it. ;)

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Missy's Favorite Fresh Salsa

My daughter Melissa has always loved this salsa.  It's a favorite around here this time of year because most of the ingredients come fresh from our garden.  It's all raw and probably is closer to Pico but we have always called it Missy's Favorite Salsa.

Fresh garden tomatoes ripened on the vine is the secret to the very best freshest tasting salsa.  You could get the other ingredients from the store but we think it's a must that the tomatoes be fresh picked.  Feel free to add more garlic and jalapeno if you like it spicier.

Missy's Favorite Fresh Salsa

8 cups chopped fresh garden tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 fresh jalapenos, seeds removed and chopped
3-4 cloves fresh garlic minced (or to taste)
Zest and Juice of 1 large lime or 2 small ones
2 teaspoons Real Salt
1 teaspoon Mexican seasoning (optional)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.

Salsa, Like at the Restaurants

MmmMMMmmm we love this Salsa and can't wait until we have fresh ingredients from our garden to make it!  Because of course it is better that way!  It reminds me of the really good Restaurant Style Salsas, you know those fresh tasting ones with lots of garlic that they can't bring you enough of!  Oh by the way I our garden is coming along wonderfully I can't wait to take you on a little tour!
 

Restaurant Style Salsa

15-20 Large Tomatoes
1 Large Green Bell Pepper, optional
1-2 Large Jalapenos, seeded
1-2 large onions
4-6 cloves garlic
1 large bunch of Cilantro
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 2-3 limes
1/2 -1 Tablespoons Real Salt, or to taste

In blender place 2 tomatoes quartered, peppers, 1 onion and the other ingredients.  Pulse in blender until chopped well.  Add the rest of the tomatoes and onion, pulse just until the consistency you like it.  If you like a few bigger chunks dice some of the tomatoes and some onion by hand and add afterwards.  I also like to add a little hand chopped cilantro because I like a strong cilantro flavor.  

Thick and Chunky Cilantro Salsa

My Cilantro is doing well this year in my garden I have ordered Organic Tomatoes from Bountiful Baskets.  I'm looking forward to making this again soon!!!

Thick and Chunky Cilantro Salsa

1/2 medium onion

1/2 cup cilantro

1/2 fresh jalapeno pepper

Directions: Place ingredients in blender jar in order as listed and secure the lid. Press the Pulse button 3 to 5 times or until ingredients are chopped.

Add:

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vinegar

5-7 Tomatoes - quartered

3 drops Tabasco sauce

3/4 tsp salt
Any other desired seasonings

Directions: Press the Pulse button a few times until salsa is blended to desired consistency.  Remember if you want "thick and chunky" don't blend much!

Mango Salsa

A quick and easy recipe that we love to have on Taco Sundays.
Like Bajio only better!

Easy Mango Salsa

2 Large Mangoes, cubed
Juice of one Lime
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 of a purple onion, chopped fine
2 jalapenos seeded (unless you like it spice), chopped fine
3 Heaping Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

In a bowl combine all ingredients and mix well.  Makes a great Taco Salad topping, if you want it more salsa like for dipping chopped the mango into even smaller pieces and puree a little of it with some lime juice in a blender and mix it in with the salsa!

By the way thanks for being such good sports with my April Fools joke!  I had such a fun time reading all your responses!  We all had some good laughs here at our house and we hope you did too!  Some of you seemed to almost wish that I really had come up with a healthy way to have corn dogs.  I know there is a way to make them better but it's really NOT what you would call healthy, still very, very, processed;  But probably a better option if you are going to have one anyway. ;)

Hopefully you are all so busy focusing on all the good wonderful healthy foods out there that you don't have time to concern yourselves with such things as Corn Dogs.  But if the craving is super strong don't beat yourself up about it just know that there are "better" options and heck you could get creative.  Ummm I'm thinking mashed up white beans seasoned and pressed together..........or maybe not! ;)  Dang I'm sorry for you who still crave hot dogs I simply have not craved one in years and years.  Once I learned what they where I was pretty well cured of my cravings.  But I certainly don't want to be a source of guilt for you.   Just continue to learn and do YOUR best to keep it Simple. Healthy. Tasty. 

Oh and here my Sister shared this post from her blog!  She follows the Simple. Healthy. Tasty. Lifestyle but still tends to get some cravings once in a while!  ;)  I so admire what she is trying to do in spite of it to be a good example to her children and to teach them to make good healthy choices!  They even ask ME when I give them something to eat if it is healthy!  I'm mighty proud of Em, MIGHTY Proud!  And all of you who try to go beyond the S.A.D. diet with your family at whatever level!  Every little effort IS making a huge difference for good in their lives!
You are all WONDERFUL!

So what are some of your cravings that just seem to crop up when you least expect it?  Do you have some tricks that help?  Remember my Milkshake post that's what helped that particular craving!  Share away in the comments we can learn so much from each other!

Chipotle Corn Salsa

There are two types of people in this world...

those who like cilantro, and those who don't.

I'm a recovering hater.

My taste buds seem to have made a new friend. In fact, so much so that I recently ordered cilantro seeds to plant in my Spring garden. However, cilantro is not the only ingredient in this sweet medley of flavors. A tasty treat, indeed.

And uh...if you're a hater, you can forgo the cilantro...it's still mighty tasty without.

Chipotle Corn Salsa

2 cups frozen corn

2 vine-ripened tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 small red onion, diced

3/4 cup diced red bell pepper

2 jalapeno peppers - seeds removed, flesh minced

2 teaspoons finely chopped reconstituted chipotle pepper

{reconstituted = soaked in water for 1-2 hours...

remove seeds and then finely chop}

4 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

1 tablespoon agave nectar

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

salt and garlic powder to taste

Put 1tsp olive oil in large skillet.
Place over medium-high heat.
Add corn to hot skillet.
Cook, stirring occasionally,
until browned but not burned.
Place in a large bowl.

Stir the tomatoes, onion, bell pepper,
and jalapeno peppers into the corn;

Stir in the chipotle peppers,
lime juice, olive oil, agave nectar
and cilantro.

Season with salt and garlic powder to taste.

Eat over a bed of brown rice, with corn chips or by itself.

Even better if stored in the fridge overnight...if you can muster up that much self-control.

Enjoy!

 

Persimmon Salsa

On Saturday morning my husband picked up our produce from Bountiful Baskets, when he returned I went through the loot and saw these strange tomato-looking fruits.

Persimmons? What in the Sam do I do with persimmons?

Well, I found a recipe, tweaked it, and wah-lah....YUM!

If you happen to be in the same predicament...try this, you'll love it.

Persimmon Salsa

4 firm but ripe Fuyu persimmons, peeled, cut into small cubes

(makes about 1 and 1/2 cups)

2 Tablespoons white onion, very finely chopped

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon minced fresh basil

2 teaspoons finely chopped serrano pepper

(take out seeds if you don't like spicy)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon minced fresh mint (optional)

Mix persimmons, onion, lime juice, basil, serrano pepper,

ginger and mint in small bowl.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

We ate ours on plain old corn chips, but I imagine it would be mighty tasty on baked potatoes, fajitas, etc...

Salsa With Friendly Flora!

Hey look what I made!  I was very excited when I saw this recipe on Passionate Homemaking!  I never knew such things were possible.  I love learning new things especially new Healthy things!  One of my favorite things about this salsa is that it will keep much longer then regular fresh salsa but still tastes like fresh salsa.  Unlike other salsas you bottle!  MmmmmMMmmm I'm excited to have fresh tasting salsa all winter long!

Again you can find the recipe and a video on how to make it HERE!  I made a double batch of the recipe it turned out great and made a gallon plus a pint!

Click here for more Friendly Flora recipes!



Pico de Gallo {garden style}

With tomato, onion and pepper season right around the corner, where I live...I can almost taste the bursting flavor of this wonderful Spring time snack.{You can, obviously, use store bought produce... but, as always, fresh from the garden tastes mucho better!}

Pico de Gallo

1.5 cups grape tomatoes chopped into fours. {BTW: Costco has the best tasting 'store bought' grape tomatoes known to man. :)}

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 jalapeno, minced {if ya like it spicy}

1/2 serrano pepper, minced {if ya like it not so spicy}

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp cilantro

1 tsp raw honey

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss in small bowl.

Grab some tortilla chips and dive in!

{The flavor is best if allowed to

sit in fridge for a couple hours first...

if ya have the patience.}

Peach Salsa

This is great if you want a sweet spin on your usual salsa AND if you have lots of yummy peaches and tomatoes to use up!

Peach Salsa

2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes

2 cups chopped, peeled fresh peaches

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

3 Tablespoon lime juice

2 to 3 Tablespoon finely chopped, seeded fresh jalapeno pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon (or more if you like it) snipped fresh cilantro

1/2 tsp. Sucanat

In a medium mixing bowl stir together peaches, onion, lime juice, peppers, garlic, cilantro, and Sucanat. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours but if you are like me you will have to have a little first! ;) I have thought it might be good with some Mango too. Or I bet fresh pineapple in place of the peaches could be very Tasty!