Simple Salsa

People are always raving about my salsa. I've seen many well intended individuals sit down to eat just a little bit and then find it impossible to stop eating. On more than one occaision an empty container has been returned to me with a tale of disbelief at having eaten the whole thing in one sitting.

"I don't know why I did that? I just couldn't stop."

Honestly though, it's the easiest thing in the world to make, and so much better (and cheaper) than store bought.

This is all you need:

• 2 14 oz. cans of organic tomatoes, or 1 large can - drained
• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 1/4 C fresh cilantro
• 1/2 of a large onion
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• sea salt and pepper to taste

I use a food processor. A blender works just as well.

• Chop the onions and peppers into chunks and mix in the food processor. The heat of a pepper is in the seeds and pulp, so you may want to remove them to control the heat.
• Then add the cilantro, tomatoes (drain the juice and save it for soup), lemon juice and some salt/ pepper to taste. Just pulse a little, it doesn't take much to break down the tomatoes and it's nice if they're a little chunky.

We keep this in the fridge and use it on everything from eggs to buritos. I love to make egg white omlettes with soy cheese, soy sausage and peppers. Adding the salsa to the omelette adds a whole new dimension and is a great topping as well. But everyone's favorite way to eat my salsa is with corn tortilla chips.

Brush organic, store bought corn tortillas with a little olive oil, cut them into quarters and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp. Keep an eye on them, they cook fairly quickly. You may want to turn them half way through.

And I have to brag that my food processor is part of my environmental lifestyle. It's a "re-use". I found it at a yard sale for $6 four years ago. It's been amazing and doesn't owe me a dime :~D