Easy Healthy Fresh Tomato Salsa – AKA, Pico de Gallo
Are you looking for a simple salsa recipe with fresh tomatoes? I’ve got you covered with a simple and delicious easy healthy fresh tomato salsa recipe you can use all kinds of ways.
Is salsa healthy?
Yes. It’s naturally low fat, low in calories and full of good for you vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients – since it’s made from tomatoes, chile peppers, onions, cilantro and fresh lime juice.
It’s better for you and much lower in sugar than ketchup – making it my condiment of choice – especially when I’m focusing on eating well and staying slim. (When I’m trying to lose weight I can always count on a dish of green beans topped with salsa to get me through a hunger crisis when I needed an easy healthy zero points snack that will satisfy me.)
Heck, you know it’s healthy when you can even find a simple recipe for salsa on a website like MedicineNet.com.
It’s pretty easy to find decent salsa at the grocery store and doctor it up a bit, which is what I do most of the year – when fresh tomatoes tend to be expensive and tasteless. The only downside to jarred salsas is that they can be high in sodium.
But during the summer when fresh tomatoes are tasty and plentiful – it’s definitely worth it to make it at home – at least once in a while. The nice thing about salsa is that you don’t have to be exact. You can be creative and use what you have available. You might want to try adding black beans, roasted corn, chopped bell peppers, chopped avocado or fresh fruit like mango.
Did you know that salsa is simply the Mexican word for sauce? Most Mexican salsas consist of just a few simple ingredients – tomatoes, onion, chiles, cilantro, and lime – for example, that can be put together in a matter of minutes. Grinding ingredients together in a rough bowl -shaped mortar called a molcajete is the traditional method for making many salsas.
Here’s a great video showing how to make salsa with fresh tomatoes:
If you don’t have a molcajete
- 4 – 6 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped
- ½ cup chopped onion (red or white)
- 1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh black pepper or to taste
- In a medium-size mixing bowl combine all ingredients until well blended. For a smoother salsa, you can put everything in the blender or food processor and pulse a few times until it’s almost smooth, but still a little chunky.
- Cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors blend. Give it a stir, taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.
- This fresh tomato salsa recipe can be stored covered in the refrigerator and is best if used within 1 to 2 days of making.
Source: Adapted from Weight Watchers Momentum Healthy Cooking Basics
Links to more great fresh salsa recipes:
Fresh Tomato Salsa – from Elise at Simply Recipes
16 Homemade Salsa Recipes & Canning Tips - from TipNut
Fresh Tomato Salsa – from Real Simple
Related Easy Healthy Recipes:
Guacamole Recipes
Simple Mango Salsa Recipe
Mexican Shrimp Cocktail Recipe
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