Restaurant Style Salsa

What is it about chips and salsa that's just so addictive and delicious?  Did you ever notice that when you go out to eat, especially at a Mexican restaurant, the chips and salsa seem to disappear quickly, and it's never very long before the server brings you another dish; even if you didn't want, or ask for them.  Then, that dish seems to disappear just as quickly as the one before.  It's an endless cycle.

The great thing about salsa though, is that you don't have to limit it to just being served with chips.  You can also add it to different recipes for extra spice and flavor, or you can always use salsa as a garnish.  I tend to put it on top of grilled chicken, or scrambled egg whites, because it seems to give the food that kick of flavor I'm looking for.  Plus, I love how healthy it is.

Jeff's been asking me to make salsa for quite some time now, because he's not really a fan of the salsa that comes from a jar.  The main reason that he doesn't like it, is because there are large pieces of tomatoes and onions, and to be honest, I don't really care for jarred salsa either.  That's why I'm kind of surprised that it's been so long since I've made a batch.  The whole process is super easy and isn't time consuming at all.  As an added bonus you can "can" the leftover salsa to serve at a later date.  All you have to do is go buy the vegetables, toss them in a food processor, and voilà!  You have salsa.

The thing that I like best about this particular salsa recipe, compared to some others, is that you decide how mild or hot you would like it, just by adding or subtracting the amount of peppers you add in.  If you follow the recipe as printed below it isn't incredibly hot, however I wouldn't exactly consider it mild either.  At first bite you might not think that the salsa is hot, and then it hits.  Enjoy!

Restaurant Style Salsa
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Ingredients:

1 can (28 oz.) whole peeled tomatoes with juice
2 cans Rotel tomatoes and green chilies (I use the HOT, but you can use original for a milder version)
½ a large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeno, sliced thin (I left the seeds in for a more spicy salsa)
1 whole habanero pepper, cut into small pieces (I left some of the seeds in)
¼ tsp. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground cumin
½ cup – ¾ cup fresh cilantro (or more, if needed)
½ a lime, juiced

Directions:

Combine all of the ingredients listed in the bowl of a food processor and then pulse together until your desired consistency is reached.  Stop, taste, and then add more of the ingredients you think that it might need. (I didn’t add anymore)

Place the salsa in the refrigerator for at least an hour, in order to let the flavors combine; then serve.

 

 

Slightly adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod