I have been remiss in posting new recipes because I haven’t been cooking, baking or hardly eating. Seems this new blog experience and it’s resultant frenzy of food prep has woefully added some extra poundage that I can no longer ignore. Alas, even my work colleagues at the bank have all decided to mass diet, so I can’t even use them as my edible audience.
This particular recipe however, is bringing some much needed flavor and taste variety in an otherwise fat-free, carb-free, sugar-free, gluten-free diet. All of these ingredients are allowed on my diet, easy to obtain year-round and fast to put together…especially for the upcoming heat of the summer months ahead. Because this is a fresh salsa, and does benefit from sitting for an hour or two…or even overnight refrigerated, I would recommend making a fresh batch every third or fourth day.
When combined with freshly boiled shrimp, it makes a delicious dietary meal.
Pico de Gallo
Ingredients:
- 6 Roma tomatoes
- 1/2 red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, or more to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- juice of 1 fresh lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Finely dice all veggies, or throw all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse a few times until your desired consistency.
I like to leave it slightly chunky, rather than pureed into a near sauce, as you find in so many jarred varieties of this recipe. If I use plum tomatoes, I deseed them first, before dicing. If I use grape tomatoes, I just toss them whole into the food processor. Taste it for proper hotness. Since I like the flavor of fresh jalapeno, but not all the hotness, I remove the seeds and inner ribs (which is where the greater part of the heat is stored). If you are handling fresh jalapeno with your bare hands, be careful not to rub your eyes before washing your hands thoroughly.
Feel free to use more cilantro if you like the taste. Cilantro has a strong, overpowering flavor, so begin your tasting with less and add more if you wish. Substituting parsley for cilantro is not recommended, as the cilantro gives this dish it’s much desired southwestern flavor.
Let the salsa stand for 1 hour to blend the flavors.
Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days.
