Fresh salsa with home made tortilla chips

As I was unpacking my CSA goodies this week I quickly realized I had all the ingredients to make fresh salsa.
Oh, how I love homemade salsa. The very best gourmet store bought kind doesn't even come close to the fresh stuff. You can make it just the way you want; chunky or smooth, mild or hot. And if you are a cilantroholic like me, just pile it on. With oven-baked tortilla chips you have the most delicious and addictive snack I can think of, and it is good for you! This is one snack you do not have to feel guilty about eating. Dig in!

This picture just screams salsa!  Of course you have to add garlic and some lime, salt and pepper (and a little cumin if you feel like it). You can take it even further and add raw or roasted corn and/or rinsed black beans. Heck even pieces of apple work. Go crazy with it!

For a traditional salsa like mine you will need:

3 tomatoes, seeded and roughly chopped
1 small onion, yellow or red, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
3 small cloves of garlic, minced
1/2-1 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cumin (optional)

I chose to seed the tomatoes this time, but this is not necessary. The same goes for the jalapeno pepper. You will get more heat if you keep the seeds in.

There are two ways to seed tomatoes: cut in half horizontally and squeeze the seeds out. Or you can quarter the tomato and cut away the seeded part. 
Anyway, put the first 4 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until you have the consistency you like. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the garlic and cilantro. Squeeze in lime juice to taste and season to taste. Enjoy immediately, but it gets even better after a few hours in the fridge.


For the tortilla chips:
6 (or more or less) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
Sea salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges (a pizza wheel works well for this). Arrange on baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Bake until crisp and golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Transfer chips to a wire rack to cool. Serve with salsa. Yum!


Makes about 2 cups salsa and 48 chip wedges.


(Recipe by Fortheloveofdinner, 2012)