quick & easy restaurant-style salsa recipe

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Did I ever tell you that I LOVE homemade salsa? {if you follow along over here, then probably yes!}. I'm not a fan of the jar kind {or anything that tastes like it}, but you can send me to Chili's and I could eat theirs all day long. :)

Many years ago, my friend Smittee brought a fresh salsa to our community group that was a lot like Chili's {fresh and tangy}, and I instantly fell in love. I asked for her recipe, and then I have no idea what happened to it, or if she just told me and I remembered it. :) I looked everywhere for it to see how similar my recipe today is to it. I'm honestly quite terrible at following recipes, but I learned so much from hers! I never knew you could make salsa with canned tomatoes that would taste so good. I also learned one of my other favorite salsa secrets from it: adding a splash of vinegar to get the twang. :)

Again, I'm really bad at following recipes, so when I give you one, it's what tastes good to me. I did measure it all out, but you can tweak it to your tastes, and I'll tell you how. :D

Oh, and FYI, I live in Texas, and I LOVE salty, cilantro-y, very tangy salsa. Can't get enough of it. In fact I eat it with a fork, it's so good:

Is that weird? Or is it more weird that my 3 year-old eats it with a spoon and bowl?

I mean who eats salsa with a spoon, anyway? ;)

Here's the recipe:

ingredients:

6 cups diced tomatoes 

{this is roughly 4- 15 oz. cans- I measure out 6 cups exactly, with juice} 

1/2 bunch cilantro

juice of 1- 2 limes {how many depends on how tangy you like it} 

1/2 onion {or more, to taste} 

1.5 tbs. garlic powder or 1-2 fresh cloves

2 tbs. sea salt {you might want to start with less if using table salt}

1 tbs. white vinegar {add more to taste for twang- I use like 1.5}

optional: dash or more of red cayenne pepper for a kick

directions:

Blend all ingredients together. Adjust to taste {drained tomatoes = thicker salsa/ more lime, vinegar = more tangy/ more cayenne = more heat}. Serve, or for better flavor, refrigerate salsa for 3-4 hours.

This is a very tweak-able recipe- so if you don't like cilantro, use less. If you hate onion, use none. :) I encourage you to play with it according to your taste! If you like your salsa to be thicker, you can drain some of your tomatoes. If you prefer more bland salsa, you can also start with the smallest amount of lime and vinegar, and increase as needed after the first blending.

Now I love cilantro. So I use 1/2 bunch:

Sometimes I feel the need for more onion than 1/2, but it really depends on how strong that particular variety/batch is. Again, to your liking. :D I used 1/2 of a red onion, but I've also used white and green ones. {can you see why I'm so bad at recipes? I'll use whatever I have around!}

I just add everything to the blender at once- I do very little chopping:

Blend or food-process all of your ingredients:

Don't be afraid if it looks pink like soup. It's just the extra air. :D

Now the important part: taste your salsa, and add more of whatever you like. If it's too tangy for you, you can take it down with a teaspoon of sugar or so.

You can serve it right away, but I have to tell you, it's soooo much better if you let it sit for a few hours in the refrigerator. The flavors blend together so nicely after it settles.

Enjoy it on everything or with nothing like we do, or you know, just eat it with chips the old-fashioned way. :D

Here it is again to pin for later:

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ingredients:

6 cups diced tomatoes 

{this is roughly 4- 15 oz. cans- I measure out 6 cups exactly, with juice} 

1/2 bunch cilantro

juice of 1- 2 limes {how many depends on how tangy you like it} 

1/2 onion {or more, to taste} 

1.5 tbs. garlic powder or 1-2 fresh cloves

2 tbs. sea salt {start with less if using table salt}

1 tbs. white vinegar {add more to taste for twang}

optional: dash or more of red cayenne pepper for a kick

directions:

Blend all ingredients together. Adjust to taste {more lime, vinegar = more tangy, more cayenne = more heat}. Serve, or for better flavor, refrigerate salsa for 3-4 hours.

Let me know how you like it! :D {or if I messed up something royally! ha!}

What's your favorite way to make salsa? 

Or do you have a favorite secret ingredient? {and will you tell me? you don't have to kill me, I'll keep it quiet... ;)}