Chunky Low-Sodium Salsa Recipe

Use Healthy Organic Ingredients and Enjoy with Tortilla Chips, in an Omelet, or in a Breakfast Burrito

Salsa vegetable ingredients; photo courtesy KSmith Media, LLC

Everybody loves spicy salsa with chips, and of course it is a traditional tailgate party staple. It’ also a Mexican restaurant appetizer, and is slathered over huevos rancheros. The problem I have with it is that the salt in it doesn’t play well with high blood pressure.

This is why I came up with this low sodium version. Hypertension disease is nothing to trifle with. So this recipe takes out the salt, msg, or any kind of spice (but you could very well add some in). The chunky vegetables provide all the requisite flavor.

The Inspiration for Chunky Salsa Recipe

Mostly, salsa is associated with our neighbor to the south, Mexico. Enter any Mexican restaurant in Texas (actually this is usually Tex Mex fare, not traditional Mexican food), and the initial thing served up is a bowl of salsa or two (red and/or green) along with a basket of tortilla chips.

There are several things at work here; it buys the wait staff some time when they’re busy, makes people thirsty (making them buy more Margaritas and cerveza), and almost guarantees a tip. Hey, the salsa and chips are free!

This salsa is not really Mexican though. The influences in this recipe are foods native to both Texas and Panama. Panamanian ceviche (or seviche, if you prefer) uses a lot of these same ingredients, so once you’ve mastered this simple recipe, whipping up a batch of ceviche is a snap.

Chunky Salsa Ingredients

This list is simply the basics of the recipe. Any other ingredients can be substituted for your own preference or seasonal availability. After all, that’s what makes an mediocre cook magnificent, right?

Additionally, this dish is best made with organic vegetables for people like me, that are so inclined. Vegans like it too!

3 green onions, chopped.
1 celery stalk, chopped.
6 roma tomatoes, diced; you can use any other kind, but romas are more economical.
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped.
2 large jalepeno or serrano peppers, chopped; these peppers are are about right for the American palette. For more excitement (or to show off your manliness at tailgate parties or watching the big game), use 1/2 of a scotch bonnet, habanero, or aji chombo.
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. You should always keep some of this in your herb garden; it is easy to grow and will come back from seed year after year.
1 yellow, orange, or red bell pepper.
1/4 cup lime juice; (lemon juice works in a pinch).

Salsa Preparation Steps

This is so easy, even a caveman could do it. Begin by washing all your produce well. Dice or chop all vegetable ingredients as listed and add to a either a stainless steel, Pyrex®, or plastic mixing bowl. Finally, toss all the ingredients together with the lime juice.

Eat it all or refrigerate the leftovers; it will keep well for up to a week, although it will slowly lose its crispness, but not the flavor.

Where to Use the Vegetable Salsa Recipe

Building an organic breakfast burrito; photo courtesy KSmith Media, LLC This is an extremely healthy versatile dish. Or is it a condiment? Your call; no matter, it’s obvious that it plays well with tortilla chips. It also makes an excellent filler for a two-egg omelet along with Swiss or Brie cheese.

I also like it before a weekend long run as a breakfast taco, complete with barbacoa or carnitas.

As I said at the beginning of the article, chunky salsa is an essential ingredient in juevos rancheros. Put simply, there is just no way not to enjoy this culinary treat.

The Green Frugal