Easy Restaurant Style Salsa

Disclosure: I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Rubbermaid. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.

Want to know one of the things I look forward to most when eating at a new Mexican restaurant or taqueria, or even a Tex-Mex restaurant? It’s the chips and salsa.

I really don’t know why, but I just love chips and salsa. At one point in my life, my nickname was “Chippy” because I always was eating chips.. accompanied by some great salsa.

These places typically make their chips as well as their salsa. The tortilla chips are usually light, with a crisp to them, and just lightly salted. Then the salsa. So fresh. So tasty. So flavorful. It’s difficult to find something that compares that’s sold in a jar.

The thing is, you don’t have to. Making salsa is so easy! If you’re a regular reader, you probably won’t be surprised by this, but I just love making my own dips. I like to find new ways to create something that you can find in a jar, but with fresher, tastier ingredients. Being in California I do have access to fresh tomatoes and other varieties of vegetables year round, but for this recipe I actually used canned Roma tomatoes. The thing is, tomatoes do have a season. During tomato season they are juicy, plump, and so flavorful. Depending on where you live and what month it is, the likelihood of getting that result all the time? Slim to none. So sometimes canned is the way to go, because usually tomatoes are canned at their most ripe, guaranteeing flavor and deliciousness. All you need is a few ingredients and a food processor (or blender) and you’re good to go!

Since it’s football season and weekends are meant for finger foods and tailgating/parties, I thought this would be the perfect time to share my own personal recipe for salsa that’s comparable to the ones you can find in those restaurants. It’s not just for chips either. I love to create a colorful tray full of different items that taste great dipped in salsa. Things like Cucumber wedges, bell pepper strips, seasons crackers and even Granny Smith apples! Of course, for the more traditional folks I still add some tortilla chips as well.

When you’re making a snack tray, you also need something to put it in. Whether you’re heading to a friends house or actually tailgating at the game, you need something that you can rely on. That won’t leak your dip or accidentally mix those cucumbers with the crisp crackers. I actually found the perfect piece for tailgate season in this Rubbermaid® Party Platter. Not only is this party platter lightweight two in one food container, but the large divided base keeps those various food types separated and it comes with a smaller, leak proof Twist & Seal™ inner container that holds the dip and fits perfectly in that middle space of the platter. There’s also a secure lid that creates a tight seal, allowing for worry free safe and easy transportation. The platter and each part of it is 100% BPA free and is also microwave, dishwasher and freezer safe. Just imagine the platters you can create with it!

In addition to the platter, I’ve also been a big fan of the Rubbermaid® Consumer Products’ Easy Find Lids™ for a few years now. The first time I got them they were on sale during Black Friday and my best friend bought me a set. I loved it so much that I went back and bought a second set that very same day. I love that each lid locks into one another and the matching containers snap on top of the lids, creating an easy way to stack and an end to those crazy cabinets with a variety of different food containers that you can never find a lid for. I also love that these containers are clear, so you can actually see what’s inside of them when they’re in the refrigerator. This makes leftover less of a mystery and more likely to be eaten instead of pushed to the back of the fridge. I also appreciate that the containers are square, making it easier to organize the pantry, cabinets and fridge so there’s no wasted space from round containers.

For this party tray I added everything I wanted to serve immediately and placed it on the platter, then stored the extras in the additional containers since the finger food platter runs empty multiple times during parties. I like to use the leftover salsa with everything. It’s great with salads, replacing salad dressing and I love it over eggs.

Now for the Restaurant Style Salsa recipe, you should definitely make this for your next event!

Ingredients:

• 1 28 oz can of plum tomatoes
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 jalapenos, top removed and roughly chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, stems removed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• juice of 1 lime

Directions:

Add the tomatoes (with juice), onion, garlic and jalapenos to a large food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture is just combined. Then add the cilantro and pulse a few times again until the cilantro is a bit chopped and blended. Now add the seasonings and spices, along with the lime juice.

Mix at a medium speed until mostly smooth.

This recipe is great to chill for an hour or two before serving, as the seasonings really get a chance to meld together and combine a bit. Once ready to serve, place in a dip bowl and add a variety of things to dip. Here I used both red and green bell peppers, sliced into thin strips. Cucumbers cut into wedges, Granny Smith apple slices, flavorful seasoned crackers and some tortilla chips. Garnish with cilantro.

Enjoy!

Do you love salsa and chips as much as I do?

What other things do you like to dip in your salsa?