1 can (16 oz) diced tomatoes or 3-4 plum tomatoes
8 cloves roasted garlic
1 small onion (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup diced)
Chili peppers to taste (I used 1 2-3" jalapeno for this much salsa)
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp lime juice
1 packet Splenda
1/2 tsp of parsley or chopped cilantro
First, you need to roast the garlic. You can certainly get heads of garlic and peel it, but you can also purchase pre-peeled garlic that comes in a refrigerated plastic bottle. Either one will work out fine.
To roast the garlic, take a square of aluminum foil and place in its center 1 TBSP olive oil. Add the garlic you plan to use and swish it around to coat it, then lightly salt it. Close up the foil into a pouch. Put this in a 400F oven for 30 minutes or so. The best thing is to do this ahead of time while cooking other things. For example you can have this on the side of your grill while making burgers.
Once the roasted garlic is ready, toss the tomatoes, roasted garlic, onion, and chili peppers in a blender to create a puree. For the pepper, much of the heat is in the seeds and the pulpy parts on the inside. Leave those in for a hotter salsa, or clean them out for a milder result.
Always be careful by cleaning your hands after handling the peppers.
The oils will be on your fingers, and will cause much pain if you rub your eye or some other sensitive location.
It's time to add in the seasonings. Mix in the cumin, salt, lime juice, Splenda, and parsley / cilantro while tasting so you can adjust amounts to taste.
If you like a chunkier salsa, you can hold out some of the tomatoes and onions from the blender and cut them to your preferred size to add in after the blending.
Salsa is a great thing to make up in quantity at the beginning of the week, during one of your grill sessions. You can keep it in a Tupperware container in the fridge and then enjoy it during the week whenever the mood strikes you!
Lisa Shea's Library of Low Carb Books
