Restaurant Style Salsa

Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cook Time: Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12
Ingredients

1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
¼ cups Chopped Onion
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
¼ teaspoons Sugar
¼ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
½ whole Lime Juice
Preparation Instructions

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

chili-Cheese Dip

It's so good-seriously. From Katie Lee.

1 pound ground sirloin beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 16-ounce jar salsa
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
tortilla chips, for serving

In a medium skillet over medium heat, brown the beef. Remove the beef from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Return to the skillet and add the taco seasoning and salsa. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drop the heat to very low. Stir in cheddar and cream cheese and cook until just melted. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

6 to 8 servings (about 3 1/2 cups)
Prep time: 5 minuts
Cook time: 20 minutes

Salsa Dip

1 pkg (8 oz) Cream cheese, softened
1 cup Taco Bell Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Mix cream cheese and salsa until well blended.
Serve with cut-up fresh vegetables or tortilla chips.

Makes 2 cups or 16 servings, 2 Tbsp each.

Blackened Chicken Pizza with Yellow Tomato Salsa

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Prep Time:12 min Cook Time:18 min
Serves:3 servings

•1 tablespoon grill seasoning (recommended: Montreal Grill Seasoning) or other seasoning blend
•1 teaspoon sweet paprika – eyeball it
•1 teaspoon chili powder
•1/2 teaspoon dried cayenne pepper
•3/4 pound thin cut chicken breast
•1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan
•All-purpose flour or cornmeal, a couple of tablespoons to work dough
•1 pizza dough
•1/2 pound brick reduced fat Cheddar with jalapeno or chipotle pepper (recommended: Cabot brand)
•2 small yellow tomatoes, seeded and chopped
•1/4 cup chopped red onion
•1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
•2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, optional
•2 tablespoons thyme leaves
•1 clove garlic
•Coarse salt
•1/2 lime, zested and juiced
Directions
Preheat a large heavy skillet over very high heat. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine grill seasoning, paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper on a plate. Press thin cut chicken into seasoning on 1 side. Add oil to screaming hot pan and cook chicken 2 minutes on each side.

Spread out a little flour or cornmeal and stretch out pizza dough onto a pizza pan. Shred reduced fat cheese.

Remove chicken from pan and chop. Combine tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and thyme. Make garlic paste by chopping garlic then mashing it with the flat of your knife and a generous pinch of coarse salt. Add paste to salsa. Add zest and juice of 1/2 lime and mix salsa thoroughly. Scatter chicken, salsa and cheese over pizza dough working to the edges of both pies. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until crisp and bubbly-brown on top.

Chipotle Guacamole

Individual sized recipe:
2 Hass Avocados
1/2 of a Jalapeno pepper, seeded, and minced
1/4 of a red onion, finely chopped
2 heaping Tablespoons of Cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 of a lime, juiced
1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all of the ingredients into a bowl, and mash together until smooth. Add additional lime juice or salt to taste. For extra spicy guacamole, you can leave in the jalepeno seeds!

Notes: This recipe is an approximation based on the original Chipotle recipe below. Please use it as a base for your guacamole creation, and feel free to make improvements based on your own personal preferences.

Chipotle's Batch Recipe:
Remove stems and stickers from 48 avocados, wash for two minutes. Cut avocados in half, remove pit, scrape out the good stuff.

Mash avocados in large mixing bowl. You don't have to get it to the final consistency yet, but it's easier if they're at least partially mashed at this point.

Now for the other ingredients. Add 2-1/2 cups cilantro, 2-1/2 cups chopped red onions, 1/2 cup chopped jalapeno, 1/2 cup lemon-lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of salt. Continue mashing until smooth.

When you go to store the guac, put a layer of plastic wrap directly on the guac and squeeze the air out, then put another layer of plastic over whatever container you're using. This keeps the guac from oxidizing and turning all brown. Depending on how long you keep it in the fridge, the top might turn brown anyway, so just skim off the top layer before serving.

Pico de Gallo

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

4 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped scallions
3 jalapenos, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions

In a medium bowl, mix together tomatoes, scallions, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and lime juice; season with salt and pepper, and serve.

From The Martha Stewart Show, September 2009

Guacamole

Ingredients:

3 ripe avocados (peeled and pitted)

The juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon salt

½ cup onion (diced)

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)

2 roma tomatoes (diced)

1 teaspoon fresh garlic (minced)

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: In a medium bowl mash the avocados. Squeeze in or add lime juice. Add salt. Mix in onion cilantro, tomatoes and garlic. Mix in cayenne pepper.

Step 2: Refrigerate for 1 hour or serve immediately.

(Makes 4 Servings)

Guacamole

Heidi Klum & Seal’s favorite guacamole recipe {courtesy of InStyle magazine}.

4 ripe avocados, halved, pitted & peeled
2 small tomatoes, seeded & chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 small Serrano chile, seeded & chopped (optional)
salt to taste

Coarsely mash the avocados. In a bowl combine mashed avocados, tomatoes, onion and lime juice. Stir in chile & season with salt. Cover bowl with plastic wrap & refrigerate 30 minutes

Makes about 3 cups.

Black Bean Corn Salsa

1 can black beans
1 can shopeg (white) corn, drained
2-3 diced roma tomatoes
chopped cilantro (to taste)
1-2 cubed avacados
2-3 cloves of garlic minced
juice from 1 lime
1/2 cup italian dressing (add more or less to taste)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix. Serve with tortilla chips. Enjoy!