Big Salsa Savings!

Recently I was unloading my groceries when my friend Claudia Castaneda started eyeing the price tag of the ‘fresh’ salsa I had bought. “$6.00 – for this? Do you know how much salsa I could make for $6.00?!”  I had already tasted many of Claudia’s recipes from her native El Salvador and knew she was a fantastic cook.  But was her homemade salsa really worth it?

Claudia headed to the store with $6.00.  After she got back, we were chatting in my kitchen as she was chopping, and ten minutes later I looked down to see a big bowl of freshly made salsa in front of me!  It smelled so good I ripped open a bag of chips and dug in.  It was unbelievably delicious! 

So much more flavorful than the version I had bought.  Plus, it had a refreshing, crunchy texture, not at all mushy like the stuff I was used to!  And what a bargain – she made at least two times as much as I had bought – for the same price!  She was right – her $6.00 worth of salsa sure had mine beat.

Not only is this salsa great with chips, but I also spooned it over roast chicken and the freshness and texture it added was glorious.  For double the amount and more than double the flavor of ready-made salsa, this was a D.I.Y. victory!  Here is Claudia’s recipe:

Mix together: 6 chopped up medium tomatoes, 1 chopped medium onion, 1-3 fresh chopped jalapenos (depending on how spicy you like it – we used 1 for mild), ¼ bunch chopped cilantro, a pinch of salt and the juice from one lime.  Drizzle a circle of olive oil over it, mix again, and enjoy!

I hope you’ll enjoy this Fabulous & Frugal treat as much as I did – muchas gracias, Claudia!