Salsa makes me happy.

Seriously, I want to do a happy dance whenever it’s around.  It’s bright and colorful with so much flavor, and filled with loads of healthy goodness!  I can eat as much as I want without ever having to worry about eating “too much”.  And it’s good on just about everything, from scrambled eggs to steak!  Have you tried mixing some into cottage cheese?  OMG, it’s heaven!!

And there are so many different kinds of salsa!  Red or green?  Spicy or mild?  Chunky or blended?  The variations are endless!

My salsa of choice is a spicy chipotle, with tomatoes that have been roasted until they’re good and black then blended almost to a puree…perfection!  Second place is easy – a spicy tomatillo, also blended really well.  Don’t get me wrong, chunky is great, but there’s something about all those tasty goodies all whirled together that just can’t be beat.

I think it helps that salsa is almost always around when there’s a fun fiesta going on!  I’ve never known anyone who, when deeply depressed, decided to bring out the salsa and margaritas (but I think I’ll try it the next time I have the blues and see what happens!).  It’s a sure bet that where there is salsa, there are happy, joyful people to be found!  This Wednesday I’m having a few girlfriends over for salsa and margaritas, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be F-U-N!!  It’s a playdate, where we let the kids run wild while we drink and devour mexican-type appetizers.  Now, that screams fun!!

Today might be Cinco de Mayo, a chance for everyone to get happy and celebrate our Mexican-American friends, but I’ll be making this salsa all summer long!  I never follow a recipe, I usually just throw it in the food processor and see what comes out.  But here’s the general idea – hope you like it!

Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone!!

ROASTED TOMATO CHIPOTLE SALSA

• a bunch of tomatoes, about two pounds or so
• a clove of garlic
• a big handful of cilantro
• a chipotle pepper or two, or three…
• a quarter to a half of red onion, depending on how big it is and how much you like onion
• the juice of one lime
• salt!!

Preheat broiler on high.  Cut the tomatoes in half and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Put tomatoes under broiler* – don’t touch them until they’re nice and black (this will give them a nice smoky flavor).  Set aside to let juices accumulate and cool a bit.

Meanwhile, put garlic clove in food processor and process until it’s minced.  Add the rest of the ingredients except the tomatoes and pulse a few times.

Press each tomato with a spatula to bring out more juices, then drain all juice from the pan.  Add tomatoes to processor and pulse until at the consistency that you like.

Whip yourself up a tasty margarita, break out the chips and party down!

Love both salsa and history?  Then go here!

*this would be amazing on a charcoal grill, so by all means go that route if you’ve got one handy!

Leave a comment and share your favorite kind of salsa!  Or, if you’re looking for a good guilt-free mexican dessert, try this dessert margarita!