Homemade Salsa

As a daughter of a Panamanian, I have a fairly spicy palette. I have 3 different hot sauces in the house at any given time (my top faves are Chalula, Tabasco, Franks and Sriracha).

I've never made my own salsa before but as I don't love any of the salsas around here (and couldn't get to my parents to get some Kirkland Organic Salsa...) I went for it!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes 
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: fills one old and large coconut oil jar

Ingredients

3 cups chopped cherry tomatoes
2 cans cut and peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup red onion diced
1/2 cup white onion diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup canned (or fresh) green chillies
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 dash of salt

Instructions

• Combine tomatoes, red onion, yellow onion, green chilies, lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, and salt in blender. Pulse blender until mixture is combined, yet remains chunky. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Enjoy!

Egg white omelet with spinach, kale and feta topped off with salsa and avocado. Yum yum

Zoodles

After a long hiatus...I'm back! I haven't not been eating or anything. I just always eat my food too quickly to actually photograph it. But last night I made this with a friend and we remembered to take pics.

When it comes to pasta, my stomach is a bottomless pit. I could eat bowls and bowls of it and only want more until the pot is finished. A couple of weeks ago, I made dinner for friends that had recently had a baby. I decided to go with a pasta dish, and at the store I had two boxes of pasta in my hand as I assumed one box per a person. I was quickly informed that that is waaaay not how it works. Oh well. Looks like I'm off pasta for a reason.

Meet my best friend, Zoodles. Zoodles are zucchini cut into strands that look spaghetti noodles. Having not eaten pasta for oh almost three years, I discovered these guys a few years ago. I got myself a Julienne peeler and it changed my life....and THEN my mom got me the great gift of the Vegetti. I know what you're thinking. That's the worst name for a VEGETABLE PEELER. But it's coo, get over it and you will be eating Zoodles for the rest of your life.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: I can eat the whole thing but for normal people...~2-3 servings

Ingredients

6-7 small zucchini (you can use large but they won't fit in the Vegetti...though you can easily Julienne them)
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup pasta sauce (or more)
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Optional:

Carrots (if you want a multicolor pasta)
Ricotta cheese
Olives
Fresh basil

NOTE: if you don't have either a Vegetti or Julienne peeler, you can peel the zucchini to the core. If you're adding carrots to the mixture, I suggest Julienne-ing or regular peeling it.

Instructions

• Zoodle/Julienne/peel the zucchini. No need to peel the outer skin off.
• Finely chop the onions and sauté
• Once onions are sauted/clear, add the zucchini mixture
• Add sauce and cheese as desired
• Because the zucchini is so thin, it should take just a couple of minutes to cook
• Enjoy!