Sweet and Spicy Salsa

Finally a raw recipe!  I'm actually not sure what the technical term for this dish would be.  It has all the makings of a salad, but we like to eat it with tortilla chips as you would salsa or pico de gallo.  My husband and I have this salsa a lot and adjusted the flavors so that no one would miss the onion and garlic base of traditional salsa recipes.  I don't miss them ever because they make me sick... but Spencer, enjoys the earthy tones of alliums and won't let me get away with a dish that's blatantly missing a flavor component.  This salsa is always a hit at a party or potluck and I never heard someone complain about the missing onions.

Please do let me know what you think if you give this recipe a go.

Overall, it's very easy to make and depending on how overboard you go with the jalapeño, it can be slightly fiery.  

S A L S A   I N G R E D I E N T S

1 cup English Cucumber;  diced

1 Tbsp. Jalapeño Pepper;  finely diced

1/2 tsp. Sugar

1/2 tsp. Salt

ground Pepper; to taste

1 Tbsp. Lime Juice (about half a lime)

1 Tbsp. Salad Oil

1 tsp. Balsamic Vinegar

3 Tbsp. fresh Cilantro;  finely minced

3 cups Cherry Tomatoes;  each tomato cut into 8 small pieces

1 Avocado;  diced small (and folded in at the very end)

White Corn Tortilla Chips

P R E P A R A T I O N S

Wash and clean all fresh vegetables.
Next finely dice the cucumber and and the jalapeño pepper.

In a medium size bowl, combine the cucumber, jalapeño pepper, sugar, salt and pepper and then crush the ingredients together with a potato masher or a wooden spoon.  Make sure to do this step first so that the cucumbers have time to release some of their juices.

Now is also a good time to press the lime half and add the juice to the mix.  And then cut the tomatoes, chop the cilantro and add them to the bowl.

When everything is in the bowl, the last step is to cube the avocado and gently stir it into the mixture.  For this I usually like to cut the avocado in half, slice a grid pattern while the avocado still sits in the skin and then scoop it out with a soup spoon.  The less mess method of handling avocado.

Serving suggestion:  Divide the salsa into small bowls so that each person can scoop their own portion with the tortilla chips.  Add the tortilla chips into a big bowl.  It's much nicer having chips and salsa if no one has to reach into that crinkly loud bag for every bite  🙈

  ♡ Nina