Growing up, every night, like clock work, at 6:00 pm, you could find our Mom whipping up one of her nourishing, home-cooked meals. We rarely went out to dinner except occasionally, for a treat.
We distinctly remember after our piano competition when we were 11 years old, we were allowed to pick the restaurant of our choice. We picked Chi-Chi’s, a Mexican restaurant. We loved the crispy chips that they served before the meals and the amazing salsa for dipping—our mouths still water for it! We always ordered the taco salad and poured the salsa all over it. (We also were crazy about the fried ice cream that came out with sparklers! Who wouldn’t be? 🙂 ). And when Chi-Chi’s started selling their salsa at the grocery store, the great news blew our 11-year old-minds–we couldn’t believe we could actually get the stuff without dining out and we begged our Mom to buy it so we could have it at our disposal.
Now, as registered dietitians, we appreciate a good salsa even more as it’s a great way to keep calories down when compared to traditional creamy veggie dip and we always suggest making this swap to our clients who want to lose weight!) and we make our own salsa, but we always try to recreate that flavor we love from Chi-Chi’s!
Psst… looking for more healthy recipes? Please feel free to search this site! And here are a few to try…
- Skinny Fried Rice
- The Nutrition Twins Skinny Cauliflower Mash
- Comfort Food Reinvented Apple Pie
- Microwave Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Skinny Zucchini Fries
We’re obsessed with this salsa and we couldn’t wait to share the recipe with you! Sweet tomatoes, crispy bell peppers, tart lime juice, and a touch of heat from jalepenos makes for the perfect sweet, savory and spicy combo. Yep, it’s the perfect salad topper, chip or veggie dip and it’s delish over most proteins, and we confess—it’s so good that you may even catch us eating it with a spoon on its own!
Plus, it’s packed with vitamins. The peppers, tomatoes and lime juice all add boost of vitamin C to help keep your immunity up, while also laying the foundation for healthy, beautiful skin (vitamin C plays an important role in collagen formation)—so hello, soft, supple and youthful skin!
And the olive oil acts as a nutrient booster and helps absorb the beta carotene from the tomatoes and peppers. This means that the olive oil enhances beta carotene’s sun protective (beta carotene acts as a natural sunblock!) and anti-inflammatory qualities, helping to keep you even healthier!
Fresh Tomato Salsa
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 jalepeno, seeds removed, finely chopped
1 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
Directions
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
Stir to combine, and enjoy!
Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition Information per serving (about 1/2 cup servings):
Calories: 47 Fat: 4 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 149 mg Potassium: 62 mg Carbohydrates: 4 g Fiber: 1 g Sugar: 1 g Protein: 1 g
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalepeno, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅛ tsp black pepper
- Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Stir to combine, and enjoy!
- Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
