Sunday, December 12, 2010

Summer Salad Turned Into Anytime Anything Salsa

My favorite salad is my “summer salad.”

Summer Salad 0001

The simple salad has tomatoes (preferably homegrown), cucumbers (often homegrown), corn (if possible freshly cut off the cob), black beans, red onions, edamame, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. Sometimes I add avocado or fresh herbs, such as basil or cilantro, as well. I love the fresh flavors in the salad and can never get enough of it. In fact, I usually have some in the fridge in the spring, summer, and early fall. But I don’t make it much in the winter months as it just doesn’t taste the same when the ingredients aren’t in season.

When we were invited to an annual potluck holiday party, I thought about what to bring. It was supposed to be a savory appetizer-type of dish (as the hostess always provides more than enough amazing sweet treats). Somehow I couldn’t get my summer salad out of my head. So I decided to turn the salad into a salsa and serve it with some new chips hubby and the toddler “discovered” at Costco while I was shopping for some gifts (the bag is HUGE…).



Anytime Anything Salsa
  • 1 jar Trader Joe’s Corn and Chile Tomato-Less Salsa
  • 1 can organic black beans
  • Cherry tomatoes, cut into small pieces
  • Edamame, halved
  • Cilantro
  • Juice of 1 lemon
The salsa turned out delicious; the Corn and Chile Tomato-Less Salsa provided a nice “base” for the dish. While the salsa doesn’t taste as fresh as my summer salad (in season), it is a nice change from “regular salsa.”



Here are the chips I brought along with the salsa (Blue Ginger Multi-Grain Brown Rice Chips, by Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger Restaurant). They were delicious, light, and flavorful and not too salty (but they contain still quite a bit of sodium, and I made sure to fit them into my overall daily salt consumption). I like that a serving is 33 chips; I definitely felt very satisfied after eating 33 chips (yes, I did count them!!!). I’ll definitely buy them again (but I will probably try to find a smaller bag somewhere….).


Questions: What dish(es) do you usually bring to a potluck? I often bring some sort of salsa/dip and chips and/or veggies. I often used to bring pita bread and veggies with homemade hummus, often flavored three different ways. However, since I can’t eat hummus anymore, I don’t really make it anymore. What’s your favorite food to eat at a (holiday) party? If there is “good” cheese, I’ll have to have some. And I always go for one really good-looking/sounding dessert.

Finally, are you interested in trying Wendy’s new fries for free? I’m giving away a $10 gift card. Click here to enter the giveaway; you have until Monday, December 13 at 9:00 p.m. PST to enter.

Be well,
Andrea