Salsa Time!

I’ve posted in the past about making salsa in my Vitamix. Today I have a special guest who offers a flavorful twist to salsa. As soon as I pick up a fresh bunch of cilantro, I’m making this recipe. I grow my own jalapeño peppers and herbs but fail miserably at keeping cilantro alive. 😦

Today’s recipe is a guest post by Kristin, a writer for PAM and other ConAgra brands. She resides in Chicago, IL and enjoys trying new recipes on the weekends. Her favorite dishes include poached eggs in the morning, throw-whatever-is-in-the-fridge salads for lunch, and vegetable-heavy stir fries for dinner. She’s always on the hunt for unexpected yet delicious food combinations.  Please welcome food blogger Kristin Kruk:

August is the Sunday of summer. Friends and family are making the most out of their last few weeks of sunshine and blue skies before fall kicks in. When you get an invitation to that last minute summer barbeque, come prepared with a zesty appetizer to surprise everyone’s taste buds. Bring a bowl of grilled tomato salsa with a bag of your favorite tortilla chips as an appetizer to the party.

On a time crunch? Don’t worry about grilling outside. A cast iron pan will do the trick because it gets hot and retains heat.

How to grill inside:

1. Evenly spray PAM Grilling Spray on the cast iron pan.
2. Place pan on stove top on medium-high.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low once the pan gets hot.

Now you’re on your way to a quick grilled tomato salsa!

Ingredients:

• PAM Grilling Spray
• 1½-2 pounds of tomatoes (try an assortment), sliced in half
• 1 jalapeño , sliced in half
• 5 green (or red) onions, chopped
• ¼ cup of cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Optional ingredients: ½ can of black beans or corn kernels 

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, mix cumin, garlic salt, onions and cilantro. If optional ingredients were used, combine as well. Set aside.
2. See “How to grill inside” instructions above.
3. Once the burner is set to medium-low, grill tomato and jalapeño slices.
4. Rotate so each side is grilled for 3 minutes. When each side is slightly blackened, remove from grill.
5. Chop tomato and jalapeño slices into cubes. Dump into the medium bowl (Step 1).
6. Refrigerate until ready for use.

This quick and simple appetizer complements any picnic or outdoor outing at the end of summer. Enjoy!

(Cheryl note: I do all my indoor grilling on a Lodge cast iron grill pan (sprayed with PAM). It’s affordable, retains heat, and leaves nice grill marks on food–just like an outdoor grill but without the mess!)