Recipe Monday (a day late, I know) : Best Thing about Grills

What is the best thing about a BBQ Grill, husbands and a lazy Sunday? 

Very little cooking in the kitchen needs to be done!  Our Sunday dinner consisted of BBQ chicken thighs, fresh green salad (brought by friends), a rice dish, homemade fresh salsa and chips. We had friends over for dinner which led to a wonderful meal, conversations and eventually couponing but that is another blog post to come.

So without further ado.... Monday's, albeit late, Recipe is Fresh Tomato Salsa.

It does not need cooking nor is there cilantro required because hubby doesn't like. On a side note, do you know how hard it is to find salsas where cilantro is not a main ingredient? If you haven't looked, just trust me on this, it is very hard to find. Therefore I make my own whenever possible. Summer is a great time to make this, freeze or can it. While it doesn't require cooking, canning it in jars for winter will cook it and that is just fine too!
Ingredients:

• 10-12 medium fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped (fresh from the garden is always best!!)
• 4-6 jalapeno peppers, de-stemmed, de-seeded and finely diced  (You can forgo the de-stemming and de-seeding if you like spicier/hotter salsa than mild to medium)
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, crushed or finely minced
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt -- taste at the end to determine if more is needed
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

• Peel and chop the tomatoes.  Great trick, run hot water from the tap in a stockpot and drop the tomatoes in for a few minutes then peel.
• De-seed and de-stem the jalapenos then finely dice.  I suggest wearing gloves for this one or in my case, I have hubby do this because my skin is so sensitive to the oils.  I also reiterate if you like a spicier salsa, you can leave stems and seeds in and just finely dice.
• Chop all of the other vegetables
• Put it all in a non-metal bowl along with rest of the ingredients
• Mix well
• Taste for salt/pepper content
• Chill for at least 1 hour, longer is better, overnight is best
• Serve with chips

Usage Variations:

• Mix with sour cream for a wonderful dip for veggies or chips
• Use the salsa as a sauce for grilled meats or in the oven

Have fun with this recipe and be sure to post comments if you use it !  Need some great bowls to serve it in, check out the 4-pc. Salsa Bowl Set!