Great homemade salsa recipe? (or guacamole?)

[mrsklamc]

For medical reasons I am on an all-homemade diet for 2 weeks. I'd love to have some salsa, but I've never even THOUGHT about making it from scratch (Jar of Pace, medium heat, thanks!) , I had no clue there were even that many different kinds of tomatoes in the store! Anyone have a great recipe you'd like to share?

 

[sunlover13]

OP - is this a low iodine diet you are on? I saw your post about having your thyroid removed and my husband just had his removed in May. He was on the low iodine diet for 2 weeks before his radioactive iodine treatment.

He has quite a few recipes he tried out during the diet. One of which was guacamole. It was very good. The salsa was OK, not the greatest, but the quacamole was great. He also made spaghetti sauce and chile w/ the low iodine diet.

Let me know if that is what you are looking for.

If not, nevermind.

I hope you are feeling good.

 

[John VN]

http://www.great-salsa.com/

 

[mrsklamc]

OP - is this a low iodine diet you are on? I saw your post about having your thyroid removed and my husband just had his removed in May. He was on the low iodine diet for 2 weeks before his radioactive iodine treatment.

He has quite a few recipes he tried out during the diet. One of which was guacamole. It was very good. The salsa was OK, not the greatest, but the quacamole was great. He also made spaghetti sauce and chile w/ the low iodine diet.

Let me know if that is what you are looking for.

If not, nevermind.

I hope you are feeling good.

Yup, that's it! Great over Thanksgiving, huh? (though I am thankful for the 4 day weekend.) It's ok though.It's mostly the no dairy that's hard- I love cheese, ice cream, stuff like that. Most days I feel ok but I am starting to get tired easily. Thank you for asking! Hope your DH's replacement hormones are all going well? That part makes me nervous too. Don't have a lot of faith in the endo- we only get to talk to his assistant mostly and she doesn't seem to know what's going on. Says 'whatever' a lot. 'When you are done with the radiation, or whatever,' is not a phrase that inspires confidence.

 

[mrsklamc]

http://www.great-salsa.com/

Thanks. I was hoping people could provide more personal recommendations, though.

 

[sunlover13]

Yup, that's it! Great over Thanksgiving, huh? (though I am thankful for the 4 day weekend.) It's ok though.It's mostly the no dairy that's hard- I love cheese, ice cream, stuff like that. Most days I feel ok but I am starting to get tired easily. Thank you for asking! Hope your DH's replacement hormones are all going well? That part makes me nervous too. Don't have a lot of faith in the endo- we only get to talk to his assistant mostly and she doesn't seem to know what's going on. Says 'whatever' a lot. 'When you are done with the radiation, or whatever,' is not a phrase that inspires confidence.

I'm so sorry. Bad timing, huh? DH's low iodine was over the 4th of July so he was eating plain burgers, no bun on the 4th. Yum.........

DH is feeling fine. He actually has had no issues at all and says he's pretty much felt like normal so he's been lucky. His sister had it also and she had issues with getting the right dosage and weight gain, etc. I'm not sure if it's his age or the fact that he is male that helps b/c I always hear women have more difficulty with feeling "normal" after the surgery.

I hope they get your dosage right and you start feeling better.

I asked DH and he used the low iodine cookbook on www.thyca.org. There's a link on the left towards the top of the page.

It is a rather large cookbook online, but he said there was only one guacamole recipe on there. It was really good. He still uses it. There are some really good chips at Trader Joe's he used too.

Like I said, he used the guacamole, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and chile recipes.

He said he diet was the worst part of the whole process, worse than the surgery, etc. for him. He made it through though and lost about 5 pounds during the diet. He didn't need to lose the weight at all. He has since gained it back.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions for DH about the diet or anything. His doctors are at University of Chicago and he has been very happy with them so far. Hope your Endo experience gets better.

 

[mrsklamc]

I'm so sorry. Bad timing, huh? DH's low iodine was over the 4th of July so he was eating plain burgers, no bun on the 4th. Yum.........

DH is feeling fine. He actually has had no issues at all and says he's pretty much felt like normal so he's been lucky. His sister had it also and she had issues with getting the right dosage and weight gain, etc. I'm not sure if it's his age or the fact that he is male that helps b/c I always hear women have more difficulty with feeling "normal" after the surgery.

I hope they get your dosage right and you start feeling better.

I asked DH and he used the low iodine cookbook on www.thyca.org. There's a link on the left towards the top of the page.

It is a rather large cookbook online, but he said there was only one guacamole recipe on there. It was really good. He still uses it. There are some really good chips at Trader Joe's he used too.

Like I said, he used the guacamole, salsa, spaghetti sauce, and chile recipes.

He said he diet was the worst part of the whole process, worse than the surgery, etc. for him. He made it through though and lost about 5 pounds during the diet. He didn't need to lose the weight at all. He has since gained it back.

Good luck! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions for DH about the diet or anything. His doctors are at University of Chicago and he has been very happy with them so far. Hope your Endo experience gets better.

I did find salt free chips at Trader Joes but when I got home the label says something about being processed on equipment that processes dairy, so I didn't know if they were 'safe' or not. I do have the Thyca cookbook but I figured any old salsa recipe will do as long as it's fresh veggies and non-iodized salt.

 

[tar heel]

My guacamole is so easy and delicious. Mash a couple of ripe avocados well. Add the juice of a lime, a generous dash of cumin, several shakes of Tabasco and a finely chopped tomato. It's better after it's chilled a little while but fine immediately. Dh and I love it.

 

[chell]

Here is one I got from the Food Network years ago and it is my absolute favorite.

Guacamole From Food Network Kitchens

1/2 small yellow or 1/4 red onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons kosher salt
3 ripe Hass avocados
2 to 4 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro
1 ripe plum tomato, cored and diced
1/2 to 1 jalapeno (with seeds), minced

Soak the onion in cold water for 15 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. On a cutting board, lightly sprinkle the garlic with a pinch of salt and smash it into a paste with the side of a cook's knife. Transfer the paste to the bowl with the onion. Using a knife cut the avocados in half, rotating around the seeds. Remove the seeds and discard (See Cook's Note.). Using the knife, carefully make several slashes in the avocado flesh. Using a spoon, scoop the avocado flesh into the bowl with the onion and garlic. Repeat with the remaining avocados. Add the coriander, tomato, and jalapeno, to taste, to the avocados. Using a rubber spatula or large fork, mix until just combined, keeping the guacamole chunky. Season with salt, to taste. Serve immediately.

Cook's Note: Here's a quick and easy and way to remove the seed from an avocado: tap the edge of a cook's knife into the seed and twist--the seed will pop out. Knock the knife on the edge of a counter and the seed will drop off.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I make my guac. with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime. Easy and quick. Make sure the avocadoes are very ripe.

I don't add cilantro because I don't like it.

 

[mrsklamc]

I make my guac. with chopped fresh tomatoes, onions, and a generous squeeze of fresh lime. Easy and quick. Make sure the avocadoes are very ripe.

I don't add cilantro because I don't like it.

Dumb question here- HOW would I make sure the advocados are very ripe? (usually I don't cook with them)

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Dumb question here- HOW would I make sure the advocados are very ripe? (usually I don't cook with them)

They are black and when you touch them they are soft but not mushy. I have oops in my selection process. It was easier in TX because they would always have a ton of ripe ones to choose from.

 

[mjkacmom]

I only make homemade during the summer. Plum tomatoes, chopped, onion, jalepeno peppers (to taste - remove seeds and white ribs), lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Add avacados to turn it into guacamole.

I dispise jarred, but will buy prepared refridgerated salsa in the winter.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I just wanted to add that you cannot really make guac. ahead of time as an FYI. It starts to turn brown from the oxidation rather quickly.

I think there is something you can add to slow that process but I can't remember what it is.

Generally you make it and then eat it.

 

[babytrees]

I just wanted to add that you cannot really make guac. ahead of time as an FYI. It starts to turn brown from the oxidation rather quickly.

I think there is something you can add to slow that process but I can't remember what it is.

Generally you make it and then eat it.

the lime juice slows the process a lot better than lemon or putting the seed in the middle of the guac does.

 

[my3sonsagn]

I can tell you what I put in mine, but not how much of what - it varies depending on how much I'm making and how strong the flavors are each time.

tomatoes - blanched, peeled, and diced (this time of year Camparis taste closest to home-grown, but they're small, so it takes quite a few)
jalapeno - seeded and diced tiny
onion - vidalia/Peru sweet depending on what I can find
fresh cilantro
salt
garlic salt
seasoned salt

Don't know if you can find non-iodized garlic or seasoned salt; I guess just add extra regular N-I salt and garlic powder. Pepper, onion, cilantro can be run through food processor together; tomatoes get mushy if processed, so it's up to you whether you want them chunky or mushy. lol

Good luck with your treatment!

 

[chell]

the lime juice slows the process a lot better than lemon or putting the seed in the middle of the guac does.

Also putting plastic wrap directly onto the guacamole helps keep it from turning.

I'm making some today because I'm trying to get in extra fiber. Avocados have the most fiber of any veggie.

 

[dizluvah]

DH makes a great salsa - he is napping but I always buy the ingredients for him. He uses 20 roma tomatoes, 2 red onions, fresh cilantro, lime juice, 2 jalapeno's seeded (because I'm a spicy wimp), 1/2 bulb of garlic chopped (yes bulb, not just a clove), We toss in a few poblano chili's or anaheim depending on what looks best at the store and Squeeze juice from 2 limes. His salsa is more like a fresh pico de gallo - just toss everything into food processor for rough chop - it gets better after sitting overnight and all the flavors marry - delicious

 

[nuke]

Guacamole:

2 ripe avocados
1 sm roma tomato chopped
handfull of chopped cilantro
1/2 small onion chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
garlic and salt to taste


Smash everything together. Add all or some of the cilantro to taste. I like a lot of it. This will make about 4 servings.

 

[phragmipedium]

I do everything to taste, so I don't really have recipes...but here's what go in mine:

Guac - 2-4 ripe avocados, mushed somewhat coarsely with a fork so there are still some chunks. Add lime juice, a shake of cumin, a minced garlic clove or two, salt, and chopped seeded tomato. DH also likes cilantro in his so I add it for him, but cilantro tastes like soap to me so I keep it out of mine. It doesn't keep terribly well, but if you have leftovers you can smooth it out very uniformly in the container, place plastic wrap directly onto the guac and smooth it out as much as possible so there's no air in contact, and then seal the container and refrigerate - it won't be as fresh as, well, freshly-made, but it will keep it edible.

Salsa - chopped seeded tomatoes, onions, minced garlic, seeded minced jalepeno pepper, salt, cumin, cilantro if you like it, lime juice, and some shakes of Tabasco for a bit of uniform bite especially if the peppers are not spicy.

My favorite chips to serve with these are Juanitas, which I think are somewhat locally made and found in our Mexican food aisle rather than the chip aisle - not sure of all your dietary limitations, but something like that might be less likely to be produced on a large scale where there might be dairy...plus they're so much better than any of the mass produced tortilla chips!