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Salsa:
A fun way to spice up healthful meals
July 26, 2007
Suzanne Havala Hobbs
One
way to make good use of summer tomatoes: Serve salsa.
Salsa means sauce in Spanish, and most of us think of the
spicy hot variety that we dip our chips into at Mexican restaurants.
Salsa actually comes in many forms, and all make a respectable
contribution to the nutritional value of meals.
In fact, eating more salsa can boost your intake of fruits
and vegetables in a way that adds flavor, color and pizzazz
to meals.
The most common form of salsa – salsa fresca –
is made with chopped, fresh tomatoes, onions and jalapeno
peppers or chiles. Chile peppers vary in degrees of heat or
spiciness, so salsa can range from mild to “call 911,”
depending upon the type of pepper used. Other common varieties
of salsa include:
* Salsa verde, or “green sauce.” This one is made
with tomatillo (pronounced “toe mah TEE yo”),
a vegetable that looks like a small round tomato covered with
a husk. Tomatilloes are usually cooked before being chopped
to make sauce, but they can be used raw, too.
* Pico de gallo, Spanish for “rooster’s beak.”
Why a rooster’s beak? Theories vary, but the one I think
makes the most sense is that the tips of the chiles used in
the sauce look like roosters’ pointy beaks. Pico de
gallo is similar to salsa fresca or salsa picada – “chopped
sauce.” In addition to tomatoes, onions and chiles,
it can also contain lemon or lime juice, cilantro, bits of
avocado, or chopped cucumber. Ditto for salsa roja, or red
sauce.
* Mole (pronounced “MO leh”) sauce. Also called
mole poblano, this one looks like brown gravy. Instead of
tomatoes, it’s made with ground nuts, unsweetened chocolate
and other spices.
Many more variations are made with chunks of pineapple, mango,
peaches, and other fruits, as well as cooked black beans,
corn, and other vegetables.
If you buy ready-made salsa, compare ingredient labels and
choose brands with the least amount of added salt or sodium.
Many, including Newman’s Own brand, contain about 140
milligrams of sodium per two tablespoon serving – not
too much to fit comfortably into most diets. Of course, if
you make your own, you don’t have to add salt at all.
Salsa is quick and easy to make, and you can find many simple
recipes on the Internet. Or don’t bother with a recipe
at all. Chop some fresh tomatoes, add a handful of minced
onion and chile pepper, a little lemon or lime juice, and
toss in other fresh fruits and vegetables to suit your fancy.
One caution: If you handle chile peppers, don’t rub
your eyes or handle contact lenses until you are certain your
hands are washed free of the substances that give peppers
their heat and can cause pain to mucous membranes.
Fresh salsa is a good source of vitamins A and C, fiber, B
vitamins, potassium, iron, and beneficial phytochemicals.
There’s no saturated fat, trans fat or cholesterol.
So use salsa freely. Add it to mashed avocado to make guacamole
dip, or use it alone as a dip for tortilla chips, crackers
or toasted pita points. Other uses:
* Mix it into other dips. Blend it into black bean dip or
hummus, Middle Eastern garbanzo bean dip.
* Use it as a cooked vegetable topper. Spread it over a baked
potato or ladle it over green beans or black beans and rice.
* Add it to salads. Add a scoop of salsa to marinated cucumber
salad or mixed green salads.
* Use it liberally as an ingredient in other dishes, including
wrap sandwiches, burritos, tacos and tostados.
Work more salsa into your meals, for some fun and for your
health.
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