Infinitely Versatile and Indispensable Tomato Salsa

If I had to choose an accompaniment that I couldn’t live without, regardless of the weather and all year round, then I could come up with a few – guacamole, best-ever mash with beans, hummous and so on …. but a basic tomato salsa would be head and shoulders above the rest for versatility.

I use it on roast meats and poultry, in wraps, in omelettes, as a dip with veggie crudités, as a fish topping, to stir into cottage cheese, a filling for a jacket-baked sweet potato, with shellfish as a binding sauce and thinned a little to make a salad dressing. As the title says … it’s great with just about everything!

Moreover, it’s super simple to make and can work out cheaper than buying the ready-made version – plus it has no nasties and can be tailored to your likes and dislikes and stage post-op – fresher is undeniably better in this case. It’s great for adding to soft foods during the Amber Stage of eating.

TOMATO SALSA FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING

Ingredients

METRIC/US

about 250 g/9 oz cherry tomatoes, diced

1 clove garlic, chopped (optional)

1 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small red chilli, finely chopped (optional)

juice of 1 lime

2-3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander/cilantro

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Mix the tomatoes with the garlic if used, red onion, chilli if used, lime juice, coriander/cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. The salsa can be as chunky or smooth as you like. If a smoother than chopped texture is required then process in bursts in a food processor to the desired consistency. Great for adding to soft foods during the Amber Stage of eating.
Spoon into a bowl and chill until required.

SERVES 4

WLS PORTION: ½

V suitable for Vegetarians

CALORIES PER PORTION: 22

PROTEIN: 1 g

CARBOHYDRATE: 4.1 g

FAT: 0.3 g

Image courtesy of Aldi