FOFF Spicy Homemade Salsa

No kidding, this is spicy. I only used 1 jalapeno and that was enough to make my tongue tingle.

And WHY, you might ask, would a runner, want to eat spicy food? It’s a very daring feat, I realize, but there are pros as well as the cons.

The pros:  Spicy food is a metabolic enhancer due to the capsaicin which comes from peppers. That’s great for this time of year when the weather is getting chilly, it gets your body heat elevated and warms you up quickly.

The cons:  Spicy food and delicate stomachs just don’t mix.  Indigestion and other upset is not how you want to take yourself to bed the night before a long run or race.

I eat a lot of spicy foods.  The only time I’ll pass on spicy, flavorful recipes is the night before a race.  The possible repercussions are not how I want to engage in speed training.

Carla’s suggested recipe for homemade spicy salsa was fresh and light.

We didn’t have any tortillas, but I tried it on a whole wheat cracker and it was very good.

Then I put it on an egg white omelet and it was fantastic.

This is my version of Carla’s recipe from page 9 of Fusion of Food and Friends

Makes about 1 ½ cups

• 1 jalapeno – Slice in half and remove veins and seeds.
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 banana pepper (cubanelle)
• A conservative handful of washed cilantro leaves
• juice of one lime
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 15 oz. can Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes (Drain for a thicker salsa)

Remove your food processor from the closet or where ever you’ve been hiding it.

Add all the ingredients EXCEPT the tomatoes to the processor and puree until smooth.

Add the tomatoes and just puree a second or two so you leave some tomatoes diced.

Enjoy!

Next week: We will make one of my favorites – SPANKIN Spinach Roll. You will need olive oil, pizza dough, 1 large bag of fresh spinach, mushrooms, garlic, all sorts of cheese such as provolone, cheddar, gruyere, Parmesan, and Gouda, and an egg. Come on – legs lets get “Rollin’”.