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I have a real treat for you today! I love when I get to share “super secret” family recipes for the first time with the whole world. :-) Last week my sister-in-law Denise decided to finally give up her special salsa recipe that has been tantalizing tastebuds for years. I know she’s had loads of people ask her for it, but sometimes a woman just wants to keep her “secrets.” ;-)
Well, after much begging and pleading (and maybe a few tears) by me and many others, she has finally acquiesced and we are all the beneficiaries! I’ve eaten this many times but have never had the pleasure of making it before last week. It was a big hit for our New Year’s Eve noshing.
So my sincere thanks to Denise for sharing this gem with us today….she’s a great sis-in-law and a really great lady!
Denise’s Southwest Salsa
Dressing Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 package Italian Salad Dressing Mix
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Salsa Ingredients:
- 5-6 roma tomatoes, chopped
- 5-6 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed & drained
- 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed & drained
- 3 large avocados, chopped
Directions:
To make the dressing, mix balsamic vinegar and water in a small bowl. Add the contents of the Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix and whisk everything together.
Note: The Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix is not gluten free – but I’m sure there are gluten free italian dressings mixes available.
Add the olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Whisk everything one more time.
To make the salsa, mix tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, black-eyed peas, corn and black beans in a large bowl.
I wanted to show you this great trick for cutting avocados that I saw on the Rachael Ray Show the other day! Place a cooling rack over a bowl. Cut your avocado in half and remove the pit. Gently press the avocado down onto the cooling rack.
Voila – a perfectly chopped avocado!
Add the dressing to the rest of the ingredients. Gently fold in the avocado.
At this point I added one optional ingredient….the juice of one lime. But that’s because I’m a bit of a citrus fiend. :-) It was delicious without it as well.
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Refrigerate until you are ready to serve, then serve with LOTS of tortilla chips! If you can manage to not eat the whole bowl in one sitting, this salsa will last about 7-8 days in the fridge.
Denise’s Southwest Salsa
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 packet Italian salad dressing mix
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
Salsa
- 6 Roma tomatoes chopped
- 6 green onions finely chopped
- ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
- 15 oz black-eyed peas rinsed and drained
- 1 cup frozen corn thawed
- 15 oz black beans rinsed and drained
- 3 avocados chopped
Instructions
To make the dressing:
- Mix balsamic vinegar and water in a small bowl. Add the contents of the Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix and whisk everything together.
- Add the olive oil, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Whisk everything one more time.
To make the salsa:
- Mix tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, black-eyed peas, corn and black beans in a large bowl.
- Cut your avocado in half and remove the pit. Cut into small pieces.
- Add the dressing to the rest of the ingredients. Gently fold in the avocado.
- Refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
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