With the holiday season picking up, as well as the Super Bowl and college bowl games just around the corner, so too are the opportunities for gatherings of family and friends. And with these gatherings, a common tradition presents itself – chowing down on delicious appetizers! Let’s face it, the amount of food most of us consume during this time of the year is considered as anything but healthy; but, there are delicious and healthy options that can be used when preparing appetizers for holiday festivities, such as recipes with salsa dip.
Recipes with salsa dip can be so much more than a packaged snack from a jar, and when you create your own healthy salsa recipes using fresh fruits and fiber-packed vegetables, a satisfying, delicious and healthy low-calorie snack is created. Salsa nutrition is great because most recipes using salsa are composed of fresh nutrient-packed vegetables, creating a juicy and delicious snack without the use of unhealthy oils and preservatives. But what is salsa exactly? Salsa, the Spanish term for sauce, is typically a dip or topping featuring a tomato base, and various other ingredients such as fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, herbs and spices. Salsa originated as a Mexican cuisine, but over the years has become a favorite among many international cuisines, especially American.
There are many recipes with salsa dip that make delicious and healthy options for house-party hosts to provide, or for guests bring to holiday gatherings. Salsa dips are easy to make, and due to it’s mild nature, the classic mild salsa dip is a favorite among Americans and makes a great addition to any holiday or football party. Emeril Lagasse, a famous chef, has a great classic mild salsa dip recipe that takes only about 10 minutes to prepare. The ingredients consist of 8 seeded and diced Italian tomatoes, 1 small diced red onion, 1 tablespoon of minced jalapeno pepper, 2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro and is topped with the juice of 1 halved-lime and a dash of salt and pepper. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and adjust the seasonings to your liking. The recipe makes 2 medium-sized bowls of salsa dip, which is enough to feed a hearty amount of guests at a party.
To make this snack even more healthy, you can use multi-grain or blue-corn tortilla chips to dip in your salsa. These tortilla chips feature far less simple carbohydrates, calories and sodium than the traditional white flour tortilla chips do. If you don’t have the time or hate preparing food, you can purchase jars of salsa dip too. Many jarred salsa dips, especially organic salsas, provide a healthy, nutritious and satisfying option as well.