Healthier choices: Veggies need salsa

Kids like to dip. And I don't like bottled ranch dressing. I hate to see them slurp it up as though it were a side dish. It makes me feel like a bad parent.

So I decided on a dip that, when I see them slurping it up, I can simply ask them to pretend to be civilized and use a spoon. Salsa. It's tomatoes and vegetables. Commercial salsas are often full of salt, but salsa is quick and easy to make. Use fresh or canned (no-salt added) tomatoes, any peppers (sweet to hot) you like, onions for flavor, a little lime (or lemon) juice, and cilantro, if you like it. Stir it up for a chunky salsa, or process in the blender for a smooth one. This will keep for a few days to a week in the refrigerator. Broccoli will do a really good job soaking up the tomato juice. Kids will probably prefer the onions chopped fine.

Salsa

Make this low-salt salsa from fresh tomatoes in season or canned tomatoes in the winter.

Recipe By: Family Nutritionist

-= Ingredients =-
15 ounces Tomatoes ; unsalted, petite diced
1/2 cup Onions ; chopped fine
1/4 cup Cilantro ; chopped
1 cup Peppers ; small dice
1 tablespoon Lime Juice ; or to taste

-= Instructions =-
If the tomatoes are too juicy, drain some of the juice.
Mix ingredients together in a bowl. For a smoother salsa, blend in a food processor.
Refrigerate for an hour. Add salt if you need it.
Serve with baked corn tortillas or vegetables

Nutritional Summary
Each (1/2 cup; 96g) serving contains:
Cals: 24, FatCals: 2, TotFat: 0g
SatFat: 0g, PolyFat: 0g, MonoFat: 0g
Chol: 0mg, Na: 7mg, K: 196mg
TotCarbs: 5g, Fiber: 1g, Sugars: 1g
NetCarbs: 4g, Protein: 1g

Food Group Serving(s)
DASH: Vegetables: 1.1: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish: 0.0: Seeds: 0.0: Fats: 0.0: Sweets: 0.0
USDA: Vegetables: 0.5: Fruits/Juices: 0.0: Dairy: 0.0: Grains: 0.0: Meat/Fish/Seeds: 0.0: Fats: 0.0: Sweets: 0.0

Nutritional information in this posting calculated using bigoven. Food Group Servings calculated in EXCEL using http://www.mypyramid.gov/ and DASH diet references