Fresh Salsa!

I love fresh salsa in the spring and summer, one of my favorite snacks.  And my favorite thing about it: you can make it just the way you like it.
Here is my recipe for my favorite fresh salsa:

Ingredients: 
tomatoes, whatever kind looks freshest at the market or grocery store
red onion
limes
black beans, canned
avocado
fresh cilantro

Start Cooking:
1.  Chop the tomatoes into small pieces.  Chop the onion into very small pieces.  Chop the avocado into small pieces, about the same size as the tomatoes.  Finely chop a handful of fresh cilantro.  Put all of this into a bowl with a lid.
2.  Drain and rinse the can of black beans.  Add about half of them to the salsa mix.
3.  Juice the lime directly into the salsa mix.
4.  Gently mix everything together with a spoon.

Tips and hints:

1.  Store in an air tight container in the fridge, will last a few days, if you don't eat it all first! 

2.  I like mild salsa.  If you like hot salsa, add some chopped up hot peppers to your salsa.  

3.  Fresh is best!  Shop local if you can.  If the ingredients don't look fresh at the store/market, wait until they get new produce in and buy then.  Your salsa will taste much better with fresh ingredients!  

Enjoy!

Green Beans

My entire family always gets together for Easter at someone's house, my mom's, my grandparents, my Aunt and Uncle's house.  This year we all met at my Aunt and Uncle's house and we were each asked to bring a dish and I was asked to bring a veggie dish.  I didn't want want to do the regular green bean casserole.  I think they are kind of mushy and boring.  I hate mushy green beans.  So I came up with a new recipe.  

Green Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic 

Ingredients: 

fresh green beans

cherry or grape tomatoes, whatever looks freshest in the store

fresh garlic

olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Basic fresh ingredients 

Start Cooking: 

1.  Snap the stem end off of the green beans.  Cut the tomatoes in half or in quarters, depending on how big you want them.  Mince up some garlic, it's up to you how "garlicey" you want your dish.  

2.  Put everything in a large pan, along with some olive oil.  You just want enough olive oil to coat the beans.  You do not want the beans to be swimming in the oil.  Saute until the green beans are tender.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  

Finished Beans!  

Only about half of my green beans were eaten at the dinner.  I made a TON and there were also a few other veggie dishes.  I loved them and my Aunt loved them.  I like my green beans more on the crunchy side, some people like them more tender.  If you are making this for a large group, I would go more on the tender side.  

Enjoy!