Salsa 9 Ways

No matter what time of year it is, knowing how to make homemade salsa is a kitchen essential! Whether you're hosting a party or grabbing a midnight treat, this is a great healthy option to keep on hand. Chips and salsa is my favorite comfort food so I'm always trying to add some variety to my basic recipe. ---> Check out ALL of these ideas to upgrade your standard pico de gallo. Enjoy!

This basic salsa or pico de gallo, will serve as the base for the following recipes in this post. This tasty recipe is quite simple and perfect for guests who don't like to venture too far from the original. All you need is: 4 vine ripe tomatoes, 1 jalapeño pepper, 1/2 yellow onion, 2 limes, juiced, 1/4 fresh cilantro, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional). Chop down your tomatoes, onion and jalapeño and season to taste. Salsa Fact: Remove the seeds from the jalapeño if you don't want your salsa too spicy.

Guacamole. Another classic, it's delicious, its creamy, its rich, it's everything! To create this recipe you simply add 4 mashed medium avocados to our basic salsa. It's really that easy guys, but if you want to upgrade, try grilling your veggies like we did here. ---> Here's how to grill veggies!

Put a Santa Fe spin on your salsa by adding black beans and corn! The addition of these two tasty veggies creates a much heartier salsa and a bit of variety for your chips. Just add 1 cup black beans, 1 cup corn kernels, 1 diced red bell pepper to our salsa base. This is delicious served alongside our grilled flank steak!---> Get the recipe!

Mediterranean food is absolutely delicious so we decided to incorporate that into one of our salsas. The best part is you can use standard tortilla chips or bake your own homemade pita chips! Create the basic salsa and add 2 chopped Persian cucumbers, 1/4 cup diced red onion, 1/2 cup sliced black olives, 1/4 cup crumbled feta, 1 teaspoon dried oregano. This salsa will definitely be a conversation starter at parties.

This is the iced tea of the salsa world. The addition of mint and watermelon makes this dish incredibly refreshing and light. This is a perfect salsa dish to serve on hot summer days. All you have to do is add 1 cup diced watermelon, 1/4 cup fresh chopped mint to our basic salsa and prepare to be amazed.

Not all salsa's are created equal, and not all salsa's have to be chunky. If you prefer a smoother salsa, try this delicious red pepper one! Just add 1/3 cup sliced roasted red peppers, 1/2 cup canned diced tomato with juice to the base salsa and blend.

Throw some fruit in with your salsa! Salsa doesn't have to be dominated by tomatoes, try adding some mangoes or peach for a sweet bite. Chop 1 medium peach and 1 small mango and mix with our basic salsa and you have an unique take on chips and salsa.

Who doesn't enjoy a nice bite of pineapple during the summer? To give your salsa a tropical feel, add diced pineapple! And because we like our summer's hot we added some spice to complement that sweet and juicy pineapple. Add 1/2 cup diced pineapple, 1 chopped jalapeño pepper, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder to that delicious base salsa.

Strawberries and basil in salsa? Um, yes ma'am! These two ingredients elevate this salsa in ways you wouldn't believe. It's sweet, it's herbal and fresh. You didn't know you needed this salsa until you try it. All you need is 1 cup chopped strawberries and 1//4 cup fresh chopped mint added to our basic salsa, it's really that easy, and it's delicious.