Roasted Vegetable Salsa

I love fresh salsa as much as the next girl, but sometimes I just really, really want that jarred stuff you get at the store.  Except I feel like a schmuck buying salsa when I have an abundance of tomatoes, onions, garlic, and peppers sitting right on my kitchen counter.  Judging me.  So this is my attempt at store-bought salsa, except I forgot to buy cilantro (and never got around to planting any in my garden), so add cilantro to yours.

Look how chunky!  So delicious.  I like to have at least one dip in my house at all times, because chips and dip (remind me to tell you a terrible and horribly not pc joke about chips and dip that my dad used to tell sometimes) are my favorite snack.  Forever and ever, until the end of time.

Ode to chips: salty, crunchy, loud in my mouth.  made of all sorts of things!  tortilla, potato, pretzel, pita.  loved by not only me, but also my dog, the crinkle of your bag makes my heart warm and his ears perk.  oh!  vehicle for dips that make my tummy smile.

Ode to dip: cold, warm, creamy, chunky, salty, maybe sweet (though probably not).  lovingly coating a delicious chip, brightening up my taste buds, comforting me on cold nights.  you are not good for breakfast, though i tried.  i would eat you for every other meal, and also in between-times.  behold, the beauty of a well crafted dip.

Had enough?  Ok, here’s my recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Salsa

3 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups chopped green pepper

5 jalapenos, halved and seeded

4 cloves garlic, left in skins

1/2 – 1 tsp salt

juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp each ground cumin and dried oregano (or substitute fresh cilantro!)

Preheat your oven to 400°F while you chop and seed your veggies, then throw them all onto 2 rimmed baking sheets.  Roast for around 30 minutes, until tomatoes start to melt and the onions are translucent.  Some dark bits are great!  Once they come out of the oven, squeeze the garlics out of their skins and transfer the whole shebang to your food processor.  Process a few times, but keep it nice and chunky!  Add the salt, lime juice, and spices, and process another couple of times.  Enjoy with chips!

This made a huge tupperware container’s worth of salsa, but I had to use up that produce somehow.  And it was really good!  Tasted very similar to the jarred stuff.  Mine was pretty spicy because of all the jalapenos I used, but feel free to use less of those if you like.  Or other chiles, if you’ve got an abundance of them!

This is reminding me that I haven’t had anything crunchy in over a week.  I’m going to have to go to the store now.  In fact, I think I’ll have a taco salad for dinner!  I just inspired myself, ha.  Oh, so remember (in my ode) how I said my dogs loves chips?

He was trying to be so sweet and patient while I took all these photos!  Unfortunately for him, I wasn’t tipsy (which is the only time he ever gets me to share), so these all went back in the bag after taking the photo.  Poor thing.

Local: tomatoes, jalapenos, green pepper, onion.