Fresh Salsa

There's salsa and then there's salsa - the kind you get in a jar doesn't compare to the kind you either buy fresh in the refrigerated section of your market or make yourself. If the tomatoes are truly ripe and the amount of chilies is just right, the flavor of freshly-made salsa can be an almost intoxicating experience. What's more, salsa is a low-calorie, low-fat (often fat free) food. Because of the tomatoes, salsa is high in vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. In addition, chilies benefit your circulation. Salsa can top many things, from baked potatoes to meat, from seafood to black beans, from quesadillas to tacos. And of course, there's always salsa and chips. Hate baked tortilla chips, but dislike the high fat content of the regular kind? You can minimize your chip intake thusly: use the chip to shovel up as much salsa as it can possibly hold. The more salsa you eat, the less chips you consume. Or, instead of chips, you can take a warm corn tortilla (which is how those chips began life anyhow), tear or cut it in half, roll it up and dig in. While many Mexican dishes are high in calories and fat, you can make salsa a regular part of your diet and it will only make you healthier.