Copycat El Torito Salsa

For about 2 years now, the only salsa I've been eating is my Homemade Salsa, or whatever random salsa a Mexican restaurant happened to be serving. I completely stopped buying my usual salsa at Sam's, which was my go-to salsa for about 2 years. Then, randomly, I bought a jar while stocking up on my normal groceries. It was so delicious. It was then that I realized I was getting tired of my salsa. 

Stop the presses.

Tired of my homemade salsa? How could that be? Well, homemade is the same as everything else. Eat it everyday and you will get tired of it. 

Flash forward to vacationing in Oregon. Craving chips and salsa. On one trip to the local Market of Choice, I was standing in front of a wall of salsa's. More brands that you could shake a stick at. I picked one at random. It looked nicely chunky and didn't include "sugar" in the list of ingredients. There isn't anything in the world I hate more than sweet salsa. Yuck. 

The salsa I picked? It was gross. Typical. I shook my fists at the sky, and the chips-and-salsa-cravings continued until...

I found myself in Eugene at El Torito, stuffing my face with their awesome salsa. El Torito is a chain, but I've never seen another restaurant except for the one in Eugene. I love their salsa, and I've had the notion to copy their salsa for a couple of years now. I figured since I was in a salsa slump, now was the time to try a new recipe.

The main difference I found between my salsa and the copycat recipes of El Torito's was that their's contains Serrano chilies, green onion, a pinch of raw spices, and most surprisingly, a small amount of canned tomatoes. I was surprised, but definitely willing to give it a go. The ratio of fresh veggies to canned tomatoes is high, so the salsa really does taste fresh.

I added more than the recommended amount of fresh veggies, mainly because I like a thicker, chunkier salsa vs a thinner salsa. Really, I just added a couple more fresh tomatoes than the recipe called for. 

In comparison to the fresh veggies, you only use 1/2 cup of canned tomatoes. I'm thinking I'll use the rest of the can for a batch of Spanish Rice.

Perfection. 

Grab a basket of chips, and you are good. to. go.

The hubby has been on a juice fast all week, so tonight I'm thinking...

Mexican pizza

Spanish Rice

Guacomole

Salsa

Chips

Maybe a margarita??

Oh yes. Tonight's gonna be a good night. Tonight's gonna be a real good night :)

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Ingredients (serves 8-10):

5-6 plum tomatoes, deseeded, quartered

1/2 yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 green onions, roughly chopped

1 serrano chile, seeds and membranes removed

1 jalapeno, with seeds and membranes

3 tsp fresh lime juice

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp Mexican oregano

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes, with liquid

1/3 cup water

Directions:

1. Combine plum tomatoes through Mexican oregano in a food processor. Pulse until chunky. Move mixture into a large mixing bowl.

2. Combine cilantro and canned tomatoes in food processor. Pulse until pureed. Add water. Pulse until well combined. Add mixture to the large bowl. Stir throughly to combine. 

3. Place mixture in an airtight container, and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. Serve immediately. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

Printable Recipe

Recipe adapted from Food.com.

If you liked this recipe, you may enjoy these-

Easy Homemade Salsa

Fresh Guacamole

Homemade Taco Seasoning

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