Before I share my story, I am going to preface this post with some terms in case you are not familiar with Mormon lingo: WARD: a ward consists of (Latter-Day Saint) Mormon members based on a geographical area in which these church members live. For example: the Mormons within a few blocks surrounding my house belong to the 16th ward. STAKE: not to be confused with steak (the meat) is a term used for a combination of wards belonging to one region. Another example: the Mormons who live in the next geographical area to my ward belong in the 8th ward, but we both are part of the same Stake.

I hope that makes enough sense that you will understand my story.

So, this month we had a big party for church that they called a “Cruise.” It was held at our church building & there was: passports, pictures taken when you first “come aboard,” entertainment, & food. Each ward of our stake was in charge of a different country & had to have samples of food served there. Our ward had the country: Mexico. We signed up in church to help bring either chips, salsa, guacamole, or queso. I signed up right away for salsa because I knew I wanted to make this recipe. Plus, my husband has been bugging me to make salsa & I figured this would be a great time to make some for the party & let him try it. The party turned out to be such a great time. They had activities for the children at each “port” in several of the classrooms & we had to get our passports stamped while we were there. Our favorite was hula dancing in Hawaii, but we made some cool origami buildings in China as well. Once the kids visited all 9 countries that were there, they got to go to the Captain’s table & pick out a special prize (treat & toy.)  I thought it was a super clever party idea & there were LOTS of people there!

Anyway, back to the recipe! This is a super easy salsa recipe. I don’t think you can get any easier than a couple cans of vegetables, part of an onion & a few seasonings. The cool thing about this salsa, is the longer it rests, the more heat it gets! It had a medium heat the day I made it, but the next day it was even hotter. So if you like a hot salsa, this one is great if you let it sit in the fridge for a while. Plus I like the pureed texture. I like chunks sometimes, but I really love the smooth stuff. As far as tasting like Chili’s salsa…it has been a while since I have had Chili’s salsa, but this recipe is all over the internet for Chili’s copycat version & with the reviews I’ve read, I deem it credible. Give it a go & tell me how it compares!

{Copycat} Chili’s Salsa

{Copycat} Chili’s Salsa

Ingredients

  • 2 (14.5oz) cans whole tomatoes, drained
  • 1 (4oz) can diced jalapenos
  • 1/2 cup yellow or white onion, diced
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tsp lime juice

Instructions

  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor & puree until smooth.
  2. Taste with a tortilla chip & add more salt if needed; you don't want it overly salty, but tasting & adjusting the seasoning with a chip will help you know the right amount of salt since that is what you will be serving the salsa with. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Recipe lightly altered from Chef-In-Training & Six Sisters’ Stuff