I have to admit it. I am completely addicted to salsa. I cannot get enough of it. I love to put it on my eggs in the morning. Eat it as a snack in the afternoon with some pita chips. It goes so great on our favorite Mexican dish, or even as a healthy alternative to dressing on a salad. I love to pour it over a few chicken breasts in the crockpot and cook it on low overnight and then shred that chicken for tortillas the next day. Salsa just has so many uses.

Last year I stopped buying the grocery store variety and began making my own. I have made everything from a mango salsa to the perfect party salsa. Of course when we make salsa we tend to make some guacamole to go along with it. Check out my favorite guacamole recipe here.

I will be sharing with you my most recent garden salsa mix (below) that truly is a nutritional powerhouse of a recipe. Salsa has so many health benefits that people often don’t realize. When you take the time to make your own, you can add extra healthy ingredients that will make your salsa better for you and better tasting than anything you can get at the store. I highly suggest that you try making it from those things that should be popping up in your garden just about now. Here are just a few of the benefits that you can expect to see from your homemade salsa.

A Power Food

Did you know that homemade salsa has some awesome vitamins and minerals that your body needs? Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and Capsaicin to be more specific, are not all the vitamins included in salsa but you do get a large dose of these. These are serious immune boosters. According to Healthy Eating, “1 Cup of chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of chopped onion, and 1 jalepeno pepper contain 43 milligrams of Vitamin C. This represents 57% of the recommended intake for women or 48% for men.”

When you add a good dose of garlic to your salsa recipe as well, you are adding another whole level of health benefits. Garlic is known for its anti-fungal affects. We use it in our family for everything from curing ear infections without antibiotics to cutting our common colds in half! Garlic is one of those MUST HAVES for the naturally inclined “medicine cabinet.”

Turn Up the Heat

Capsaicin is what makes spicy food spicy. This is not just something to add flavor, though. This is also a naturally occurring chemical that can bring healing effects to the human body. And believe it or not, creams are made from this chemical as a natural pain reliever for patients with arthritis! There is research with promising findings that it can even help fight cancer. The hotter the pepper, the more capsaicin it has, so a jalepeno is only the novice level for this miracle chemical that is found in nature. (Source link)

Lose Weight

According to a study at the University of Wyoming not only did they have the same findings as stated above, but they also found that Capsaicin can help with weight loss and maintaining a healthy weight. Now you can eat your jalepenos and hot peppers however you like, but I really like mine in a good bowl of salsa. Just remember to limit your chips! I hope you enjoy our garden variety recipe below!