Who doesn’t love a good salsa? Especially in the summertime when the tomatoes are fresh and flavourful, and you’re outside enjoying the hot weather barbecuing, yum, salsa is the perfect summer snack. Don’t you think? This vegan salsa recipe is so easy to whip up and perfect to snack on on your own or bring to your next gathering or pot luck.
I love olives!
It’s no surprise that I love olives given my Greek heritage, and for this recipe I did a little twist on the traditional salsa and added olives from Sunfood. Sunfood is a great brand I love to cook with because I feel confident on how they produce their foods. Often times olives are picked before they are ripe and are softened with chemicals. Some olives are even artificially darkened with an iron compound and canned olives are all pasteurized. However, these olives by Sunfood are certified organic and hand selected when ripe, cured in sea salt and dried at a low temperature.
These botija olives I used are soft, tender black olives and have the perfect texture. They’re great for snacking on or to add in a dish like this salsa. Olives are packed with nutrients too! They have vitamins A and E, plus calcium, iron and a beautifying oleic acid!
The other magical ingredients
Combining the olives with tomatoes, jalapeños, avocados and chickpeas makes for a fresh and nutrient dense salsa. The tomatoes are a major source of the antioxidant lycopene, they also are a good source of vitamin C & K, potassium, and folate. The jalapeños add a punch to the recipe and are a good source of fiber and vitamin C & B6. Avocados are the only fruit that provides a substantial amount of healthy monounsaturated fatty acids and are nutrient dense with almost 20 vitamins and minerals, and lastly the chickpeas add their own unique blend of vitamins, minerals and fiber!
This recipe is super easy to make and I promise, it’ll become your new favourite summer salsa!
1/4 cup black botija pitted olives from Sun Food, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 tsp – 1 tbsp chopped fresh jalapeno
juice of one lemon or one lime
season to taste
Instructions
Into a bowl combine all your ingredients and let the flavours marry for up to 1 hour before enjoying with toast, with chips, in wraps, sandwiches and salads!
Notes
Lasts up to 3-4 days, in the fridge, in a tight sealed container.
