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Hi.

Welcome to This Awful/Awesome Life! My name is Frances Joyce. I am the publisher and editor of this magazine. We'll be exploring different topics each month to inform, entertain and inspire you. Meet new authors, sharpen your brain and pick up a few tips on life, love, entertaining and business. Enjoy and please share!

April 2024 in the Twelve Months of Salsa - Zesty Loaded Black Bean Salsa by Fran Joyce

For April, I selected Zesty Loaded Black Bean Salsa. The yellow pieces of corn and red chunks of tomato remind me of sunshine. These colors combined with black beans, green chiles, cilantro, and red onions (which looks purple)  are like spring in a bowl. Here is the link to the recipe, Zesty Loaded Black Bean Salsa | Dishing Out Health

This salsa is good with fish tacos, burritos, or chips.

It’s simple to make. Nothing needs to be cooked and measurements don’t have to be exact. I used less Italian dressing, the wild card in this recipe, and I added pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and smoked hot Hungarian paprika. We like our salsa with a little heat.

I served it with chips and used it as a topping on a Vegan bean burrito. It was delicious!

This year I’ll be making twelve versions of salsa or Pico de Gallo from an incredible website I found, https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/types-of-salsa/

Traditional salsa is made with cooked tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices. Usually, it’s blended or pureed to create a smooth texture. Sometimes sugar is added.

Raw salsa is uncooked fresh ingredients that are still blended like traditional salsa instead of left chunky like Pico de Gallo.

Pico de Gallo is a chunky, uncooked sauce made from chopped tomatoes, red onions, peppers, cilantro, and lime juice.

You typically won’t find cooked salsa used in traditional Mexican cuisine.

Here is the list of the salsas I’ve made so far. I won’t be posting which salsa/Pico de Gallo I’ll be making in advance. You’ll have to check back every month to see what’s cooking!

The Twelve Months of Salsa

January - Pico de Gallo - Pico de Gallo (Salsa Fresca) - Peas and Crayons Blog

February – Fresh Pineapple Salsa - Fresh Pineapple Salsa - A Southern Soul

March – Salsa Verde - Salsa Verde Recipe {Green Salsa} - Cooking Classy

April – Black Bean Salsa - Zesty Loaded Black Bean Salsa | Dishing Out Health

 

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