Easy to make salsa to celebrate Cinco de Mayo

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In America, Cinco de Mayo (which just means May 5th in Spanish) has come to mean a big party. Which is why we’re creating some easy to make salsa today to help with your celebrations–at home! But, the holiday started very differently.

One of the major misconceptions is that Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexican Independence Day–it doesn’t. That’s on September 16th. What it does celebrate is the victory of the Mexican army over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

As a holiday, it is much more celebrated in America than in Mexico. And originally started with Mexican-Americans in California in 1863 when they heard the Mexicans won the battle. It didn’t become popular in the rest of the United States until around the 1940s. Now it is a celebration Mexican-American culture and heritage.

The point of Cinco de Mayo is to understand Mexican culture better and celebrate what we have in common and what we have shared with each other. One of my favorite things Mexican culture has shared is its delicious food.

In our house Mexican food is one of our favorites that we could literally eat every day. Sometimes we do ; ) And no dish is complete without the salsa (sauce). When it comes to making food, I prefer recipes that are simple and require only a few ingredients. That’s why these easy to make salsas are on the top of my favorites list.

Since Salsa means sauce in Spanish, it can take many forms. One of my favorites is a pico de gallo, which is sometimes called salsa fresca (fresh sauce) because the ingredients are simple and it’s so fresh. It literally means beak of a rooster, which makes no sense, so we’ll stick with the Spanish pronunciation, pee-ko duh guy-yo.

All you need are fresh tomatoes, lime juice, salt, cilantro, pepper and onion. Everything is chopped finely and mixed together. I don’t like raw onion, so I don’t use much and make sure it’s chopped very fine.

Pico de Gallo

Start with fresh ingredients. They’ll make your salsa not only delicious, but more nutritious too!

The tomatoes should be firm and plump. Chop them in a small dice–the smaller the better because you’ll be able to get a better flavor profile and get more on your chip later!

Chop the remaining ingredients finely as well. Kids can help with this using the knife skills they worked on making the Nicoise Salad. This will help it mix better and taste better!

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and let sit 5-10 minutes for the flavors to combine

Variation: Blended Salsa

If you don’t have fresh tomatoes, one of my other favorites uses a can of diced tomatoes. It’s smooth and not chunky like pico de gallo, but has a delicious flavor.

The steps couldn’t be easier–even young kids can make this one nearly by themselves. They might just need help with the can opener and slicing the pepper. You simply add all of the ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Let it sit about 15 minutes and it’s ready to enjoy.

Now all you need are tortilla chips or tacos or your favorite Mexican food to enjoy these easy to make salsas!

Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #vibrantmomsociety

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