Onionless Santa Fe Salsa

You see, I have this friend who kinds spends a lot of time at my house. In fact, we eat together quite a bit. Problem is, she can't eat onions. So I have been on a quest for finding yummy ways to make foods without onions.  I made salsa yesterday that actually tasted an awful lot like it had onions in it, but it didn't. And I have to say it was about the tastiest salsa I have had in a long time. If I do say so myself.  I happened to use kumatoes, but I don't feel like that is integral to the flavor of the salsa. I didn't measure amounts, I made the salsa to our liking and tasted it a lot along the way.


Tomatoes, diced (I always keep all the seeds and juice, personal preference for ease and we don't mind the liquid)
Canned corn, drained
Black beans, drained
Green chile (medium or hot)
Fresh cilantro
Lime juice, quite a bit to give it that tang
Cilantro cubes (remember there is salt in these, so be generous but don't ruin it with salt)
Garlic (cubes, salt, powder, fresh, whatever floats your boat)


Mix. Let it chill. And enjoy immensly.


Side note:

I don't think we can ever move away from New Mexico, where we regularly go through a 28 oz. container of green chile.  Those little 4 oz. containers of canned green chile just would never cut it. We have occasionally gone for the bags of roasted green chiles (what are they...12 lbs., 20 lbs?) found in parking lots all over the state in the fall, but the frozen tubs are much more user friendly.

Side note #2:

If you have never tried this, you are missing out. It looks like a bouillon cube, but you use it like salt and just crumble it over your food. An amazing little seasoning we are never without.

The Best 100% Whole Wheat Bread

That is what the recipe is called, and I believe it. This recipe has given me my best results yet for whole wheat breat. It isn't heavy and it rose amazingly well. And it is easy, so it's a win win! I got the recipe from my Worldwide Ward Cookbook: Mom's Best Recipes (pg. 38-9).

4 1/2 tsp. yeast (2 packets)
3/4 c. warm water
7-9 c. whole wheat flour from hard white wheat, divided
2 1/2 c. warm water
1/2 c. wheat gluten
1/3 c. honey
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

Combine yeast with 3/4 c. warm water; add 1 C. flour. Mix vigorously. Let sit for 45 minutes or until it starts to settle back down. Add 2 1/2  C. warm water  and 2 C. flour. Stir very well. Add wheat gluten, honey, salt, and oil. Mix well. Slowly add 4-6 C. flour until good bread consistency (dough pulls away from walls well). Knead 10-15 minutes (by hand or in Bosch on level 1).  Cut in half and form in two loaves (see note below). Place in greased pans, cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes. It should be very light brown and super yummy!

Note: I added 1/4 c. ground flaxseed and an extra bit of water. Just for an extra healthy kick. Sometime I'll have to try following the instructions on the ground flaxseed for using it to replace oil.

High Altitude note:
I don't know if this is from high altitude or not, but I'm pretending it is. I make 3 full size loafs out of this. The recipe says two, but when I do two the loaves are super duper tall. 3 loaves is just right for what you see here.