Fresh Homemade Pico De Gallo

I'm so excited to share this lil' recipe with you all as it's one of my absolute favorites. There is nothing like fresh food, especially in summer, although I make this year round. I adapted this recipe from one I found when I was searching for a rice bowl recipe similar to a Chipotle rice bowl, AND, if you care for the whole kit-and-caboodle, I'm sharing that as well because it's so delicious. But, I would say over half the time I make the pico, I'm making it without the rice concoction, to serve as a snack for myself or friends, or to take to a party.

The other great thing about this quick pico recipe, is that is super adaptable in terms of quantity. With the original recipe I found that it was 1) not nearly enough and 2) not nearly enough (oops, did I say that already????).

You have to give this a try - it makes store-bought salsa seem like a complete waste of money. Actually, the ingredients here probably total about the same (or less) than a jar of salsa, and it's 10 times better. And if you're wondering what the difference is between salsa and pico, it's mainly in texture as usually the same ingredients are used. Pico is chunky and always uncooked - you could definitely eat it as a little side salad, although OMG, the chips make it even better:) Salsa is much thinner in consistency...more like a dip.

Homemade Pico De Gallo

Ingredients:
-Tomatoes ( I like to use enough to chop about 2 cups)
-1 Jalapeno (finely chopped)
-1/2 of a small-medium Red Onion (chopped)
-Cilantro (around a TBLS after it's chopped)
-Juice of 1/2 a lime

Instructions: Add chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, onion and cilantro to a bowl. Add the lime juice and stir. That's it. SOOOO EASY!!! Salt and pepper optional.

For a Black Bean-Chicken-Rice Bowl, see below:

Rice, cooked according to instructions. For every 2 cups of prepared rice (so 1 cup of dried rice) I stir in the following just after cooking:

-Small Pat of Butter
-Sprinkle of Salt
-Juice of 1/2 a lime
-Sprinkle of Chopped Cilantro

If you would like to top with black beans, cook 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed) with a splash of chicken broth (use it from the below if you're adding chicken) and dashes of chili powder, cumin, oregano and cayenne.

Adding chicken? I like to use the Tyson, canned all white chicken breast, which saves a TON of time. I heat it in a frying pan until the liquid has cooked out, with dashes of chili powder, garlic salt, onion powder, cumin and oregano.

Hope each of you had a fabulous weekend? What's on your menu this week?