Whatever Wednesday! For The Love of a Jar of Salsa

Someday I want to try my hand at making my own salsa. And I probably will this summer when I will be more likely to be able to find decent tomatoes.

But for now I shall enjoy the convenience of a jar of salsa.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE salsa? any variety, even the not so common ones, I will try just about any salsa. I have seen mango and peach salsa (apparently one of my relatives makes a mean fruit salsa) but I have not yet had the opportunity to try those kinds.

And I love cooking with it too. Salsa isn't just for dipping or for topping tacos and burritos! I keep it on hand to cook with. It is convenient and not too bad on either the health or pocket book either. (Aldi salsa works great for cooking cause even though it isn't the greatest quality it has decent flavor and is cheap - under $2 for the big jar)

I add it to lots of different things. I have added to to meatloaf, burgers, burritos, casseroles, chili, and plenty of other things. But for today we will focus and 2 recipes that utilize salsa in a more traditional sense. Seasoned rice and an awesome Taco meat recipe. Hubby loved this and I will not be changing this recipe in the future. The rice recipe can be used as a side dish or combined with the taco meat to make an awesome and filling burrito. Both are crazy easy and as my hubby says "Homerun, spot on!"

Seasoned rice

1 1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/3 cup salsa (I used Aldi black bean and corn specialty salsa)
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1 can black beans drained and rinsed
2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups water
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 teaspoon chili powder


Bring salsa, broth, hot sauce and water to boil.  Add beans, green pepper, and chili powder as well as some salt and pepper to taste. Bring to boil again, and then add rice. Cook as you would any other rice.



Favorite Taco Meat

1 lb ground beef
1/3 cup salsa ( great with regular salsa amazing with specialty salsa's too. this time I used a tequila lime salsa that I found)
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 can diced tomatoes w/ green chilis (Rotel on sale :D ) drain 3/4 of the liquid.
1 teaspoon hot sauce


Brown  ground beef. Drain if needed. Add remaining ingredients, stir well and simmer for 15 min.

The finished product from today. We did them burrito style. Tortilla filled with taco meat, seasoned rice, cheese, sour cream, lettuce, and some more salsa. The meat has a bit of a kick and lots of flavor.

What's your favorite way to use salsa? Ever cooked with it? I would love to hear about you have used salsa.