Do you get enough veggies on a daily basis? If you are like most people, chances are that the answer is a resounding no! In light of that, it’s a good thing to have a way to make that happen without subsisting on salad, or rabbit food as some carnivores call it.

To that end, I was fooling around in the kitchen and came up with this spicy vegetable salsa recipe. It is fast to make (about 10 minutes), clean-up is a snap, and by it’s very nature it lends itself to an endless list of added ingredients, according to your taste. Go ahead, experiment!

Ingredient List

• 1 good sized roma tomato, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, cut up into about 1 inch pieces
• 1/4 large red onion, chopped (use white onion if you prefer; I just prefer the taste of red)
• 1 serrano pepper, chopped
• 1/4 cup cilantro

Preparation Directions

1. Place all ingredients into your blender.
2. Blend to desired consistency.
3. Enjoy and refrigerate the leftovers.

Health Benefits of this Salsa

All of the ingredients offer health benefits.

1. Tomato. As you have undoubtedly heard, the tomato is a fruit, not a vegetable. It is is native to the Central America and was cultivated by the Aztecs. They are only 18 calories per 100 g. Also, they low in fat contents and have no cholesterol. They are an excellent provider of antioxidants, dietary fiber, minerals, and vitamins. For example, they contain lycopene which is a flavonoid antioxidant. They also contain zea-xanthin. This is another flavonoid compound that helps protect eyes from "age-related macular related macular disease" (ARMD). They also provide vitamin A, C, and potassium, and B-complex vitamins.
2. Celery. This vegetable boasts an ample helping of vitamin C, lowers cholesterol, may help to prevent cancer, manages arthritic pain, helps in a weight a loss program, detoxifies the body, lowers high blood pressure, and promotes overall health. It provides minerals including calcium, sodium, copper, magnesium, iron, zinc, and potassium. It also contains fatty acids as well as vitamins including A, C, E, D, B6, B12, K. It also provides thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid and fiber. It can reduce high blood pressure, asthma, and cholesterol. It’s only 16 calories per cup.
3. Red onion. This tangy ingredient is known to provide a wide spectrum of health benefits. The nutrients involved — including quercetin, allicin, and chromium can defend against cancer, fungi, and bacteria. It also promotes cardiovascular health and lowers high blood pressure and insulin resistance. It is also said to aid in weight loss. It is very low on the glycemic index which makes it an excellent choice for anyone on the South Beach Diet. 1 ounce of onions (28 grams) contains only 11 calories.
4. Serrano peppers. They are are low in fat, cholesterol, sodium and carbohydrates. They can also lend a hand to your weight loss efforts. Why? The capsaicin found in hot peppers burn fat by consuming energy, part of which is fat. They also provide anti-inflammatory benefits, primarily headache and migraine relief. One Serrano pepper has a low, low 2 calories.
5. Cilantro. It is also known as coriander and most of us love this herb for the taste, but there is more happening behind the curtains. It’s virtually calorie and fat free. 9 sprigs of cilantro provides contains just 5 calories. Even better, that serving size provides 1,350 International Units of vitamin A, mostly in the form of beta-carotene. It also provides 62 micrograms of vitamin K. That’s 27% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin A, and 52% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K.

So as you can see, this little concoction offers much more than flavor with a bit of a kick whether you use it as a topping or as a dip. It also goes a long way towards maintaining your good health and weight control.

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