Salsa with tortilla chips is one of my favorite snacks, ever. I’ve been tasting lots of creative salsa variations lately, so here’s another one to add to the mix. Carrot works surprisingly well as a stand-in for tomato in salsa, and strikes me as a great any-time-of-year vegetable so you don’t have to settle for mealy, flavorless out of season tomatoes from who knows where. This is a super easy recipe thanks to the magic of the food processor. Makes a pretty and unique appetizer. Also a healthy snack, or a condiment with a Mexican meal. Who doesn’t need a burst of bright orange in their life? This recipe makes enough for 2 people, but can easily be scaled up as needed.

Ingredients:

3-4 carrots, preferably locally grown (definite difference in taste)

1/2 of a small purple onion (about 1/4 cup finely chopped)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

juice of 1/2 lime

1 tsp sea salt

Trim the carrots and cut into large chunks. Chop finely in food processor. Next, add the onions, cilantro, sea salt and lime juice.

Pulse until you get a nice uniform texture (but don’t liquefy). Note: if you don’t have a food processor, no problem: I would recommend grating the carrot and finely chopping the onion and cilantro, and then mixing in a bowl.

Serve with tortilla chips (blue corn chips look especially nice in contrast to the bright orange carrot color). Stores in fridge for 1-2 days.