I'm trying to figure out my dinner, and I need to round out my fruit/veggie selections so i have a min of 5. If I have a bean and cheese quesedilla (sp?) w/ 1/2 cup of salsa (I LOVE salsa!), can I count it as a veggie serving?
You most certainly CAN count it as a vegetable -- but don't do it too often -- what I mean is, don't rely on salsa (ketchup!) as a veg serving when you can easily add a veg. to your dinner and eat the salsa anyway. Also -- salsa, as much as I love it (I can put it on everything, including turkey sandwiches) is loaded with salt, unless it's homemade from ony fresh vegetables. the stuff in the jars is deadly on the day before a weighin... be careful, but DO enjoy it.
Thanks! I ended up not using as much as I thought so i didn't count it. So, I opened up a can of green beans and ate half of them. Quesadillas and green beans - what a combination!!!
Imaleader, I'm a little confused by your reference to ketchup. Salsa is a combination of veggies. You can usually find freshly made salsa in the refrigetator section of the supermarket. You do have to check the amount of sodium and check whether it has oil in it (most don't, but I've seen a few that do). However, I've found them to be a great substitute when I don't have time to make my own.
Making your own is super easy and there are a bazillion recipes for different salsas out there. The standard tomato salsa we think of usually has chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped garlic, minced cilantro, diced Anaheim (mild) green peppers (or jalapenos, serranos, or habeneros, depending on how hot you like it), a little salt and pepper. Some people put some ground cumin and/or oregano in their salsa. If you use hot peppers, be sure to wear gloves or put some small plastic bags on your hands before you prepare them. And wash everything well when you're done. It makes it sound complicated to do peppers, but it's not. Just takes a little care. If you like your pepper dishes with some heat, cut the peppers in half, remove the seeds and the little ribs. Then finely chop the pepper and add the amount you want to your salsa.
My response about salsa and ketchup is that salsa is typically considered a CONDIMENT, like ketchup, that is, a GARNISH for foods, and generally not intended to be a serving of anything (it reminds me of someone who once asked if Baked Lays can count as a veg because they were 1) potatoes, 2) baked not fried... You know what I mean?
Like Jelly -- which you would certainly NOT count a s a fruit, salsa is not typically considered a vegetable, but a garnish. Again, let's keep our eyes on the right ball here, and understand what a serving is, and a what a serving of a VEGETABLE is.
Playing and manipulating the numbers doesn't help us any.... :-) You Know? Salsa is still salsa, which is why it's generally served in smaller bowls, as a dip, as opposed to a course... either way, yes, it's a veg.
Love your recipe, by the way, and will try it tonight.... Have a great weekend.
Thanks for the clarification! That makes sense. I wouldn't count it as a serving toward my five fruits and veggies, either, unless I was eating that half cup Kelly talked about. Sometimes I do, especially if I'm having a salad and use it for salad dressing. I just count it along with the salad veggies as a vegetable. What I was referring to was the fact that the ingredients are vegetables.
I make my own salsa and bottle it every summer and use ONLY fresh veggies in it. I do count it as a veg serving if it is a half cup at a time.
One of my favorite ways to "do" salsa is to measure 1/2 to 1 cup and heat it. Then I add a bit of low-fat grated cheddar over the top and scoop it up with Snackwell's Cracked Pepper crackers.
Let's not forget that you can also count v-8 juice and tomato juice (8 ounces-12 ounces) as a vegetable serving... and you can also count fat free gazpacho as a veggie serving.... :-) Just so you have other options.
I've never had gazpacho with avocados. The only fat in mine is from olive oil.
I just take about half a large cuke (scoop out seeds), half an onion, half a green pepper, and a (big) can of whole, peeled tomatoes, undrained, and whiz them up in the blender. Transfer to a bowl, add minced garlic, wine vinegar (balsamic if you like) and 1 T olive oil (original recipe probably called for 1/4 cup). Serve topped with chopped onions, cukes, and peppers, croutons if you have the points. I actually don't put anything on top, but most do.
I'm not REALLY as stupid as I sound, it's just Friday! I read "gazpacho" and thought "guacamole." F/F guacamole sounded TRULY disgusting. Thanks for clearing up my error...
Can I count salsa as a vegetable serving?
