Cilantro and Lime Salsa

This healthy plant-based Gluten-Free Vegan Cilantro and Lime Salsa is an easy recipe to make with only 7 clean, real food ingredients and is ready to enjoy in about 5 minutes as a dip with chips, a healthy appetizer or even by itself!

This fresh Homemade Cilantro and Lime Salsa recipe is an awesome variation to traditional tomato-based salsa and the highlight ingredient in this recipe is cilantro.

Traditional salsa is primarily tomato based with a little cilantro for flavor.

But in my Cilantro and Lime Salsa recipe, I went heavy on the cilantro, primarily for the increased health benefits, and because it's a Medical Medium® healing food.

Is Cilantro Good for You?

Yes!

Cilantro has many healing properties, but the most important one for me is cilantro's detoxification benefits.

Here's what Anthony William | Medical Medium® has to say about the herb, cilantro:

"Not only does this herb bind onto toxic heavy metals; its undiscovered photochemical compounds also cling to other troublemakers - such as neurotoxins and dermatoxins that commonly end up in our liver - then expel them safely from our bodies. Cilantro is both a great liver cleansing and liver building herb. It helps regenerate nerve tissue that sends out messages from our brains to communicate with our livers". - Anthony William | Medical Medium® "Liver Rescue"

Cilantro is excellent for detoxification, and I try to add some in my recipes whenever I can.

I always grab several bunches of organic cilantro on each grocery trip because it's always good to have on hand and it's an inexpensive herb to buy - it's around $1.49 or less for an entire bunch of fresh organic cilantro.

I usually end up making this easy Cilantro and Lime Salsa recipe when I have some leftover or haven't used before it starts to go bad.

How To Make the Best Homemade Cilantro and Lime Salsa

The key to making the best tasting homemade salsa is to use fresh ingredients whenever possible, but make sure you see my Tips + Substitutions section below if you don't have fresh ingredients on hand.

Step 1: Prep The Veggies

The key to making the best tasting homemade salsa is to use fresh tomatoes, fresh cilantro, and fresh onions.

You'll need to slightly prep the veggies by cutting them up enough to be easily processed in your food processor, so you don't need to spend a lot of time dicing them.

• quarter the tomatoes
• quarter the onion
• quarter the jalapeno (if you are adding one)
• peel the garlic

After you get the veggies prepped, you can juice the lime and have it ready to add in.

Step 2: Add All Ingredients to a Food Processor

After you've prepped the veggies, you'll just add everything to a food processor and pulse it until it gets to the consistency that you prefer.

Some people like it a chunky salsa and some people (like me!) like it with the tomatoes and onions in smaller pieces.

Just make sure you use the "pulse" feature on your food processor so you don't overprocess it, otherwise, it will be too liquidy and not have any texture.

When it's finished, taste it to see if you need to adjust the seasonings to your preference.

How To Store Homemade Cilantro and Lime Salsa

If you have any leftover salsa, you can store it in an air-tight BPA-free container in your refrigerator.

Do You Remove the Stems in Salsa?

You can, but I don't - and here's why.

According to Anthony William | Medical Medium®, the stems contain valuable in assisting detox of heavy metals.

"Cilantro's magic in detoxifying the brain lies in the living water in its stems and leaves. This is a critical aspect of how it can travel past the blood-brain barrier; in this living water are mineral salts compromised of minerals such as sodium, potassium, and chloride, which are bound to potent phytochemicals. When they enter the body, these precious salts join natural highways of other mineral salts that travel through the bloodstream, lymph fluid, and spinal fluid. As they come upon the amino acids glycine and glutamine in their travels, the mineral salts bind onto them, forming the ultimate neurotransmitters. The brain is a magnet for mineral salts, and when it draws up these precious mineral salt compounds from cilantro, a surprise package is attached: phytochemicals that deliberately remove toxic heavy metals from the brain, freeing up neurons from the toxic heavy metal oxidized residue, so that they can function at their best". - Anthony William | Medical Medium® "Liver Rescue"

It's really a personal preference to cut them off before adding them to the food processor or just adding stems + leaves together - either way is fine.

What Ingredients Do I Need to Make Cilantro and Lime Salsa?

This recipe is made with clean, real food ingredients and is raw, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, paleo-friendly and Medical Medium® Compliant.

5 Fast Facts About Cilantro:*

• contains powerful antioxidants
• anti-inflammatory
• helps to remove toxins and heavy metals
• promotes healthy liver function
• helps to control blood sugar

5 Fast Facts About Tomatoes:*

• contains lycopene which is cancer-fighting agents
• high in beta-carotene
• excellent antioxidant
• high in vitamin A and K
• high in chromium which helps control blood sugar levels

5 Fast Facts About Limes:*

• aids in digestion
• fat burner
• contains more vitamin C than a lemon
• antioxidant and anti-biotic effects
• extremely alkalizing to the body

5 Fast Facts About Onions:*

• rich source of sulfur compounds
• excellent for cardiovascular health
• inhibits bone loss in women
• reduced blood pressure
• lowers blood cholesterol levels

5 Fast Facts About Jalapeños:*

• excellent antioxidant
• thermogenic food
• anti-inflammatory agent
• high in vitamins A and C
• contains anti-bacterial properties

5 Fast Facts About Himalayan Pink Salt:*

• contains 84 minerals
• unrefined, unprocessed, raw
• promotes stable pH balance in cells
• controls water levels in the body
• aids digestion and facilitates better nutrient absorption

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.  This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

 

 

Karielyn's Tips + Ingredient Substitutions for Cilantro and Lime Salsa

The key to making the best Cilantro and Lime Salsa is to use fresh ingredients.

But don't worry if you don't have fresh ingredients on hand - because you can still make this homemade salsa using store-bought organic ingredients!

• Cilantro. You will want to use fresh cilantro for this recipe, and I add the stems and leaves to get the maximum detox benefits from this herb.
• Tomatoes. Any variety of tomatoes will work in this recipe, so use whatever you have on hand. If you're in a bind and don't have fresh tomatoes, you can use organic diced tomatoes in a glass jar without citric acid and "tomatoes" being the only ingredient.
• Lime Juice. Fresh lime juice will give you the best flavor and more nutrients than pasteurized bottled lime juice, but you can use organic store-bought if you're in a bind.
• Onion. Any variety of onions will work in this recipe, so use whatever you have on hand. I would not recommend substituting a fresh onion for onion powder.
• Jalapeno. I would add a jalapeno to everything if I could, so I like to use (1) large jalapeno when making this recipe. If you don't like spicy foods or will be serving this to children, you can reduce or omit the jalapeno.
• Garlic. Fresh garlic will give you the best flavor, so try to use fresh organic garlic if you can. I would not recommend substituting fresh garlic with garlic powder in this recipe. 

 

Want More Healthy Gluten-Free Vegan Dip Recipes?

Check out these:

• Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Salsa 
• Pineapple Guacamole 
• Tomato and Jalapeno Dip 
• or my Clean Eating Cookbook with an entire chapter of 20 healthy, clean eating recipes just like this one you will love!

Did You Make This Recipe?

I'd love to hear about it! Please give it a rating and leave a comment below...it would make my day! 🙂