Viva La Fiesta! Salsa

Fiesta week has arrived in Santa Barbara! And that means lots of fun, sun, and delicious food. Fiesta is throw back to the "Old Spanish Days" of Santa Barbara, and is a time our community comes together to celebrate the various cultures in which our city was built upon.

My coworkers are holding a "dip off" in the spirit of Fiesta. I made a colorful black bean salsa. Lime vinaigrette brightens up the flavors and a little bit of chili sauce gives it a nice kick. I used just enough avocado so you get a little in each bite. Adding avocado to a salsa rather than making a guacamole helps stretch the costly avocado and cuts back the fat, but you still get the benefits of its creamy richness.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 bell pepper (any color of your liking, but I like red, orange, or yellow for the color)
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 small avocados
• 1 bunch of cilantro
• 1-2 limes
• 1/2 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1-2 teaspoons salt 
• Sirracha or other chili sauce

1. Dice the onion, bell pepper, and garlic- you want it to be about the size of a black bean- and then saute in olive oil over medium heat.
2. Place onion, bell pepper, and garlic into a large bowl and allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, chop cilantro leaves and cut avocado into bean size pieces. Add to bowl along with the black beans. You need to work quickly on getting the vinaigrette done for the next step and into the salsa once you get the avocado cut so it doesn't start turning brown.
4. Dress with juice of 1 lime, red wine vinegar, salt, and few dashes of chili sauce. Add more of any of these things to suit your taste. Toss well and chill before serving.