FRESH PICO DE GALLO

This fresh and easy-to-make Pico de Gallo will soon be your go-to appetizer for any gathering! Using all fresh ingredients, this Pico de Gallo is bursting with flavor and can easily be adjusted according to taste preferences.

Last week was spring break, and it was a balance of busy and relaxing. I spent a few days searching for a job and attending a job fair; I spent a few days shopping with my momma, spent some time catching up with friends, and spent some time watching Netflix. It was a perfect balance.

During spring break, my mom and I decided to take a cooking class at Sur la Table. It was something we had wanted to do forever, and since we had the same spring break, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to take a class. We decided on the Vegetarian 2.0 class, and I was super excited about it. I was excited to learn new cooking techniques from a chef and be able to take a class together with my mom.

Check out these popular now items on Amazon

The class was small, but it was personal and very awesome. I learned new techniques for using a knife, chopping onions, cutting herbs, and more. I was inspired by all the delicious recipes we made, and sitting down to eat everything after we cooked it all made me realize how amazing homemade food is and how it can bring so many people together. I immediately thought of when I was going to make the recipes next to share with family and friends and ended up making one of the recipes to bring as an appetizer to a game night later that week!

I left the cooking class inspired to get back in the kitchen, but I also reflected on the process of cooking itself. The class was two hours long, and we made four recipes. Some recipes took longer than others, but it did take a lot of time to bring the recipes together. Nothing was too challenging or anything, but some recipes called for a lot of chopping or assembling. We had three people in the class, so that divided up the workload for each recipe and brought us together as we worked through each recipe.

I reflected upon how my cooking has changed over the past year or so. I have adopted a more whole and real food approach to eating, which has resulted in more time spent in the kitchen. I spend more time cooking meals from scratch — everything from sauces to seasonings. I try to make everything homemade as much as possible, which of course, takes more time than buying it at the grocery store. But I can’t say that I ever complain about it. I love the time I spend in the kitchen preparing foods for myself, and others that I know are going to nourish our bodies with the good stuff.

Sure, I spend more time than the typical 22 years old does in the kitchen, but it is time well-spent, in my opinion. I am practicing different styles and methods of cooking and growing my knowledge of food in the process. It is something I love and something I am willing to spend the time and energy on.

A few days after the cooking class, I decided to create a fresh Pico de Gallo recipe for the blog. Pico de Gallo is a favorite topping of mine on tacos, burrito bowls, or whatever else I can think of adding it to. I wanted to create a Pico de Gallo recipe that would be a go-to for myself and for you all, my readers.

I wanted it to be a simple recipe that was not overly complicated. Because let’s be real, it’s Pico de Gallo, not a four-course meal! I bought all the ingredients I needed and got to work on them. When I first went to make it, I assumed it would be about 5 minutes of prep work to make. But when I actually started chopping and slicing and cutting everything, it took me longer. I will admit I am a very slow chopper, especially when it comes to onions! 🙈 And to be honest, I did not mind it. Sure it took me a while to get everything prepped, but as I put it together into the bowl and began mixing it all up, every minute, I spent on this Pico de Gallo became worth it.

The fresh flavors came out after I let it marinate in the fridge for an hour. And all the time I spent, even if it was longer than I had originally planned on, was worth it. Sure, I could have thrown everything in my food processor to chop up, but there was just something about taking that time to create this recipe from scratch. All my energy poured into this Pico de Gallo, and it became a labor of love.

So I certainly hope you love it as much as I did! Take the extra time today to create this Pico de Gallo that is made of all real and fresh ingredients.

And stay tuned here on the blog because later this month, I have another recipe coming your way that is going to use this fresh Pico de Gallo!!