ISBN: 0471346721 Format: Paperback, 176pp Pub. Date: March 1998 Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated Retail: $14.95 Order from Barnes & Noble Order from Amazon.com Order from Books-A-Million (There are many more internet book sellers to pick from to order your cookbook. Check with your own favorites if you wish to use a different vendor.)

With their vibrant mix of colors, flavors, and textures, from hot and spicy to sweet and tangy, salsa is one of the best and easiest ways to complement any meal from appetizer to dessert! The second book by David Woods, "Magic Salsa," which contains 125 recipes for all kinds of salsa, was published in 1998 by Chronimed Publishing of Minneapolis. This book contains a list of exotic ingredients featured in the recipes. Under each heading are notes about ingredients and useful tips to make your salsa preparation easy and creative. Most take minutes to prepare and can be made several hours ahead. Finding this artful marriage of ingredients on you own can take months, even years, as many Mexican cooks will confirm. This book is a perfect tool to use as a starting point and an inspiration to achieve your own personal salsa. In addition to testing the recipes himself, many of his friends volunteered for testing and tasting duties. In this book, three distinct styles of salsa are presented: uncooked, cooked, and a combination of cooked and uncooked ingredients. They were inspired by Latin American and Mexican friends and neighbors who shared their ideas and refined the recipes in our kitchen for maximum flavor and appearance. Each recipe carries at least one serving suggestion, but remember: There are no rules! Feel free to experiment by adjusting ingredients to taste and pairing salsas with your own favorite meals. Cooking as stress-reliever Woods considers cooking a great stress-reliever. He is careful to keep his recipes healthful -- all the salsa recipes and many of the fruit soup recipes are low in fat. He quit eating red meat when he was in his 20s.

Free Sample Recipes from "Magic Salsa":

Red Hot Chili Garlic Salsa

This salsa is great spooned over meat-loaf or broiled or grilled turkey. Makes about 1/2 cup

6 cloves garlic, minced
10 serrano chili peppers, preferably red, seeded and chopped
6 yellow wax chili peppers, seeded and chopped
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well. Serve soon or cover, refrigerate, and use within a day.

8 servings (1 tablespoon each). Calories: 48, protein: 2gm, carbs: 9gm, fat: 1 gm.

Spicy Apple Banana Papaya Salsa

A lovely topping over pancakes, french toast, waffles, bagels, or boiled rice. Makes about 5 cups

6 habanero chili peppers, preferably yellow or red, cut into halves (but not seeded)
1 large yellow onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple, diced into 1-inch cubes
4 tablespoons pure pineapple juice
1 1/2 teaspoons tumeric
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 teaspoon ground red chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1-inch piece of gingerroot, minced
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 green tip bananas, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 ripe papaya, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped fresh pineapple
1 golden apple, coarsely chopped
1 red apple, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons lime juice
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced

Place the chili peppers, onion, pineapple juice, spices, and gingerroot in food processor and process until very smooth. In a large nonstick saucepan over low heat, dissolve cornstarch in the vinegar. Add the puree and honey and simmer slowly for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, papaya, pineapple, apples,lime juice, onions, and garlic. Stir until well coated with lime juice. Add fruit mixture to puree and then simmer 5 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat. Cool and pour in bowl; cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Serves 80 servings at 1 tablespoon per serving. Calories: 13, protein:0, carbs:3gm, fat:0.

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