Tomato and Green Olive Salsa

This is a recipe I have come to love.  I saw this recipe on the Rachael Ray 30 Minute Meals on the Food Network several years ago.  I prefer the pimento green olives over the regular pitted green olives.  The TV episode showed this salsa served over a piece of grilled fish which I tried and was great.  But thought, this makes a great salsa just by itself.  I really like it with butter flavored crackers. 

It also makes a great salad just by keeping it on the chunky side (not finely diced) and instead of the plum tomatoes, you could use small tomatoes (cherry, pear, grape, or heirloom grape tomatoes) and just halve them.  I don't know about you, but I prefer the smaller tomatoes over plum or other tomatoes unless you can get them actually vine ripened (and not those ones that are on the vine in the grocery store).  Once you have had an actual vine ripened tomato, you will never eat another grocery store tomato again. 

I feel weak in the knees when I am around a garden and smell those tomato plants with big juicy red tomatoes on them.  That smell of those plants bring back fond memories of my grandmother who had the biggest beefsteak tomato plants I have ever been around.  I remember her out in her garden shaking her plants (yes, I said shaking), she said it was to help the plants pollenate.  I'm not sure if that was her secret, but it seemed to work. 

Tomato and Green Olive Salsa

3 Plum tomatoes - seeded & chopped

2 Tbsp. finely chopped Cilantro leaves 

½ small Red onion - chopped

12 Pimento Stuffed Green Olives - chopped

1 lime - juiced

½ tsp. Crushed red pepper flakes

Combine ingredients in a small bowl and allow it to marinate in refrigerator until ready to serve.