August is HERE and I’m so excited to share the Recipe of the Month: Tony’s Ridiculously Easy Homemade Salsa!
IMPORTANT: please scroll down and read below for all of the deets on this month’s recipe, key dates for the month, the charity, and how to enter the giveaway!
If you haven’t yet, enter your name & email below to get Recipe of the Month updates throughout the month and to be the first in line to see next month’s recipe.

August’s Recipe of the Month
This fresh, flavorful Homemade Salsa Recipe is 1000x better than store-bought and is one you’ll want to make every week for the rest of summer. Get all of my tips & tricks in the blog post itself, and check out our fav ways to serve it:
- Add it to your favorite tacos like these chicken tacos and these sweet potato & black bean tacos
- Put some on top of your bowl of chili
- Add it to your favorite burrito bowl or my sazon skillet chicken
- Use it as a dip for savory burritos, breakfast burritos, and amazing breakfast quesadillas
- Top these grilled chicken thighs for the perfect summer dinner
- Of course, add a scoop as a side to your scrambled eggs and crispy breakfast potatoes
Here’s how the Recipe of the Month works
- The recipe: on the first Wednesday of each month we’ll share a new or reader-favorite Ambitious Kitchen recipe to make that month. You have the entire month to make the recipe!
- The giveaway: When you make the recipe (anytime during the month!) you have two different ways to enter to win the $100 Target gift card. We’ll randomly select a winner at the end of the month. See below for the two ways to share! Must be 18 years or older, USA & Canada only.
Two ways to enter the giveaway
When you make the recipe, there are two different ways to share your creation with us to enter to win the $100 Target gift card (18 years or older, U.S. & Canada only):
1. On the blog: leave a comment and rate the recipe here with the hashtag #AKRecipeoftheMonth, plus your name and email (so we know you made it!) Scroll all the way past the recipe itself in the blog to where it says “Leave a comment & a rating.” Boom!
OR
2. On social media: Share a photo of your recipe creation on social via Instagram (stories or in-feed), TikTok, or in our Facebook Group by tagging @ambitiouskitchen and adding the hashtag #AKRecipeoftheMonth. *Please note for Instagram your profile must be public so that we can see your posts.

Key dates
- Wednesday, August 7th: August’s recipe is here! On this date, you can start making & sharing your recipe photos on social and on the blog.
- Saturday, August 31st: the last day to submit your recipe photos on social and on the blog.
- Monday, September 2nd: giveaway winner selected, notified via email, and shared on social.
- Wednesday, September 4th: September’s Recipe of the Month announced!
Let’s give back
Each month we give $1 for every Recipe of the Month entry to an organization doing amazing work around the world. This month we’ll be donating to GirlForward, a Chicago-based organization that supports high school aged girls who identify as refugees, immigrants, and asylum-seekers by connecting them with mentors and tutors and providing safe spaces to learn about wellness, finances, and so much more.
Learn more and join us in donating here!
Join the party
Ready to join the party and get cooking? If you haven’t yet, enter your email below and we’ll send you the recipe as soon as it drops at the beginning of each month, reminders about the giveaway, announce the winners, and more. Let’s do this!
Past Recipes of the Month
- February: Sweet & Spicy Hot Chili Chicken Noodles, donating to Digs with Dignity.
- March: Sweet & Spicy Sesame Chicken Meatball Bowls, donating to International Rescue Committee.
- April: Vegan Pasta Primavera with Creamy Garlic Cashew Sauce, donating to FoodCorps.
- May: Damn Good Salmon Taco Bowls For Two, donating to National Abortion Federation Hotline Fund
- June: 30 Minute Brown Butter Goat Cheese Grilled Veggie Orzo, donating to the National Parks Foundation
- July: Crazy Good Street Corn Chicken Tacos, donating to the Brave Space
- August: Pesto Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats, donating to the ACLU
- September: One Pan Thai-Inspired Coconut Yellow Curry Chicken & Rice, donating to Adopt a Classroom
- October: Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce, donating to Techos Pa Mi Gente
- November: Dad’s Creamy & Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes, donating to Free Root Operation.
- December: Incredible Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pies, donating to The Love Fridge.
- January: Healing Curry Butternut Squash Lentil Soup, donating to The Sierra Club.
- February: Grain Free Tahini Brownies, donating to the Marsha P. Johnson Institute.
- March: One Pan Ginger Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce, donating to the Syrian American Medical Society.
- April: Lemon Poppy Seed Blueberry Baked Oatmeal, donating to Every Town for Gun Safety.
- May: Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad, donating to Earth Justice.
- June: Fresh Strawberry Shortcake Bread with Strawberry Glaze, donating to Trans Lifeline.
- July: Street Corn Pasta Salad with Cilantro Pesto + Goat Cheese, donating to the Clean Air Task Force.
- August: Healthy Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins (gluten free!), donating to the GSA Network.
- September: One Pan Creamy Thai-Inspired Peanut Chicken Couscous donating to the Maui Strong Fund.
- October: Brown Butter Pumpkin Snickerdoodles donating to Carbon 180.
- November: Cheddar Broccoli Cauliflower Gratin donating to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.
- December: The Best Cinnamon Rolls You’ll Ever Eat donating to Digs with Dignity.
- January: The Best Vegetarian Chili You’ll Ever Eat donating to One Warm Coat.
- February: Italian Wedding Soup.
- March: Healthier Carrot Cake Banana Bread donating to Outright International.
- April: Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Chicken Bowls donating to World Central Kitchen.
- May: Strawberry Crumble Bars donating to Rainbows for all Children.
- June: Avocado Blueberry Quinoa Salad donating to Alphawood Foundation of Chicago.
- July: The Best Zucchini Brownies You’ll Ever Eat donating to Doctors Without Borders.

Loved Loved Loved these Brownies. Super fudge even with me cutting the coconut sugar down to 1/4 cup!! Still sweet and delish!!
So happy to hear that!
So delicious! It took some time to find all the ingredients but it was so worth it. These are richer and slightly less sweet than a traditional brownie and both my husband and I love them. The zucchini is undetectable but makes me feel better about eating them :). This is my first time participating in #AKRecipeoftheMonth! Can’t wait for the next one. 5 stars!
This recipes looks yum! I usually check comments before making an online recipe, just to get info and/or recipe change ideas. I don’t find related comments here, though. Looks like the comments attached to this brownie recipe are for an Asian noodle dish!
Hi! We update this specific post each month to show the current Recipe of the Month 🙂 You can find comments for the correct month’s recipe on that specific recipe (here!)
The brownies were amazing! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Can I post a review in more than one place or would that disqualify me?
Yes, you can! We will not disqualify you 🙂
This recipe turned out delicious!! I added some shredded chicken and spring greens and it was the perfect summer salad. Super easy to make too. #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Made this recipe tonight and it was such a hit! Even the boyfriend loved it which says something because it was a lot of veggies lol. I used cut chicken breast and cauliflower rice. Will definitely be making this again!!
So happy to hear that! Perfect dinner 🙂
Made this for dinner last night. My entire family loved it, especially my 17 yr old son who loves spicy food!
My 11 yr old daughter sipped milk through the whole meal and loved every bite.
Thanks!
Amazing! So glad it was a hit!
New tonall this!
Welcome!
I made this exactly as written and it was a huge hit in my house! The cashews are a must. My family ate it with rice and I used cauliflower rice for myself. Thank you for this wonderful recipe; the sauce was perfect, sweet and spicy.
So happy to hear that!
This was very yummy! I made the recipe into muffins and they took about 18 minutes in the oven to finish, but I left everything else the same. They’re healthy without tasting too healthy, they’re the perfect amount of sweetness. I’ll make these again! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed!
YUM ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ #AKRecipeoftheMonth
So glad you enjoyed!
Just made this recipe and I love how healthy all the ingredients are!
So good! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
As soon as I saw this recipe drop, I knew I needed to make it! Who doesn’t love carrot cake? I’ve made a few of your cakes and breads and they all turn out incredible, so I knew this one would be no different. I made it vegan, as we were having guests for coffee who eat only plant-based. Followed the recipe exactly, but to make it vegan, I used Bob’s Red Mill Egg Replacer, vegan cream cheese, and vegan butter. I also added about 1/4 c. drained, crushed pineapple, as suggested in your recipe. I didn’t have raisins, so left those out. Perfect bread – not too sweet and the frosting is to die for! Will be making this again soon, and may try a gluten-free version for a family member, using your suggestions in the recipe. Also, I love that this recipe had weights as an option for measuring, as I really love baking with my scale for precise measurements. I ordered your cookbook a couple of weeks ago and can’t wait to get that – I think you mentioned on Instagram that you have weights in that, too! Thanks for another great recipe! Love making the #AKRecipeoftheMonth whenever I can!
Amazing! I’m so glad the vegan version turned out beautifully. Yes, the cookbook has weights in it, too — thanks so much for preordering!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
Made the carrot cake banana bread! Didn’t frost it yet because I may freeze it! Doubled the recipe and did muffins and a loaf of bread! So good!!
Amazing! Glad you loved it!
10/10 This recipe was easy to make and just so warm and comforting for the cold midwest winter (although we are currently having a “heatwave” in Chi ;)) I’ve been having it for lunch all week. i love everything spicy so i added a little bit of trader joe’s bamba sauce and a squirt of lemon, so good! thank you for the recipe! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
So good! Yes, despite the 60 degrees here haha. Love the extra spice!
Delicious! We have some vegetarian folks in our home so I used vegetable broth and served the meatballs on the side ( baked them in the oven for 15 minutes at 400 degrees) …very adaptable recipe… thanks!
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
This soup is delish! I made it for my Italian parents and they said it tasted exactly how they remembered it! (My daughter loved the meatballs so much, I made them again and served with pasta and sauce!)
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth Italian Wedding soup is a prefect weeknight meal.
Absolutely!
This turned out delicious! I used ditalini pasta, and it was perfect. Also, it had just the right amount of spice from the red pepper flakes. For the past few months, I’ve been making your minestrone and delivering some to my dad, who can’t get enough. I’m excited to add this recipe to the soup rotation, and I’m sure he will love this one, too! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Love it! So glad you loved this one (and hope your dad does, too!)
My dad loved It! He took one bite and said, “Oh, this is amazing!” I can’t wait to try it with the couscous next. Thank you again for sharing the recipe.
So happy to hear that!
So damn good! Kind of meditative rolling those little meatballs and made a ton! I felt much more than 4 which was great. Leftovers were awesome. I also used orzo and it was wonderful!
There’s something so satisfying about rolling them! Glad you loved this one 🙂
This soup was such a hit in my house. My son was sick last week and I made it and he LOVED it! It was even better the next day. Definitely making it again and again! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
So glad this did the trick!
This soup was so comforting and delicious, and easy to make too! We froze some extra meatballs to make it again soon. We subbed in the jovial brown rice pastina to make it gluten free and it worked perfect!
#akrecipeofthemonth
This soup was so comforting and delicious, and easy to make too! We froze some extra meatballs to make it again soon. We subbed in the jovial brown rice pastina to make it gluten free and it worked perfect!
Love it! Glad you enjoyed!
5/5 stars, well balanced and easy to make ahead and hone left overs. #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Recipe was a hit. We did a separate batch diary free for our little guys and they loved it. Next time I would probably cook the noodles/grain separately so they don’t soak up so much of the brith. Will definitely ask this again!
Perfect! Glad it was a hit!
Loved this recipe. We made a small batch diary free for our little guys and they loved it too. Next time I would probably do the grain/noodles separately then and so they don’t soak up as much broth. Will definitely make again.
Such a yummy soup! I loved the meatballs and I used cous cous for the grain. I made it for a Valentine’s Day dinner and it was perfect with crusty bread on the side.
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
So glad you loved it!
This recipe was great! The only changes I made were to just make medium sized meatballs and used orzo instead of couscous. Would definitely rate this 5 stars and recommend if you are looking for a cozy, filling soup!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
This looks delicious!!!!
#AKRecipeoftheMonth
Not vegan so we added parmesan and sour cream. This option provides much needed variety during the winter months. Thank you for always helping us think outside the box.
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
No vegan so we added parmesan and sour cream. This option creates much needed variety during winter months. Thank you for helping us think outside the box.
AKRecipeoftheMonth vegetarian chili
Prefect dinner for football sunday.
Absolutely!
This was a great meat chili alternative. I am not sure if you used hot paprika or sweet paprika so I split the difference. It has a great flavor and the sweet potatoes add a nice touch! I made this for a work chili cook off! Thanks for the awesome recipe! #AKRecipeoftheMonth
Both are delicious in here! Glad you enjoyed!