You know those treats that you can't help yourself from polishing off entirely in ONE sitting? Like a magnet, you just can't keep your hands off. This creamy salsa verde is one of them. It is SO good, you might not be able to stop yourself!
Yes, we typically think of these types of treats as a bag of potato chips or a box of cookies and subsequently associate a binge like this with a heaping side of guilt. However, polishing off a little jar of this creamy salsa verde is a guilt free indulgence! The only ingredients are healthy, real food: avocado, tomatillo, garlic, cilantro, jalapeno, honey/agave and lime. (okay, so if we want to be technical, there may be some tortilla chips involved...)
Not only is the ingredient list simple, but the recipe is super easy to make. Just roughly chop the ingredients and give them a little whirl in the food processor or blender. Your friends and family will be amazed at your exotic, authentic Mexican flavor skills. Ahem... that is if you are able save any for them...
Ingredients:
- 1 ripe avocado
- 3 tomatillos (husks removed and rinsed)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 white onion
- 1/2 fresh jalapeno (1/2 keeps it very mild, add more for more heat)
- juice from 1 lime
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon of honey or agave
- pinch of salt
- Peel tomatillos of their husks and rinse off the slightly sticky texture. Roughly chop and add to food processor.
- Open avocado, remove pit and scoop out into food processor. (See my avocado tips below recipe)
- Peel and roughly chop garlic, add to food processor.
- Roughly chop and add 1/2 white onion, jalapeno, and cilantro.
- Add lime juice, honey/agave, and a pinch of salt.
- Give it all a whirl in the food processor until you reach the consistency you like.
I ate a whole jar (!) of this by myself, with just chips, but my oh my, was it ever tantalizing on Chile-Coffee Braised Beef Brisket Tacos! See the taco recipe under the kitchen tab, or simply click here.
Avocado tips:
Being from SoCal, avocados were a staple for me as a kid. Most of my neighbor's yards had an avocado tree, many of them even considered the trees and their avocados a nuisance. Can you imagine? This avocado lover cannot! Avocado trees in SoCal were as commonplace as the crab-apple trees we now see in our Colorado neighbors' yards. Eating and handling avocados are some of my earliest memories. Here's how I do it:
- Select an avocado that feels slightly soft- not mushy- when you give it a gentle squeeze.
- With a butter knife, puncture the peel and slice vertically, all the way around the pit inside.
- When the avocado is split, give the pit a firm whack with the butter knife. This should lodge the knife into the pit enough to "grab hold". Give the knife-pit combo a little twist to loosen the pit, then it should lift out easily.
- Now that the avocado is "pit-less", and working with one half at a time, make vertical slices all the way through and repeat with horizontal slices. Then you will run the butter knife along the peel and little cubes will fall out easily.
