May I interest you in a delicious, creamy, fun, easy-to-make food that is also healthy? Try this silky, addictive avocado salsa verde! Made with creamy, good-for-you-fat avocado, pretty, green tomatillos and fresh, green, herbs, this salsa will definitely be your favorite go to salsa everytime. Another great benefit about this salsa is that you can make extra and freeze it for a later party! Just thaw it in the fridge the night before. How easy is that?

Many of you are very familiar with red salsa that is made with fresh tomatoes. But some have not had the pleasure of experiencing this “good for you green” salsa verde. For added flavor  I added the avocados for that creamy texture many of us crave and for some healthy fat.  Who says snacking cannot be healthy?

Salsa verde is made with either roasted or raw tomatillos.  For this recipe I opted for the raw version. Now, if you never heard or even seen a tomatillo, well, it looks like a perfectly round tomato but green in color with a papery husk on the outside. (Look at photo below, next to the garlic, there it is) Directly behind is a tomatillo with its’ husk. You may find them in the produce section next to the chiles and peppers.

Tomatillos are a very good source of dietary fiber, manganese, niacin and potassium. They contain vitamin K, and a healthy amount of copper, iron, magnesium and phosphorus. Tomatillos are native to Central America and are used in many of their recipes providing a spicy tart flavor to the food. You may top off your grilled steak, chicken or fish  with this salsa for some added flavor.

Avocados contain lots of fiber and are rich in vitamins and minerals, such as B-vitamins, copper, vitamin C and vitamin E and vitamin K. They do not contain any cholesterol or sodium, and are low in saturated fat. Basically, there is good fat and bad fat-  this is the good fat. So do not be afraid to eat it. (Unless advised by your doctor due to your dietary restrictions).

Whenever I cook I always opt for fresh vegetables and fresh herbs. The aroma fresh herbs exude when you chop, cut or tear is really remarkable. Your kitchen will instantly have a room freshener that smells amazing! Since I had many fresh herbs , as I always do, I incorporated fresh cilantro, parsley and basil. But you may use just cilantro if you prefer. Although, I like the combination for different added flavor. But remember, traditional salsa verde contains cilantro.

I want you to think of this recipe as a guideline, but you should really adjust to your taste. Meaning, less or more salt, using the seeds from the chiles for a ton of heat or some or none. Using a combination of fresh herbs or as I just mentioned, incorporating just one.

I used my food processor to combine my ingredients but you may also use your blender if you do not have a food prosessor.

Wow, look below at that beautiful green color. You could make this for your next St. Patrick’s Day party too! Serve it with some home-made shamrock shaped tortilla chips and it’s a celebration! Using fresh cut veggies will work too to scoop up this delicious green goodness.

People either love spicy or they don’t. I love spicy. As a little girl I would have “hot pepper eating contests” with my dad. See, he planted a small garden in our yard. He grew the best tomatoes ever; the largest cucumbers, fragrant parsley, cabbage, peppers and of course hot peppers. I would pick some hot peppers, we would sit at the kitchen table and we would eat them raw. There were tears running down our face, but we kept eating………somehow sniffing rye bread helped take the sting away. It was fun and I have nice memories of this time. I am also part Hungarian, so the spicy flavor is a natural for me.

Since some of my guests are not fond of spicy, I removed most of the seeds from the peppers by cutting open the pepper and then scraping  out the seeds with my knive. To protect your hands from later burning your eyes, I recommend you either wear gloves or wrapping your hand in plastic wrap when preparing the peppers. Believe me, it takes a lot of hand washing to remove the sting from your hands once handling the peppers.

So, no matter how you tweek this recipe, just as long as you like it, that is all that matters, because taste is a personal thing and you should always enjoy good food that is good for you. Enjoy!

Avocado Salsa Verde

Ingredients: Makes about 3 1/2 cups

• 6-8 tomatillos, husked, rinsed, stems removed and quartered
• 1/2 medium onion, cut in half
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 3 jalapeños, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
•  1 tablespoon ground cumin
•  2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup packed fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 ripe avocado, peeled, cut n half  and pit removed
• 1/2 lime, zest
• 1/2 lime, juiced

Preparation:

Remove the husks from the tomatillos and rinse. Cut in half and remove the stem. Cut in half again and place in the food processor or blender. Add in the cut onion, garlic cloves, roughly chopped jalapeños, ground cumin, salt, cilantro, basil and parsley. Close the lid and pulse a few times to get things combined. Add in the avocado.

Rinse and pat dry the lime. Zest half into the processor or blender. The essential oils from the skin add in extra fresh, lime flavor. Cut the lime in half and sqeeze the juice into the processor or blender over the ingredients. (Save the other half to put into your drink. (Margaritas?)

Turn on the processor or blender to incorporate all of the ingredients until pretty smooth. This will have a thick texture.  Taste and adjust the seasonongs according to your taste (salt, pepper, lime juice). Serve with lime wedges and corn chips. May be frozen for 2 months.