Roasted Salsa Verde

I was doing my weekly shopping at the commissary a couple weeks ago and took a lot of extra time in the produce section preparing for vegan month. I walked right into this display for salsa ingredients- jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, tomatillos. It immediately inspired me to make salsa verde.

If you’ve never used tomatillos don’t be afraid! All you do is remove the husk, rinse clean and they are ready to cook. They come from the tomato family and although they don’t contain lycopene like red tomatoes, they are high in other cancer-fighting antioxidants. This version of salsa is roasted. I love it with chips as well as on top of grilled chicken or seafood.

Just put your cleaned tomatillos, garlic and onion on a roasting pan and in minutes your kitchen will smell heavenly!

Then puree the mixture along with some fresh jalapeno, cilantro, salt and pepper. Oh and lime juice! Easy!

I’ll show you the delicious tacos this went on soon! Such a nice change from the typical red tomato salsa.

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Roasted Salsa Verde

INGREDIENTS:

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
4 garlic cloves unpeelled
1-2 jalapeno, seeded and minced
Juice of 1 lime
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place tomatillos, onion and garlic on a cookie sheet. Drizzle with a little olive oil, about 1 teaspoon. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes until softened and a little browned in spots.
2. Place tomatillos and onion in a food processor. Squeeze garlic out of pulps and add to the mix. Add in jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until well combined but not pureed. Store in air tight container.

COOK’S NOTES: I always taste a little of my jalapeno before adding. Adjust to your liking.

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I’ll be over at Nutritious Eats’ facebook page later today posting Meal Planning Monday. Think about what you want to cook this week and join me over there!