Tomatillo Tomato Salsa

It’s Fourth of July week, so all week I’ll be posting recipes perfect for your party on the Fourth. Here’s a highly addictive, delicious salsa that’s easy to make and has a wonderfully complex flavor on account of the roasting. Get your salsa on!

Tomatillo Tomato Salsa

Yield: 2 cups

¾ pounds tomatillos, husks removed

1 small orange bell pepper

1 head garlic, cloves separated and skins left on

1 medium jalapeno

1½ tablespoons grapeseed oil

1 small heirloom tomato, cut into medium sized chunks

1 cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves, chopped roughly

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, plus more to taste

Set an oven rack to the upper middle position and put oven on broil.

Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Place tomatillos, bell pepper, garlic cloves and jalapeno on the sheet pan. Drizzle over the oil to coat everything. (You may have to rub the produce around on the pan to coat it with oil on all sides.)

Place sheet pan under broiler. Set timer for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, take a peek. You are looking for blistered, blackened skin. Once the produce is blackened, using metal tongs, flip items to achieve the same effect on the other side.

Once all sides are blackened, remove from oven and place on a plate to cool.

All of my garlic was blistered by 8 minutes and my tomatillos and jalapeno were out of the oven by 15 minutes.

The pepper will take the longest. Flip until all sides have some blackened, blistered marks. My pepper was done in 20 minutes.

Once produce is cool, cut stem off jalapeno and cut into large chunks, remove garlic from skins (discard skins) and remove stem and seeds from the bell pepper and cut into large chunks.

At this time, place all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is achieved, around 10 to 15 1-second pulses. Taste salsa and add additional salt and lime juice as needed. Stir to combine (do not process anymore so you can maintain a nice texture to your salsa). Transfer to bowl and serve.

#chocolateorangecake

I’ve probably eaten a bit too much batter of this @tchochocolate grand marnier, orange zest cake I’m developing. Then again, what’s another taste? #chocolate #chocolatecake #cake #baking #delicious #antioxodant #dessert #recipedevelopment #melty

Week of recipes in review: asparagus, chocolate, cherries and strawberries

Just in case you missed last week’s recipes and/or are trying to plan your weekend menu and shopping list, don’t forget about these goodies which I posted on my blog last week.

 

Strawberry Kale Salad (top left)

Vanilla Cherry Clafoutis (top right)

Gluten Free Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Chunk Cookies (bottom left)

Angel Hair Pasta with Asparagus, Lemon and Ricotta (bottom right)

 

Blueberry Ginger Smoothie

USA just advanced to the final 16 in the World Cup, so let’s celebrate with something BLUE from red, white and blue! This blueberry ginger smoothie is not only delicious, it’s super healthy as blueberries contain lots of antioxidants. Plus it has cinnamon which the City of Hope considers a superfood in addition to blueberries. So, drink up!

 

 

Blueberry Ginger Smoothie

Yields: 2 ½ cups

 

1 10-ounce bag frozen blueberries

1 large banana

1 cup almond milk

½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger

 

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend on high until thoroughly combined. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add additional almond milk to your liking.

Rice Noodle Salad with Fresh Mango and Snap Peas

When mangos start selling for a dollar (or less) each, Super Sous and I stock up. We consume those beautiful golden and crimson fruits raw (usually standing over the kitchen sink), in sorbets (sometimes a small dollop in a glass of prosecco!), diced and added to yogurt, in fresh fruit salads, etc. With an excess of mangos in the house, I decided to put it to use in savory dishes. And so this recipe was born. The sweet of the mango and spice from the jalapeno is a fun juxtaposition as you crunch on snap peas and slurp the noodles. It’s quick to prepare and it’s the kind of noodle dish that, once eaten, becomes a regular weekly craving. (I know this to be true firsthand because ever since I created this recipe, I have had to make this for Super Sous on the regular!)

 

Rice Noodle Salad with Fresh Mango and Snap Peas

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

 

Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1 1/2  tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar

11/2 teaspoons lime juice

1 teaspoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the vinaigrette ingredients, close the lid tightly, and shake to combine. Or, whisk to combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

Salad:
1/3 package rice noodles, aka stir fry noodles

1 ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and diced small

1/4 cup hand torn mint leaves

1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves

1/4 cup scallions, sliced thinly

1 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, cut thinly on a bias

½ hothouse cucumber peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, seeded & sliced thinly on a bias

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced small

¼ small jalapeno, seeded, veined and sliced thinly

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
 

In a medium saucepot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Remove from heat and add noodles. Stir occasionally and let sit in water for 8 to 10 minutes until the noodles are al dente. Drain and rinse the noodles thoroughly in cold water.  (As noodle cooking instructions can vary, please read and make any adjustments to cooking method according to box instructions.)

In a medium bowl, add vinaigrette to the noodles and add the rest of the salad ingredients. Mix to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed. Divide onto plates and sprinkle toasted sesame seeds overtop each serving.

 

 

Raw Asparagus Salad

Last call for asparagus! Make this quick and easy salad in only minutes – you’ll be delighted by the elegance and taste (and so will your guests)!

 

 

Raw Asparagus Salad

Yield: 2 to 3 servings

 

1 pound asparagus, ½-inch of ends cut off and discarded

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

kosher salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

small block of Parmigiano-reggiano cheese, not pre-grated

 

Cut off tops of asparagus and set aside.

In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the lemon juice and olive oil, close the lid tightly, and shake well to combine. Or, whisk to combine the ingredients in a small bowl.

Thinly slice half of the asparagus on a bias. Thinly slice the other half of the asparagus into rounds.

Add the asparagus, thin slices and tops, to a medium bowl. Add half of the dressing and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with salt, pepper and additional dressing as needed.

Divide onto plates and, using a vegetable peeler, shave thin slices of Parmigiano-reggiano over each plate. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

 

 

#emptynesters

Are you an EMPTY NESTER (or soon to be)?

Here are 5 cooking tips for reclaiming your kitchen!

via Readers Dot Com

 

Click photo to read on!