I have to admit to a particular love for gravy and sauces. Which helped pack an extra 25 pounds onto my small frame. But I am here to announce my New Favorite Gravy, that is Good on Everything, and has only 35 calories in a half cup.
Mexican Salsa Verde! Even Husband likes it, and slathers it on chicken or fish with abandon.
Here's how you make it:
Take 6 Tomatillos
Husk them and rinse in cool water - their skin is a little sticky. Cut them in half and drop them in a saucepan. Add 3 Garlic Cloves that you've smashed and peeled, 2 or 3 jalapenos that you have sliced open and removed the seeds and ribs from.
Some recipes call for Serrano Peppers, but I love the zip from jalapenos...
Just crush and peel the garlic
No need to chop anything, you are going to put all this in a blender in a few minutes.
Rough chop and toss in half of a big Vidalia Onion
Add water to cover and put on stove - bring to a boil, then turn it down and simmer for about 12 minutes, or until Tomatillos are tender. Drain the mixture and set aside to cool down a little.
Chop the stems off a bunch of Cilantro, cut the bunch in half, and get your blender or food processor out. Put the slightly cooled mixture in the blender along with the Cilantro and a good pinch or two of sea salt. Blend until chunky-smooth, and pour it out into a bowl. That's it! Let it sit for an hour (overnight is even better) to allow flavors to develop, and then go to it.
I promise you, your mouth will be pleasantly surprised - it is a little tart, is piquant from the jalapenos, and has a subtle garlic back-flavor that complements everything we've put it on. Even on the forbidden (but once a month treat) of grilled red meat!
Enjoy with a vengeance, because even if you ate a whole cup, it is only 70 calories!
I'm going to make another batch while I wait for FedEx to arrive with my new/new/new Spoonflower Color Map. Third time HAS to be the charm...
Very interesting. Not the gravy I love, but interesting. Richard from My Old Historic House.
ReplyDeleteRichard,
ReplyDeleteI don't even want to THINK about the rich brown gravies that I could eat a bowl full of...or poured over hot homemade biscuits! That will just have to be my once in awhile, Out of Bounds Treat from now on - I'm not going back to the body I had in March! And I'm telling you, this salsa is really, really good.
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI always have this in my mind “I am what I eat.” I am trying to take food with a lot of nutrition and less calories.
I have steamed vegetables following your recipe. When it comes to taste, I found steaming is the best. Before I had heated them in a thick pan without water, but sometimes I failed to cook them properly.
Your dishes please the eye! Besides taste, it is a very important element. Colors of red and green stimulate my appetite very much. I love this blog!!
Have a great weekend!
keiko
Keiko, I LOVE your mantra of "I am what I eat"! That is so perfect to keep in mind when you are trying to be more healthy and loose weight.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that steaming brings out the full flavor of the vegetables like nothing else can. I don't know why that is the case, but it is absolutely true. Sometimes I "oven blast" the veggies on high temperature after tossing in olive oil, but even though we love that, you don't taste the essence of the vegetable as much as steaming.
Thank you so much for reading, commenting and loving my blog - it makes all the work worthwhile. I hope your weekend is lovely also!
Linda,
ReplyDeleteI love the expression "mantra"!!
keiko