I haven’t shared a recipe with you all in quite a while.
It seems about time, so I’m sharing a current favorite in my house: Tomatillo Salsa.
I know it might seem like unnecessary work to make your own salsa, when there is so much readily available at the market.
But once you taste the freshness of this home made salsa, you won’t mind the work a bit.
Besides, it takes less than 10 minutes to make.

If you are unfamiliar with the tomatillo, the first thing you might wonder about them is, “are they related to to tomato?”
You’d be right, they are.
But there are some differences.
The first being that unlike tomatoes, tomatillos grow with a thin, papery husk outside their firm skin.
Be sure you remove that before you prepare them.
They also taste much more tart and citrusy than tomatoes do.
They stay green in color, and don’t get as soft as tomatoes can get.

The tomatillo has many health benefits.
Among them are significant levels of dietary fiber, very few calories, and low levels of fat. Furthermore, they contain moderate levels of vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin K, and niacin, as well as potassium, manganese and magnesium. Tomatillos possess withanolides and flavonoids such as lutein, zea-xanthin, and beta carotene.
In short, if you are going to add a little something extra to your salad, scrambled eggs, beans, or healthy tacos, this is a great way to get some added nutrition and flavor in there.

As I said before, this salsa is a current favorite at our house.
My kids love to help me make it.
And then to eat it.
I make a pot of pinto beans every week, and we all love it on top of the beans, or in burritos.
I love to use it as a dressing on my salads, it adds a citrusy, spicy kick.
I also love it on eggs, or in soup.

The original recipe is from Bon Appetite magazine, and it calls for roasting the tomatillos.
I like them prepared that way, it makes for a richer, smoky flavored salsa.
But most of the time, we just make ours with raw tomatillos, and the salsa is very light and fresh tasting.
You can experiment with both to find your favorite method.
Making this salsa would be a good excuse for visiting the farmers market and finding your ingredients there.
It will be that much more delicious with fresh from the farm ingredients, right?

Tomatillo Salsa 
Ingredients:
1 lb husked, quartered, and rinsed tomatillos
1/2 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 smashed garlic clove
1 coarsely chopped serrano or jalapeno  chili (seeds and veins removed to lessen heat if desired)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
Salt to taste
To Make:
Place all ingredients in blender or food processor (I prefer a food processor)
and puree.
Check for desired constancy and if salsa is too thick, add a tiny bit of water.
Salt to taste
That’s it!!

For the roasted version, simply roast the husked and rinsed whole tomatillos, the whole onion and the whole chili in a 350 degree oven until everything is soft.
Then follow the directions for making the salsa.

I hope this inspires you to add more home made, fresh, healthy food to your diet.
The more I do, the better my cooking tastes, and the more I want to experiment with new recipes.
And if you do decide to go the traditional route and try this salsa with chips, don’t tell our trainers that it’s my fault, OK?
Now keep on LIving Fit!
Greta