24/7 Salsa Verde

Happy Cinco de Mayo! Our family is celebrating with a special Mexican feast tonight. Our Triple Play meal for the week is Southwest Shredded Beef. Tonight we are having it made into burritos. Since the meat is already prepared, I have some time to play with the side dishes. One is based on a great deal I found this past weekend.

Aldi---gotta love it--had fresh tomatillos for 49 cents per pound. I have never made salsa verde before, but a quick recipe search gave me lots of options. It was really quick to make and tastes great. I might add a bit more heat to my portion, but I left it pretty mild for the rest of you.

24/7 Salsa Verde

1 pound tomatillos
1 medium onion
1 seeded fresh jalapeno - two if you like the heat
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 Knorr cilantro cubes
1 Tablespoon Chia seeds (optional)
2 Tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon lime juice

Peel husks off tomatillos. Roughly chop them, along with the onion and jalapeno. Add all ingredients except lime juice to a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a hard boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and blend the ingredients in a blender, or use an immersion blender in the saucepan. Add lime
juice and salt to taste.

Now that you have the sauce, how do you eat it? Unfortunately, tortilla chips are pretty much out of consideration. It would be great over chicken, stirred into soups, poured over cream cheese and used as a dip, just get creative. Tonight, I am making a cheese sauce to top some steamed cauliflower. That dish is not made yet, but the sauce is, and it is tasty. Here's how to make it.

Salsa Verde Queso

1 cup salsa verde
8 ounces American cheese slices (Mine are a white cheese we buy at Sam's Club)
1/2 cup half and half

Melt all ingredients together over low heat, stirring frequently. Use sauce over vegetables or chicken, or use as a queso dip.

If I am to get dinner on the table, I had better get to that cauliflower!