Which translated means I wrote it on a piece of scrap paper and shoved it in my folder of recipes that I plan to make some day. 

Today’s the day for this crazy good recipe I found on Gilt Taste.

It all begins with flame roasting the tomatillos and jalapenos. 

A pair of tongs and an open flame is all you need.  If you don’t have either you could use your grill or broiler.  Charring them gives a nice smoky flavor to the salsa turned guacamole.

Once charred the stems and seeds are removed from the jalapenos, then it’s into the food processor to be pureed with the tomatillos, onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt. 

Minced garlic is sautéed in a little olive oil then the tomatillo mixture is stirred into it, giving you a fabulous roasted salsa verde.  But why stop there.

Adding diced creamy avocados, a sprinkling of fine diced red onion, and a pinch of cumin completely transforms this dip. 

The salsa was great, the guacamole is worlds above that.  We served our Fire Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole with Homemade Flour Tortilla Chips.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Fire Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole

Course Appetizer

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Francis Lam, Gilt Taste

Ingredients

• 4-5 to matillos about 6-ounces, papery husks removed
• 2-3 jalapenos
• 1/4 cup onion chopped
• 1 cup cilantro leaves plus more for garnish
• 1 lime
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 3 avocados very ripe
• 1 Tbl. lemon or lime juice
• 2 Tbl. red onion very fine diced
• pinch of ground cumin
• Salt to taste

Instructions

• Using a pair of tongs, flame roast the tomatillos until they are lightly charred on all sides. Place them in the bowl of a food processor.
• Char the jalapenos the same way. Once cooled, trim off the stem and remove the seeds and ribs. Dice the peppers and add to the food processor.
• Add onion, cilantro, the juice of 1 lime, and a generous pinch of salt to the food processor and pulse until it’s pureed. Adjust salt if needed.
• In a small pan, add the olive oil and sauté the garlic over medium heat until it’s golden brown. Remove from the heat. Stir it into the tomatillo puree until the oil incorporates. Add a pinch of cumin and 2 Tbl. fine diced red onion.
• Split the avocados, remove the pit, then using a large spoon scoop out flesh from each half. Cut flesh into 1/4″ to 1/2″ sized cubes. Sprinkle with a little lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Season with salt. Gently fold into the salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.

And IF there’s any leftover the next day, Fire Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole with Eggs makes a lovely breakfast.

The post Fire Roasted Tomatillo Guacamole appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pozole Verde.

Pork & Hominy Stew with Fire Roasted Tomatillos & Peppers.

Punchy.  Earthy.  Unctuous.  Bright Flavors.  Oh how we love you Pozole.

So for this Pozole Verde recipe below, I simply list 2 pounds of Boston butt pork roast, cooked & cubed.  You can easily cook Boston butt in a Dutch oven, crock pot, oven or smoker.  Or if you prefer you can substitute cooked chicken.

Fire roasting veggies imparts a nice smokiness to their flavor which pairs perfectly with Pozole.  The key is to char the skins.  I often use our gas stove top to roast poblanos, jalapenos and corn.  Just turn them with metal tongs until blackened on all sides.  However, because the tomatillos become very soft when cooked I decided to broil the entire tray.

The blistered tomatillos were ready for the blender.  I steamed the peppers in a covered bowl for 5 minutes to help loosen their skins.  Simply run under cool water and remove skins, stems and seeds.  Into the blender they go.

A traditional ingredient in Pozole (Posole) are toasted pumpkin seeds.  A few minutes in a dry cast-iron skillet brings them to life, releasing their natural oils and nutty flavor.  I also toasted cumin seeds for a couple minutes…oh so fragrant.

What’s shown in the blender above is the most awe-mazing Verde Sauce or Salsa Verde.  Just the right balance of heat (back of the tongue) with punchy flavor.  I believe I was granted a new level of respect today.

“Be sure you’ve written this all down, the possibilities for this verde sauce are endless.” :-)

The broth of Pozole Verde is awe-mazin’ and always what I’m most interested in.  I however also love that pozole is a lot about the garnishes.  We chose lime wedges, diced avocado, onion, radish, roasted corn, sour cream, verde sauce, shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro, and tortilla chips.  Yup.  The garnishes elevate this dish.

I {heart} pozole.

All my best,
xo Libby

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Pozole Verde

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 8 -10

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For pozole verde…

• 2 lbs. Boston butt pork roast cooked & cubed (see recipe link in post)
• 1 lb. tomatillos husks removed
• 2 poblano peppers
• 3 jalapeno peppers
• 2 banana peppers
• 1 small onion peeled and left whole
• 1 medium onion fine diced
• 2 ears corn optional
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 Tbl. cumin seeds
• 3-4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves plus more for garnish
• 6 cups chicken stock divided
• 1 Tbl. canola oil
• 1 29- ounce can white hominy drained & rinsed
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. chile powder
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. salt or to taste

For garnishes…

• shredded cabbage fresh cilantro, lime wedges, fine diced onion, diced avocado, sliced radish, sour cream, roasted corn kernels (optional), extra verde sauce, tortilla chips

Instructions

For pozole verde…

• Cook Boston butt pork roast, recipe link in post.
• Preheat oven to broil.
• Place tomatillos, poblano peppers, jalapenos, banana peppers, 1 small onion, and corn (optional) on shallow rimmed baking sheet. Place on rack positioned 10-12 inches below broiler. Broil until skins are charred on one side. Turn everything over and continue broiling until well charred on all sides; about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add cumin seed and dry toast for 2-3 minutes, shaking pan often until fragrant. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Remove from pan into a mortar and pestle to grind fine. Add pumpkin seeds to cast-iron skillet and toast for 3-4 minutes until slightly golden. Remove from pan and add to a food processor. Grind until fine. Reserve.
• Remove vegetable tray from oven. Transfer tomatillos and onion to blender. Place peppers in a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to steam for 5 minutes. Run under cool water, removing skins, stems and seeds. Place flesh in blender. Add garlic, cilantro, ground cumin and pumpkin seeds, along with 1 cup of chicken broth. Blend until well combined.
• Heat 1 Tbl. oil in Dutch oven or large soup pot. Add half of diced onion and sauté until translucent; about 5 minutes. Pour in all but 1/2 cup of blended tomatillo mixture. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add in hominy, cubed pork, oregano, chili powder, salt & pepper. Heat through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
• Ladle pozole into individual bowls, then pass garnishes.

For garnishes…

• Prepare assorted garnishes in small dishes that can be passed.

The post Pozole Verde appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Fire Roasted Poblano, Cilantro & Lime Dressing is my new favorite.  Slightly smoky bright flavors, balanced by toasted cumin, cilantro and fresh lime juice.  I wanted each component to hold it’s flavor identity, so I’ve left it slightly chunky.  Turns out this dressing doubles as a kickin’ salsa :) and soon to be used as a marinade.

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Flame Roasted Poblano, Cilantro & Lime Dressing

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 poblano peppers
• 2 to matillos papery husks removed
• 2 small jalapeno seeds removed
• 2 limes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbl. white onion
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbl. apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• olive oil

Instructions

• Flame roast poplano peppers until skins are black and well charred. This can be done on your gas stove, gas grill or under the broiler. Once charred, place in a metal bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 5 minutes. Rinse under cool water, removing charred skin, stem and seeds. Place flesh into blender.
• Bring a small pan of water to boil. Boil tomatillos and jalapenos for 3-4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place in blender.
• Squeeze juice of 2 limes into blender. Add garlic, onion, cilantro, vinegar, cumin and salt. Blend to desired consistency.
• With blender running, drizzle olive oil in a thin stream. Use as little oil as none to up to a 1/2 cup for a classic vinaigrette ratio. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Notes

Yield = 3-4 cups
Store in refrigerator for up to a week.

The post Flame Roasted Poblano, Cilantro & Lime Dressing appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Found a fantastic and super easy recipe for tomatillo sauce which fit right into my plan.  I’ve been wanting to make ‘Red’ Enchilada Sauce which we LOVE…but with an abundance of tomatillos in my fridge…green was the more practical approach.  So Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce it is.

Recipe inspiration…..got up Saturday morning and cleaned out & organized the fridge.  Check!  As I think you can imagine, we tend to end up with open jars & containers, half used produce, and an assortment of must have ingredients.  Once again….yes dear, I am admitting this :) However, in my defense sometimes one of these open jars or leftover recipe items spawns a recipe inspiration.  Just this weekend, 4 open jars of olives & such turned into Olive & Sundried Tomato Tapenade.

Point #1 ~ We’ve been craving Enchiladas.  Point #2 ~ After my Green Bloody Mary post I ended up with way too many tomatillos.  Point #3 ~ Tortillas, corn or flour, are just so adaptable we’ve been keeping them on hand.  Point #4 ~ the one protein we typically keep well stocked in the freezer are boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Eating from the Fridge/Pantry tonight.  Check!

The Tomatillo Sauce is what makes these Enchiladas unique.  I love cooking with tomatillos because all you have to do is remove their papery husks and they’re ready to go, no peeling or seeding.  I found a super easy recipe on the Williams-Sonama website from Savoring Mexico, and have adapted it to create our Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce.  The tomatillos and serrano peppers are boiled until fork tender and then processed with garlic in a blender until smooth.  The sauce is finished in a skillet fry with canola oil and seasoned generously with salt.

Recipe Note:  My taste kitchen tester…that’s not a typo…just said “that green one way exceeded exptectations.”

The post Chicken Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce {Enchiladas Verdes} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The Bloody Mary has come a long way baby from tomato juice & vodka.  The myriad of spices and seasonings and sauces that can transform this drink is endless.  If I only owned a juicer….just think how cool and colorful Mary could become (hint hint).  Today we’ll stick with our every day humble blender and create a fresh crisp Green Bloody Mary.

~ Green Bloody Mary Recipe ~

For two cocktails, I used equal parts tomatillos, celery, cucumber, and green apple.  About 1 cup of each rough chopped, skins removed.

Add 2 tsp. prepared Horseradish sauce, 1-2 Tbl. diced jalapeno, juice of 1/2 lime, a pinch of sea salt & fresh cracked pepper, and a good handful of cilantro.

Throw it all in the blender and pulse until well blended.  I actually added a splash of juice to get my veggie tornado in motion (happened to be strawberry kiwi juice….keeping it green).

Rim glasses with a sea salt/celery seed blend.  Fill glasses with ice cubes.  Add 1 1/2 oz. chilled vodka.  Fill glass with juice mixture.

Garnish with celery, olives, jalapeno, lime, cilantro…your favorite green accents.

Cheers!!

It just so happens October 4th is National Vodka Day.  I don’t make these things up.  We had already planned dinner…a Bloody Mary Salad Dressing served over Avocado & Shrimp Salad, before we stumbled upon this tidbit of information.  So we decided to throw in a couple cocktail recipes.  Check out our Bloody Caesar Spicy Shrimp Shooters as well. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!!

Sadly we missed National Rum Day back in August….we’ll make up for it next year.

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Green Bloody Mary

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2-3 to matillos chopped (papery husks removed)
• 2-3 stalks celery chopped
• 1 cucumber peeled & chopped
• 1 green apple peeled & chopped
• 2 tsp. prepared Horseradish sauce
• 1-2 Tbl. diced jalapeno
• juice of 1 lime
• a pinch of sea salt & fresh cracked pepper
• a good handful of cilantro
• 1/4 cup fruit juice such as apple, orange, kiwi, optional
• sea salt & celery seed for rim
• 3 oz. chilled vodka
• celery olives, jalapeno, lime, cilantro or your favorite green garnishes

Instructions

• Throw it all in the blender and pulse until well blended. If you need more liquid to get the mixture started, add a splash of juice.
• Rim glasses with a sea salt/celery seed blend. Fill glasses with ice cubes. Add 1 1/2 oz. chilled vodka to each glass. Fill with juice mixture.
• Garnish with celery, olives, jalapeno, lime, cilantro…your favorite green accents.

Notes

4 WW Pts+ per Green Bloody Mary

The post Green Bloody Mary appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

The star ingredient in Salsa Verde is the tomatillo.  Similar in appearance to a small green tomato (once their paper-like husk is removed), however with a quite different flavor.  The tomatillo has a mild, almost citrus like flavor.  They are great to cook with since they don’t need to be peeled or seeded.  Salsa Verde is as prominent in Mexican cooking as tomato sauce is to Italian cuisine.

Whether you are making Fresh Tomato Salsa or Salsa Verde…..starting from scratch is well worth the 10 minutes it will take you.  In the case of Salsa Verde, all ingredients go into the food processor on high until well chopped.  Serve as a dip with warm tortilla chips, add avocado to create tomatillo guacamole, wrap your Enchiladas Verdes in a blanket of green sauce, or lay your sweet corn tamale cakes on a bed of Salsa Verde.  Its super fresh flavor will brighten any dish.

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Salsa Verde

Course Sauce

Cuisine Mexican

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos chopped (paper-like husks removed)
• 1 4 oz. can mild green chilies or 2 jalapenos
• 1 scallion chopped
• 3 Tbl. fresh cilantro
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a food processor.
• Chop on high until well blended.
• Adjust salt & pepper to taste.

The post Salsa Verde appeared first on Lemony Thyme.