Zucchini Salsa Verde

My college apartment was not exactly typical.  In our entryway stood a six foot chest freezer filled with farm-picked blueberries, strawberries, peaches, and homemade apple pies.  If you came over for spaghetti, the sauce was home canned by my roommate, Sarah.  Pizza for a study night?  Not unless we made the crust from scratch and followed it with homemade doughnuts hot from the fryer.  And our only magazine subscription, which we eagerly awaited and read voraciously, was Bon Appétit.

Through the years I have not missed a single issue of my beloved Bon Appétit, and I  make a special point to try at least a few of the new recipes every month.  Rarely do they disappoint, and while many of the dishes still revolve around cheese and cream, they have shifted their focus to more sustainable - for the earth and the body - ways of eating.  Which means that there are plenty of recipes rich with fresh, seasonal produce that require no modification on my part.  My recent favorite is a zucchini salsa verde, which was a perfect way to use up the zucchini that are currently taking over my garden.  We ate it heaped over shrimp instead of the halibut called for in the recipe, and it was fantastic.  Even better was the next day when I slathered it over fresh corn on the cob, and used some as dip for my tortilla chips.  I can't think of a more delicious way to eat your veggies.

Here is the link to the recipe.  Enjoy!

Guacamole

Last night was taco night at  our house.  We don't often cook Mexican at home because there are so many good restaurants around here, but we're trying to eat in as much as possible since I have a hard time trusting restaurant kitchens.  And for good reason - we have had several cheesy mishaps.

If I've learned anything from going dairy-free, it's that you can't take away cheddar cheese and sour cream without replacing it with something else creamy and delicious...like homemade guacamole.  I've tried eating tacos with just meat, lettuce and tomato and they are no bueno!  This guacamole works equally well as a dip for tortilla chips and as a condiment.

Guacamole

2 medium avocados, ripe but not mushy
1 small shallot, finely chopped OR 2 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 lime
salt & pepper to taste
1 small jalapeno, seeded & finely chopped (optional)

Peel avocados and remove pits.  Mash with a fork and stir in remaining ingredients (guacamole should be chunky).  Serve immediately.