New Recipe: Mami's Sofrito

Growing up, my sisters and I would help my mom do the prep work to make a big batch of sofrito (pronounced so-free-toe lol) whenever she was running low. She kept in a big plastic container in the fridge & it still amazes me that I've never seen sofrito "go bad". Well, I know that I've carried on this tradition as an adult (minus the 3 daughters to help me prep lol). It's a staple in every Puerto Rican household, well at the ones in my family! I will often use it as an ingredient in my recipes I post, so obviously, I have to share the sofrito recipe. I'm going to give you the "big batch" version & you can always scale it down.

Mami's Sofrito

WW Points Plus: 0

Ingredients
6-7 green bell peppers, seeded & chunked
6-7 tomatoes (about the same size as the bell peppers you pick out), chunked
6-7 yellow onions (about the same size as the tomatoes & bell peppers), chunked
6-7 heads of garlic, peeled
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, washed
Water, oregano, salt & pepper as needed
(Optional ingredients)
A pack of ajices dulces (small sweet peppers), seeded
Scotch bonnet peppers to your desired hotness **see warning in the notes

Directions

1. Start by putting a handful each of onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, and garlic into the blender jar. Add some of the cilantro, oregano & a little bit of salt & pepper. Add just enough water to get the blending started (I would start with 1/8 of a cup).

2. Blend until it's the consistency of a purée. If your blender isn't full if purée, keep the blender going & add in equal amounts of each ingredient through the hole in the jar lid EXCEPT the water, salt, pepper & oregano.

3. Once the blender is pretty full, pour out almost all of the sofrito into an air-tight storage container. Leave just enough in the blender jar to get the next round blended (this now replaces the water from Step 1).

4. Repeat Steps 1-3, minus the water, until you have no more peppers, onions, tomatoes, garlic & cilantro left.

NOTES

- This recipe is very flexible! I love garlic so I usually have more garlic than I do the other ingredients.

- If you want your sofrito to be spicy, that's what the optional Scotch Bonnet peppers are for. **WARNING** Do not seed the Scotch Bonnets with your bare hands... SERIOUSLY, your skin & nails will be burning like crazy & if you then accidentally rub your eyes - YOWZA! I speak from experience! I couldn't get it off my hands for almost a week :-(

- We use sofrito for lots of different things, including but not limited to, the base for yellow rice, marinating pork roasts & turkeys, a base for stewed beans/meats.

- The sofrito will be a bright, light green or possibly have a light reddish tint when you first make it. It will change to a darker color after a few days in the fridge. Don't freak out, it's still good & I've had a batch last me a whole year (but then again it is just me in my house lol).

- Sometimes my mom would use cleaned, empty spaghetti sauce jars to store the sofrito & give to her friends. Once you start loving sofrito, you're gonna want to share it's yummy goodness with others, so save your spaghetti jars LOL

Fit 4 Flava ROTW 2/4/10 - Sandi's Guac dat Rocks

You can thank Aretha for me posting the very FIRST Fit 4 Flava Recipe of the Week (ROTW)! The minute she saw my guacamole-inspired Facebook status, she sent me an inbox message and asked for the recipe! Now I readily admit that I've switched it up a couple of times and find now that I've really perfected it to my liking!  I've even used it as salad dressing with some extra salsa & greek yogurt! 

Sandi's Guac dat Rocs

Ingredients

3 ripe haas avocados
3 tbsp salsa
2 tbsp non-fat greek yogurt (or fat-free sour cream)
2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp lime juice
garlic powder, goya adobo powder, salt, black pepper and ground red pepper (ALL TO TASTE)

Directions
 

1) Slice avocados in half, remove pit (reserve one pit for storage), scoop out flesh into a bowl and mash until desired consistency (chunky vs smooth)

2) Mix in salsa, greek yogurt, hot sauce and lime juice.

3) Season to taste with goya adobo powder, garlic powder, salt (sparingly), black pepper & ground red pepper.

4) Serve w/ fresh veggies or tortilla chips (baked or regular depending on your preference)

Serving Size = 1/4 cup

Sandi's Notes & Recommendations:

• Before you put it in the refrigerator, put one of the avocado pits on top of it to keep it from turning ugly brown!
• I use either the florida big avocados (w/ the smooth skin) or the small haas avocados (the bumpy ones). 
• I use fresh salsa, specifically I REALLY LOVE the Market Fresh Chipotle Garlic medium salsa I get from Wal-Mart's produce section called Market Fresh 
• I have a Fire Roasted Habanero hot sauce that is made locally here in GA that I LOVE and that's what I use in this recipe and honestly a GOOD hot sauce will make ALL the difference! (Check out Stripling's Fire Roasted Habanero Hot Sauce and more varieties)
• While this is a relatively healthy recipe, remember that avocados are high in calories and fat, but it's the GOOD FAT! That doesn't mean eat ALL the guacamole in one sitting. Everything in moderation folks ;o)