I’m so jazzed to be posting here today! First because I love Andrew and I think he is pretty darn awesome, and second because I try to eat unprocessed most of the year and it makes a HUGE difference when I do!
I’m a private chef, so I am always in the kitchen. Whether I am cooking for myself, or for a client, I’m always looking for the best recipes that I can make even healthier by using whole ingredients. I’m also totally obsessed with avocados! Like I think I might have a condition. I don’t think I’ve gone a day in the past few years without eating avocado in some way shape or form. So I’m excited to share my favorite avocado dressing recipe here today!
There is something super-comforting about adding a creamy dressing on top of any salad, and avocado is basically the perfect thing to make a creamy dressing without using any weird processed ingredients. This dressing works on farmers market salads that are loaded with fresh fruits and veggies and it also works perfectly on salads that have protein added in too, like grilled salmon, steak, or chicken.
Basically you can’t go wrong with this one! It’s so good you could even use it as a dip for some homemade chips.
Happy October Unprocessed!
Tomatillo Avocado Dressing
There is something super-comforting about adding a creamy dressing on top of any salad, and avocado is basically the perfect thing to make a creamy dressing without using any weird processed ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 pound tomatillos husked and rinsed
- 1/2 jalapeno you can remove the seeds if you want, or leave them in for an extra kick
- 1 small Spanish onion quartered
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 Tablespoon honey
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime juiced and zested
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Combine all the ingredients in a blender or food processor.
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Process for 1-2 minutes until the dressing is smooth and creamy.
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Serve on salads as needed.
Recipe Notes
If you are not going to use all of the dressing, store it in an air tight container with a piece of plastic wrap on top of the dressing to make sure it says fresh and bright green!
About the Author
Gaby Dalkin is a trained chef, recipe developer and food/lifestyle writer based in Los Angeles. Her food and recipe blog, What’s Gaby Cooking features original recipes and images that inspire and delight even the pickiest of palates, along with anecdotes from Gaby’s life on-the-go. Gaby is a regular contributor to Food Network, and her recipes and writing have also been featured on HGTV, the Los Angeles Times, Vanity Fair, Saveur, Design*Sponge, Glamour, PBS, The Kitchn and KNBC.
You can also find Gaby on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.
I just made this. Yum! Maybe I shouldn’t have put in more than half the jalapeno…so spicy.
Could you please include nutritional info?
Hi Linda,
I prefer not to include nutritional info on recipes on my site, as I think most reasonably healthy people would be better served by seeking out a wide variety of whole foods instead of focusing on the numbers. For people who really need the information, I’d prefer they calculate it themselves — especially because people often make adjustments when making recipes…and I’d also hate to make a mistake in my calculations!
I really need to write a full post about this – I’m probably not coming across as clearly as I’d like in this brief comment.
You may want to check out the calculator at Nutrition Data – so you can run the numbers yourself… or maybe try a smartphone app like “Lose It.”
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
Best,
Andrew
What are tomatillos? I’ve never heard the name.
Hi Karen! It’s a fruit that is kind of like a green tomato, though it’s not actually a tomato (same family, different genus). Here’s Wikipedia to the rescue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatillo
I dont have tomatillos in Brazil. Can I replace with what?
Thanks
Hi Isis! I just emailed Gaby (who created this recipe), and unfortunately neither of us are coming up with a good substitution. If anyone has any suggestions, please chime in! 🙂
This dressing sounds amazing. I am going to add this to my zip list. And thank you Gaby for giving the choice to leave in some of the jalapeño seeds. Recipes always say to take them out and I’ve always wondered why my salsa was always mild. I just recently realized to leave in the seeds. Looking forward to more recipes:)
Wow! Just made this for lunch with nachos….everyone loved it. Just when I was wondering how I was going to use up the rest of the tomatillos from our garden 🙂
I love avocado as well, so can’t wait to try this one!
Sounds tasty! Can’t wait to try it. How long is it good for in the fridge??
Hi Alicia! I keep it around for about 4-5 days!
Yummy! Can’t wait to try this recipe! I love avocados, too!!
Thanks, Gaby.
sure thing Cherly!!