Aji Verde (Spicy Peruvian Green Sauce)

• servings: 1 serving
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

½ cup 2% Greek yogurt

2 cups lightly packed fresh cilantro, mostly leaves but small stems are ok (from 1 big bunch of cilantro or 1 ½ medium)

2 medium jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed but reserved, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

⅓ cup (1 ounce) grated Cotija or Parmesan cheese

2.5 limes

2 green onions (up to dark green part)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a food processor or blender, combine all of the ingredients. Blend until the cilantro has broken into very tiny pieces and the sauce is green and mostly smooth (no matter how long you blend it, it will still have some texture to it).

Taste, and adjust if necessary. This sauce is intentionally bold and spicy and I usually think it’s just right as written. However, if the flavor is too overwhelming, blend in 1 tablespoon of olive oil while running the food processor. If it’s not spicy enough, add some of the reserved jalapeño seeds and blend again. If it doesn’t have enough zip, add another tablespoon of lime juice and/or a pinch of salt.

Aji verde keeps well in the refrigerator, covered, for about 1 week.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: About 2 tablespoons
• Calories: 94
• Total Fat: 9.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Cholesterol: 13.9 mg
• Sodium: 161.8 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 0.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 0.2 g
• Total Sugars: 0.2 g
• Protein: 1.2 g