Fire Roasted Spirulina Salsa + Roasted Poblano Spirulina Pesto

Ang and I decided to try some recipes containing Spirulina!  We have been interested in doing something like this for quite a while.  A big part of our mission at CaliZona is incorporating healthy ingredients into delicious everyday recipes!  These Fire Roasted Spirulina Salsa + Roasted Poblano Spirulina Pesto are a very flavorful way to incorporate spirulina into your diet.  Check out Ang’s Roasted Pepper Spirulina Bloody Mary recipe.

 

One of the coolest things about spirulina is that it has a very high concentration of chlorophyll, which makes it extremely detoxifying.  Chlorophyll assists in the removal of toxins from the blood.  It binds to heavy metals and carries them out of your body.   It is very beneficial for removing radiation from radioactive exposure or radioactive therapy.

For a more about the health benefits check out Well-being Secrets!

Roasted Poblano Spirulina Pesto

Recipe:  Approx.   2 Cups

• 2 Poblano Peppers – roasted
• 3/4 Cup Raw Walnuts
• 1/2 Cup Manchego Cheese – finely shredded (I used 6 months aged)
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
•  2 Cloves Garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Spirulina Powder – or to taste
• 1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt or to taste

Instructions: 

Peppers

Roast peppers on the stovetop on medium-high heat.  A gas stove works the best but it will work fine on an electric stove. Char the peppers on all sides turning with a pair of tongs.  When good and charred, steam them for 10 minutes in a covered dish or a paper bag rolled shut to hold in the steam.

Take a paper towel and rub off the char.  It’s ok to leave a little of the char.  Slice in half and remove the seeds and stems then dice them.

Finely shred the manchego, peel the garlic, measure all other ingredients, put into a food processor or blender and puree.

Fire Roasted Spirulina Salsa

Recipe: Approx. 4 to 5 cups. (for a smaller amount cut recipe in half)                                             

• 5 Large Heirloom Tomatoes
• 3 – 4 Large Cloves Garlic
• 1 White Onion
• 2  Serrano Peppers (add 1 for Mild)
• 2 Anaheim Peppers
• 1 Poblano Pepper
• 1 Cup Cilantro Leaves
• 2 Tablespoon Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
• 1 1/2 Teaspoons Spirulina Powder – or to taste
• 2 1/2 Teaspoons of Sea Salt

Instructions: 

 Core tomatoes, slice in half, cut an x on the bottom and place on a baking sheet.

Slice onion in half then cut each half into three pieces and place on baking sheet.

Add the serrano, anaheim and poblano peppers onto the baking sheet.  Place baking sheet on the top rack and broil for about 6 – 8 minutes. (check at 6 minutes)

Turn peppers over and broil for 4 – 5 additional minutes.

When cool, remove the skins from the tomatoes.  Remove the skins, cut off the stem and de-seed peppers.  (Leave the seeds in the serranos if you like it hotter)

 Put garlic into a food processor or blender and pulse until minced.  Add all of the vegetables, cilantro, lime juice, spirulina, sea salt to the food processor and pulse until the desired texture.  I do about 15 pulses.

Health benefits:

Poblano Peppers are extremely high in vitamin C; just one pepper has 95% of your daily value.  They are great for your immune system and help to reduce inflammation like in arthritis and asthma.  They are also helpful with the increase of oxygen helping the body to burn more calories 20 minutes after eating peppers.  They are full of vitamin A, vitamin K, and potassium.