AOX Salsa!

Tonight I'm headed to celebrate the housewarming of my good friends Jay and Gabrielle in Santa Monica. I'm bringing Blood Orange & Avocado Salsa with Pomegranate Seeds, a recipe I found from Oprah.com. Served with some baked tortilla chips, it ends up being a healthy appetizer full of Antioxidants from the Vitamin C rich blood oranges, pomegranates, and avocado. Let's call it AOX Salsa (AOX is short for antioxidants). I have a thing about adding in my own personal touch to recipes - so for this one I'm adding chopped fresh mint. You watch me here at the unbelievably beautiful farmers market here in Redondo Beach buying fresh ingredients for the salsa!  

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
• 1 tsp. kosher or sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 6 blood oranges
• 1 pomegranate
• 1 large Hass avocado , halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2/3 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeno chili , seeds and ribs removed, minced
• 2 green onions , including green tops, cut on the diagonal into thin slices
• 2 Tbsp  chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 4 Tbsp fresh chopped mint leaves

Directions

Active time: 35 minutes
Total time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, salt, and pepper until salt dissolves.

Remove all skin, white pith, and seeds from the oranges, reserving any juice that's squeezed out in the process. Drain juice into a measuring cup and set aside. Cut orange segments into 1/2-inch pieces and add to bowl containing lime juice.

To extract the seeds from the pomegranate, cut the fruit into quarters. Submerge the quarters in a large bowl of cold water and place it in the kitchen sink to contain any squirting pomegranate juice. Using your fingers, gently detach the seeds from the membrane and rind. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Discard any pith, drain the water, blot the seeds lightly with paper towels, and add to the bowl with the orange segments.

Add the avocado, red onion, jalapeño, green onion, mint and cilantro to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the ingredients together, being careful to not mash the avocados. Add reserved orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until salsa is moist but not soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and set aside for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld. Serve at room temperature with tortilla chips.

Per 1/4 cup serving: 46 calories, 1.6 grams fat, 1 gram protein, 2 grams fiber

Note: This can be prepared up to 8 hours in advance.