*Advertisement. This kiwi pistachio salsa is sponsored by Zespri.
This recipe is also available in German. / Dieses Rezept gibt es auch auf deutsch.
Have you ever cooked with kiwis? I have to admit, I have only ever eaten them plain, seen them on glibbery cakes or in ice cream or smoothies, but I have never prepared them in a savory way. Almost shocking, because I freakin’ love kiwis. So do my sisters, and we would always fight about who would get the last kiwi. My mom could never buy enough of them.
If you’re a kiwi-lover like me, then you might understand the following weird thing that I do to my kiwis: I do not cut them in half when I eat them, but rather in 1/3 and 2/3 big parts.
Why, you might understandably ask yourself now.
Because every kiwi has a „good“ and a „bad“ side (in my opinion) and the good side is way easier to eat with a spoon than the „bad“ side. That’s why I keep the bad side to a minimum, and enjoy eating the good side to the fullest. If you didn’t already know exactly how weird I am, here you have the final proof that there must be something wrong with me. But, the good side is so much easier to scoop out, believe me.
Anyways, when Zespri* asked me to create a kiwi-recipe for them, I went through a rollercoaster of emotions. Of course I’d love to do that – how fun! I always buy Zespri Kiwis anyways, because I just think they are the juiciest and most delicious kind and I LOVE LOVE LOVE their both their Green and their Golden Kiwis. And then it went downwards pretty quickly once I realized that I did not have a single clue how I could encorporate kiwis into a savory dish.
I tried to compare the kiwi taste to other fruits that I have created savory dishes with and finally found my mango-avocado-salsa. Now, why wouldn’t this work with kiwis too, I thought. And according to Jannis reaction, it worked more than perfectly. He loved it so much that we’ve had this salsa for lunch and dinner three days in a row. I’m not entirely sure how many kiwis you should eat per day, but I am sure we’ve exceeded the daily recommendation of kiwi and nacho chips by a bazzillion. But it was simply so delicious, you guys!
Let’s examine this dish from the nutritional standpoint. First of all, salsas are always raw, so they are bursting with nutrients. The kiwi provides a good amount of vitamin C, a natural antioxidant that protects our cells from free radicals. The avocado enhances the dish with high quality natural fatty acids that the body needs amongst many other things to built cell membranes. Jalapenos, red onions and cilantro give it the signature salsa verde taste and tangy lime juice rounds up the whole unique taste experience.
Oh and since I thought that the whole thing needed a protein-boost, I added the only green nut that I found: pistachios. They must not be left out, do you hear me? Please do not skip the pistachios, unless you are allergic or cannot find them anywhere. They are the final piece in this puzzle.
Have I pursuaded you to give it a try? I hope so, because I’m sure it will be your new favorite weeknight and weekday addiction.
- 3 Zespri kiwis
- 1 avocado
- ⅓ cup of pistachios, roasted but unsalted
- ½ a red onion
- ¼ cup of cilantro
- the juice of 1 lime
- ½ jalapeno (or more if you like it spicy)
- sea salt and black pepper
- Peel the kiwis and cut them into bite-sized little chunks. Cut the avocado in half, remove the stone and scoop out the flesh with a spoon. Cut it into little bite-sized pieces as well.
- Roughly chop the pistachios and cilantro and finely chop the jalapeno.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and season with the juice of the lime and sea salt and black pepper. Add more lime juice, if you like, but I thought one lime was enough.
Enjoy!
*This post is sponsored by Zespri. Thank you for supporting the brands that enable me to test recipes all day long.
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