Healthy, Delicious Sauces

Sofrito is very flavorful and a good compliment to mild tasting tilapia. You can also use sofrito as a dip for tortilla chips. Don't bother with the sofrito that comes in a jar. Nothing can compare to the freshness of making your own. And it is easy and inexpensive to make. You can have this dinner on the table within a half hour, served with a spinach salad drizzled with vinaigrette. We first tasted sofrito when we went on vacation to Puerto Rico. It is just one of the many lovely additions to their meals that make them tasty or spicy. So now that you bought that big bunch of cilantro and don't know what to do with it...make Mojito Sauce. This is a nice sauce that is delicious drizzled over grilled chicken and served with rice to soak up all the flavor of the sauce. It is also another sauce we tried in Puerto Rico. When we found how easy it was to prepare these sauces we were so surprised. They certainly will make it appear as if you worked for hours to create some gourmet meals!

Grilled Tilapia with Sofrito

Sofrito

1 medium sweet onion, peeled and quartered

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 8 pieces

1 medium tomato, quartered

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. sea salt or kosher salt

1/2 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

Tilapia

4 8-oz. tilapia fillets

2 tsp olive oil

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Prepare grill to medium-high. While grill heats, prepare sofrito. Put onion, bell pepper, tomato and garlic in bowl of food processor or blender, pulse until diced. Add olive oil, and pulse for 5 to 10 seconds, until ingredients become a chunky puree. Add salt and cilantro and pulse until blended. Transfer sofrito to a medium serving bowl and set aside.

Prepare tilapia. Brush fillets with olive oil and grill for 3 minutes in each side over direct heat, or until slightly charred and just opaque in the center. Place fillets on serving platter and sprinkle with black pepper. Top with 3 Tbsp. sofrito and serve immediately, with avocado on the side if desired.

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Mojito Sauce

3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small sweet onion, chopped (a Vidalia works best)

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1/3 cup tightly packed cilantro leaves

3 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp fresh orange juice

1/2 tsp sea salt or kosher salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until softened slightly, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. In food processor or blender, pulse cilantro with vinegar and lemon, lime and orange juices until leaves are coarsely chopped. Add onion mixture, salt, sugar and pepper and pulse until smooth. Pour sauce into a small serving bowl or gravy boat. May be served slightly warm or at room temperature. Especially good over grilled chicken.