Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta
Friday, January 15, 2010 at 11:00AM in Appetizer, Brunch, Dips, Main Dish, Sauce, Side Dish, bread, cooking, lunch, recipes, snack, vegan, vegetarian What is Chimichurri? I know, it’s a burning question that a lot of you may be wondering about. Today, I’ll try to give you a little background from information that I’ve found.
Chimichurri is a green sauce, but can also be red. It’s very popular as a marinade and sauce in Latin and South American countries. The stories say that the sauce was first invented by an Irish man named Jimmy McCurry, who was fighting in the Argentine War of Independence. Apparently, his name lost a little something in the translation, and Jimmy McCurry became Chimichurri. Is this the honest truth? I don’t know, but it makes for a good story.
Chimichurri is based on parsley, garlic, oil and vinegar--and then from there it has many variations. Onions, shallots, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, paprika, cumin, cilantro, and lemon are common flavors added to the sauce.
It’s very simple to prepare, and is made from common, easy to find ingredients. It keeps in the fridge for a week or so. You can use it on so many things, too! From marinating meats for grilling, to using it as a sauce to serve with cooked meats, on potatoes, you can dip crusty bread in it, have it on burgers, sandwiches, wraps--the possibilities are almost endless.
The recipe we always use is in my post for Vegan Bean Burgers, and we even added an avocado to that batch. Not traditional, but it sure did make it nice and velvety! I can’t take credit for that one, as it’s Zen Chef’s recipe, but I can tell you we use it on all kinds of foods.
Today’s recipe is from Vegetarian Times. It’s a great magazine, loaded with wonderful recipes--whether you’re vegetarian, vegan (they do include lots of vegan recipes, too), or just trying to cut some of the meats out of your diet.
Basically, it’s cubed avocados tossed with a flavorful Chimichurri, and served on toasted baguette slices. It makes a delicious snack or appetizer, or if you’re like us, a light dinner. I only made two changes: instead of adding 3 minced garlic cloves to the sauce, I took the warm, toasted bread slices and rubbed them with garlic cloves, and I also omitted the 1/2 teaspoon of red chili flakes.
Avocado Chimichurri Bruschetta
Serves 3, 2 slices each
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, minced
1//4 cup chopped fresh parsley, minced
2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and cubed
6 slices of toasted baguette, rubbed with garlic cloves
Combine the lemon juice, vinegar, salt, oregano, and black pepper in small bowl.
Whisk in the oil until thoroughly combined, then stir in the herbs.
Gently toss the avocado cubes into the sauce.
Spoon the avocado and sauce mixture onto toast slices.
I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe, and also--give Chimichurri a try! There are so many ways to use it, and it’s packed with flavor. I’ll bet you can even find uses for it that I haven’t mentioned.
Reader Comments (36)
I have everything to make this at home right now. I think it will be my lunch this weekend:) Thanks Elle!
They look delightful! Great story to go along with it, thanks for the post :)
Thank *you* Maria! :)
Thanks so much, Dan!
yum yum yum. love this combo ms. thing!!!
Thank you, Dawn!
I have an obsession with avocado and this looks fantastic. If only I had some parsley this could be part of our dinner tonight!
Sounds good from here. I've seen a couple tv chefs using chimichurri lately, I want to try it out.
Stop making all this yumm raw vegan &%^$ or I might have to give up meat. OH HA HA HA Just kidding... J has like a meat monitor on me... shhhh
Sounds like the perfect appetizer to serve with Margaritas; not that I need an excuse. Thanks Elle, photos are beautiful...just took a bite out of my monitor.
Don't you just love saying Chimichurri! Just the word alone makes it worth making! Gorgeous photos Elle!
& so good for you, I hear we are supposed to eat half an avocado a day!
Anything with cilantro or coriander as i call it has to be good. Love that herb to bits. Lovely blog and nice photo. Will try that with some pasta.
Ok, this sounds BEYOND divine. I LOVE avocado. Now I'm mad at myself for passing them up at the grocery last night. I looked them over then thought, "Nah. Not really in the meal plan this weekend," but I can see now they should have been. Next time, I'm listening to my instincts and buying them anyway!
Mmm... this sounds so yummy! It would be a great appetizer for a weekend dinner.
That looks amazing! I love avocado but my husband really doesn't eat it. Doesn't like it at all. So when I buy 'em I've got to eat them myself! Nice seasonings.
I like avocado. I like chimichurri. I like bruschetta. 100% approved! (Even if my spellchecker doesn't 100% approve.)
Thanks so much, everyone! This is definitely one of our new faves!
Putting an avocado together with chimchurri is brilliant. Great photos too!!!!
this looks so wonderfully tasty! I think I'm going to have to try it. Anything with cilantro and avocado its mouth watering inducing!
This would be great with grilled shrimp tacos too~
This looks awesome! My grandfather, though Cuban, grew up in Argentina (he was the ambassador's son) and as such we've been having chimichurri for years--great to see it getting some wider recognition!
That Jimmy McCurry story (true or not) made me smile! I made chimichurri sauce for the first time a few months ago (for steaks) and i'm totally in love with it now. I can't wait to try this recipe :)
This looks like a great little appetizer! I bookmarked it and might have to make it for an upcoming super bowl party :) :)
ay Dios mio, this looks too good. Zen' always got something nice to offer. And, never heard of that mag, so I may have to look it up.
I like avocados. They told me that it is the healthiest fruit but I say it has more calories than you think.
That is a great story! LOL! I love it - as I love chimichurri! This bruschetta looks so good, Elle!
I love chimichurri and this looks like a good one. Never thought to mix it with avocado - one of my favorites! Definitely bookmarking this one for when our big, yummy avocados come back into season! Of course, I might not wait that long! :-)
fun post to read and great recipe. love chimichurri , how can I not, as one of my favorite foods is parsley.
thank you an excellent recipe. i love it and defiantly do it again.
I adore chimichurri, usually smothered on steak! Your bruschetta looks like a lovelier and healthier way to enjoy it. Well done!
I've been wanting to try chimichurri and adding avocado just makes it better! YUM!
~ingrid
Wow... what a great idea! I love chimichurri with steak, but I always have extra at the end, and I never know what to do with it... it's almost too pungent as a pasta sauce, and I usually just put it in my scrambled eggs. This is a great new way to use it!
Elle, these look fantastic! Thank you, Senor McCurry, for your contribution to the World Body of Culinary ...um, stuff. ;). I can already taste this, and I have some avocados in the fridge!
This looks fantastic! Avocado lovers in this household, so we will have to try it!
I've been trying to eat more bread (well, carbs and grains in general) and topping a big slice of beautiful bread with avocados and chimichurri sauce sounds like the BEST idea ever. I WILL be making this VERY soon! I can't wait, thank you so much!