In honor of book launch week, I’m sharing one of my recipes featured in Rise & Run.
“Natalie Bickford, our loyal assistant who has been a force behind-the-scenes on all three cookbooks, developed this recipe especially for Rise and Run. Natalie’s Venezuelan sister-in-law, Adriana, taught her how to make arepas and they became a family breakfast tradition. Everyone’s favorite part of the arepas is the Guasacaca (pronounced WAH-sa-kah-kah), a Venezuelan avocado green sauce that packs in nutrients and is amazing on tacos.
You’ll likely have leftover Guasacaca, but lucky for you it’s good on everything. Natalie loves it spooned generously on scrambled eggs, potatoes, power bowls, and grilled steak or chicken. The combo of antioxidants from the cilantro and healthy fats from the avocado and olive oil will help you fight off inflammation after miles of pounding the pavement.”
– Rise & Run
Ingredient Highlight
Avocado! I eat a lot of avocado – on toast, in bowls, with chips, and straight out of the skin sprinkled with salt. This super versatile fruit is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid), which may help lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation. They are also high in potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fiber. One half of an avocado has up to 7 grams of fiber and 1 whole avocado has about double the amount of potassium in one banana.
PRO tip: the most nutrient-rich part of an avocado is the really green part close to the skin, so make sure you scrape them clean!
Servings 2 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes Ingredients
For the tacos:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 ounces raw chorizo or breakfast sausage, casings removed*
- 4 eggs, whisked
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 4 small corn tortillas**
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup guasacaca (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, optional
For the sauce:
- 1 large or 2 small avocados, pitted
- 1 small green bell pepper, seeds removed, quartered
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, stems removed and finely chopped (save stems for garnishing)
- 1/4 yellow onion
- 1 small jalapeno, quartered (keep the seeds in to make spicy)
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt or 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- *See note in “substitutions” section
- **Skipping the tortillas? This dish is equally delicious served on top of quinoa or as a plate with roasted potatoes.
- Pro Tip: Don’t throw away your cilantro stems! Those tender, juicy, flavorful stems are delicious when finely chopped and added to salads, herby sauces or used as a crunchy garnish.
Instructions
- To make the guasacaca, add the avocado, bell pepper, cilantro leaves, onion, jalapeno, garlic, oil, vinegar, and salt to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt, if needed.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot and shimmering, add the sausage, breaking it up with the back of a spoon or spatula. Cook until deeply browned and cooked through, breaking it up into smaller chunks, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lined with a paper towel. Pour out any excess oil, if desired, leaving about 2 teaspoons behind for the eggs.
- In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the eggs and salt and cook, stirring gently to form large curds, until almost cooked through, about 1 minute. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir it all together. Remove from heat, transfer back to the bowl and cover with tinfoil or a cloth to keep warm. Carefully wipe out the skillet.
- In the same skillet, over medium-low heat, add the tortillas, sprinkle 2 tablespoons cheese onto each tortilla to cover. Warm until cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Transfer tacos to your plate and top with the sausage-egg mixture, plenty of guasacaca, cilantro stems and red onion, if using.
- Store leftover sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Make guasacaca
- Grate ½ cup cheese
- You could brown/cook the chorizo ahead
- Finely chop red onion (optional)
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, skip the sausage and use black or pinto beans (it’s really all about the sauce anyways)
- To make vegan, see above + skip the cheese or use vegan cheese.
- Any ground sausage (or any protein really) works here. You could use breakfast sausage, Italian sausage, etc… or even bacon!
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Guasacaca: up to 5 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer
- Chorizo egg filling: up to 4 days in the fridge
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Turn it into a breakfast or lunch plate or bowl by subbing tortillas for rice or quinoa.
- Put guasacaca on everything!!
leave your comments!