Raspberry-Avocado Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
for the dressing
8 raspberries
2 oz balsamic vinegar
2 oz avocado oil
1 teaspoon whole grain Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (optional)
salt
freshly ground black pepper


for the salad
2 heads of romaine, chopped
2 avocados, diced
3 oz soft goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup raspberries


Directions:
Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of a jar or dressing container. Add the remaining dressing ingredients. Cover and shake to thoroughly mix. Toss the salad ingredients together. Divide into four bowls. Drizzle with dressing.

My thoughts

As odd as it sounds, raspberries are a good substitute for tomatoes, which are just now coming into their true season, they are sweet-tart, flavorful enough to stand up to salad dressing and their soft texture contrasts nicely with the crisp lettuce. Raspberries are also delightfully mashable so it is possible to incorporate them into a salad dressing with minimal effort. I like how their texture contrasts with the avocado, I wasn't sure about the pairing at first, but it was so good, I had to share. An easy way to sneak fruit into dinner.

Vibrant Corn Salad with Jalape�o Vinaigrette

Ingredients:
6 ears of corn worth of kernels (cooked and cooled)
6 radishes, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 large red onion, diced
1 1/2 large avocados, cubed

for the vinaigrette:
5 tablespoons avocado oil
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
juice of 1 lime
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and halved
salt
freshly ground black pepper


Toss all of the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Shake the vinaigrette ingredients in a dressing mixing container or closed jar. Strain over the salad. Discard the jalapenos. Toss to evenly distribute the dressing. Serve at room temperature.

My thoughts:

I love salads like these. I am honestly not the biggest traditional salad person but on hot days, a cool dish is needed. I especially love the vinaigrette I came up with for this salad, the oils of the peppers get shaken into the dressing adding just enough heat. It is a great way to get a spicy fix without actually having to bite down on a pepper. The trick to the perfect corn salad is to have a mixture of tastes and textures. A mix of sweet (corn, tomato), crisp (radish), creamy (avocado), spicy (radish, jalapeno), juicy (tomato) and crunchy (cucumber) is my favorite. I served this as an entree but I think it would also be great as a side dish to grilled seafood or portobello burgers.

Grilled Mexican Hot Dogs

Ingredients:
1 large white onion, sliced
6-8 jalapenos, halved and seeded
4 hot dogs
4 strips thick cut bacon
1/2 avocado, sliced

mayo or salsa (optional)

Directions:
Prepare grill. Lightly oil a grilling pan and arrange the peppers and onions in a single layer. Wrap the hot dogs in bacon. Secure with toothpicks if needed. Place on grill. Grill the hot dogs until the bacon is fully cooked. Grill the onions and peppers until softened flipping occasionally. Place the hot dogs in buns or rolls and top with toppings.

My thoughts:

As soon as I heard about Mexican hot dogs (also called Tijuana hot dogs or Sonoran hot dogs_ I knew I had to make them. I read dozens of menus and reviews of hot dog joints online and anything else I could find out about these dogs. The base is always a hot dog wrapped in bacon and the toppings can vary (no ketchup, please!) from avocado to spicy mayo to guacamole to pickles to cheese to raw onions to pineapple salsas to pickled pepper and are served either on a hot dog bun or a bolillo.


The ones that appealed me the the most were the spicier versions. I thought the spice of the peppers would help cut the heaviness of the bacon wrapped hot dog. Since I love the smoky flavor that grilling gives jalapenos, I decided to grill the peppers along side the dogs. I grilled the onion too which not only made it easier to keep on the bun than raw but it added a sweet-smoky flavor that went so well with the bacon. YUM!

Green - {Vegan Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes}

A few minutes of sun, a few minutes of darkness.There's no in between today; grey clouds rush quickly in and out of sight, bringing and taking with them sheets of rain and bursts of wind. With nothing more than a raised hood to shield against the leaky sky, the weather is well-reflected in the state of my clothing and visage. My exposed bangs, wet with the remains of the last sudden downpour,

Shrimp, Bacon and Avocado Salad

Ingredients:
4 cooked strips of bacon, crumbled
1 lb steamed shrimp
2 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Old Bay
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 shallot, minced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 avocado, diced
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Directions:
Stir all ingredients together. Serve on a roll or bread.

My thoughts:

This salad, while simple to make, is one of the tastiest in my repertoire. I like to think of it as sort of a cross between a club sandwich and a classic shrimp salad. The creaminess of the avocado contrasts nicely with the shrimp and smoky bacon. A yummy change from the everyday.

Chipotle Guacamole

Ingredients:
4 avocados
3 chipotle peppers in adobo, finely chopped
1 medium tomato, cubed with excess liquid squeezed out
1 shallot, minced
1/8 cup cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper

Directions:

In non-reactive bowl, use the back of a spoon or a potato masher to mash the avocados to desired constancy. Add lime juice and stir to combine. Add all other ingredients, stir to evenly distribute. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it slightly in to the guacamole to prevent oxidation and chill for at least 1/2 hour. For best results, serve the same day you make it.


Yield: 4-6 servings

My thoughts:

I've made the same perfectly delicious classic guacamole recipe for years now and thought it might be time for a change. While on vacation we came across the cutest avocado shaped (the spoon is the stem!) guacamole bowl* ever and well, we had to have it. I can't resist anything that is in the shape of something else, especially cooking related items. Anyway, we bought the bowl a week or so ago and ever since I have been looking for avocados on sale. I finally found them for the low(er) but still not so low price of $1.50 each and snatched some up. Since I am all about the smoky, I thought using chipotle peppers in adobe would be fun instead of my usual habanero or bird's eye. I wish I had come papalo to use instead of cilantro (not my favorite herb) but using just a small amount of cilantro lend it some flavor without totally overpowering it. And you know what? Matt says it is the best guacamole he's ever had, even better (gasp!) than the classic version. I also love our bowl, it has a lid and holds the perfect amount of guacamole.

Summer Lovin' Salad

Ingredients:
4 slices of crisp bacon, crumbled
2 avocados, sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
2 chicken breasts
1 head butter lettuce, chopped
1/2 head red leaf, chopped
2 cups assorted halved small heirloom tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup chopped chives
1/4 teaspoon agave nectar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, grated
1 shallot, grated
juice of 1/2 lime
hot sauce

marinade for the chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
juice 1/2 lime
1 clove garlic, grated


Directions:
Place all of the ingredients for the marinade and the chicken in a nonreactive container or bag. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 5. Remove from marinade, grill or saute until cooked through. Slice into long, 1/4 inch wide strips.



for the dressing:
In a small bowl, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients. Set aside.

To assemble:
On a large platter arrange the various salad components in rows and allow people to assemble their own salads. Serve dressing in individual serving bowls.





Note: All of the ingredients can be made ahead of time, and the salad (minus the avocado, which tends to brown even after a heavy dose of lime juice) can be plated about 10 hours in advance, which makes this a great choice for an event.

My thoughts:

I had the idea for this salad last Fall and have been wanting to make it ever since. I only eat tomatoes while they are in season, so it has taken me this long to bring it into fruition. It was worth the wait. This salad is sort of an homage to the Cobb salad. The Cobb is a classic American chopped style salad that was thrown together by Bob Cobb*, the owner of of the Brown Derby, in 1937. While the original is fabulous, I've arrived at this more modern, spicier version for a change of pace and I love it even more. All of my favorite things in one bowl.


The flavors go together wonderfully, even my hard boiled-eggs-in-salad adverse husband really enjoyed the egg slices in it (the yolks just seem to melt) and I love any excuse to use my egg guillotine. And how can anything that has both bacon and blue cheese in it be bad?





*Let us pause for a second and reflect on for what possible reason he might have chosen not to go by "Robert".

Mango & Avocado Dessert Sushi & Onigiri

Ingredients:

filling:
sliced avocado
sliced mango

for the rice
1 1/2 cups uncooked Japanese rice
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of 1 lime

garnish:
black sesame seeds

Directions:

For the rice:
At least 1 hour before you want to cook the rice, wash the rice. Allow to dry in a colander. In a small, bowl, whisk together the lime juice and sugar, set aside. In large nonstick saucepan (with a lid) add the water, rice and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, uncovered. Cook 5 minutes or until the water level is almost equal to the rice. Cover, reduce heat to low. Cook 10-15 minutes or until the rice is tender. Remove from heat, keep covered and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar and lime juice.



To make the triangular onigiri: Cut some of the avocado and mango into small cubes. Place a small amount of rice in your hand, place some cubed avocado and mango in the middle and press down slightly. Cover with another mound of rice and firmly shape into to a triangular shape. Take care to fully cover the filling on all sides with rice. You could also use a triangle shaped onigiri mold/press. Garnish with sesame seeds.

For the mock sushi: The easiest way is to use a tubular onigiri mold . Fill it halfway with rice, then add one strip of mango and one of avocado vertically in the mold so the filling makes it to both short ends of the mold and won't be totally encapsulated by the rice. Top with the rest of the rice, then place the top of the mold on top and push down firmly. Unmold and make one cut down the middle to form two pieces of sushi. Alternately, follow the instructions to make maki sushi and use soy wrappers instead of the nori or use a small amount of plastic wrap instead of the nori then remove it before serving for wrapperless rolls. Roll in sesame seeds.

Note: While rolling the sushi the traditional way works well, using the tubular onigiri mold is quick and easy. Each use yields 6 slices (most tubular onigiri molds have 3 wells) which is the same amount as it would if you rolled them out the traditional way.


Yield: 4 to 6 servings

My thoughts:

I have always wanted to make dessert sushi. I've made (and love!) mango and coconut sticky rice before and thought a sushi version would be fun. Onigiri, while not sushi, is a fun and easy way (especially if you have a mold! They are about $2 at most Asian grocery stores) to quickly make any eat any number of treats. Normally it is savory snack but here we have a lightly coconut flavored and slightly sweet rice covering a filling of two of my favorite things to eat together: mango and avocado. The creaminess of the avocado really sets off the tart-sweet juiciness of the mango.

When it came to make the sushi, I tried rolling it out the traditional way and it worked but the process seemed a little involved for making only a couple of rolls. If I was wasn't also using the same batch of rice to make the onigiri, that might have been fine, but for such a small amount, I wanted to come up with a quicker alternative method. The tubular onigiri mold worked great, three little tubes filled with mango and avocado (just make sure you don't cover the short ends with rice-let the filling peek through on both sides) and then slice them each in half to make the "maki sushi".

Avocado Shake with Boba

Ingredients:
1 cup ice
1 avocado, peeled and pitted
1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
large tapioca pearls

Directions:
In a medium pan bring about 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the amount of tapioca pearls you would want for one large drink. Continue to boil until the pearls float to the top and are soft, about 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and cover. Allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile pulse the avocado, ice and sweetened condensed milk in a blender until smooth. Pour the pearls into your glass and top with avocado drink. Drink with a extra large straw for best effect.

Yield: 1 shake

My thoughts:

I have been thinking about sweet uses for avocado and thought an avocado milkshake sounded divine. The only way I could think to improve the idea was to add the large tapioca pearls normally found in bubble tea (boba). Now I had never heard or had a avocado bubble tea before but a quick google search showed me that it isn't entirely unheard of but that like most commercially made bubble teas, it is generally made with a powdered mix. Using fresh avocado was so good and creamy, I can't imagine that a powder could even come close.

Shrimp & Chorizo Quesadilla

Ingredients:
1/2 to 3/4 lb medium shrimp, steamed and peeled
1/2 lb Spanish style chorizo, sliced thinly
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 avocado, sliced
flour tortillas
salsa (optional)


Directions:
Heat a pan large enough for a large tortilla to lay flat. Place one tortilla in the pan and heat until warmed through and slightly browned, flipping once. Repeat. Remove from heat. Sprinkle one tortilla with a thin layer of cheese. Top with a thin layer of spinach. Add the shrimp, avocado and chorizo in a single layer on top of the spinach. Dot with salsa if desired. Sprinkle the whole mixture with more Monterey Jack. Make sure that you get a good sprinkling of cheese on both sides of the filling, this will keep your quesadilla from falling apart. Place the second tortilla on the top of all of this and return it to the pan. Cook until the cheese has melted, spinning it occasionally around the pan with your finger tips, and the bottom is slightly browned, about 1-2 minutes. Carefully flip it and cook it on that side for an additional 1 minute. Remove to a large plate and slice (a pizza cutter works well) into wedges and serve with sour cream to dip.



Yield: about 2 quesadillas

My thoughts:

My husband is normally the quesadilla maker in our house but we had some shrimp and chorizo on hand and I remembered a quesadilla I had out years ago that used just those ingredients. Now when Matt makes a quesadilla, he always, always uses homemade refried beans. He was skeptical when I told them I was making a quesadilla sans beans, but I swear, it works. The cheese is all you need for the whole thing to stick together. While I love refried beans on chicken or steak 'dillas. I think they are a little overpowering when you are using shrimp. He also was skeptical about my refusal to saute the chorizo before layering it in, but I really think that is an unnecessary step. Chorizo is already cured and if you slice it thinly, it will cook through while it is sandwiched between the tortilla. Anyway, this is a quick, easy (if somewhat nontraditional) dinner recipe.

I also want to point out that I used Spanish style chorizo, not Mexican chorizo. They are two very different products. Do not substitute one for the other.

Mango Avocado Burger

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb ground beef*
2 tablespoons mango juice or nectar
2 tablespoons Montreal seasoning**
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 shallot, minced
1 small onion minced

to serve:
split crusty rolls
sliced mango
sliced avocado




*I use 94% lean
**a blend of coarse salt, pepper, granulated garlic, red pepper flakes and paprika

Directions:
Prepare your grill as usual-if you are using charcoal, we like to add some wood chips for added smoky flavor. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix together all of the burger ingredients by hand. Do not over work the meat. Gently form into 6 patties. Grill to your desired doneness. Place on the bottom half of the roll, top with alternating slices of mango and avocado. Top with the roll and serve.

My thoughts:

I have to say, avocado and mango slices are my favorite toppings for burgers. The avocado's creamy mildness offsets the sweet mango and both play off the smoky burger flavor. Matt likes his with a little mango ketchup, but I'm a purist.

Guacamole Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:
10 hardboiled eggs, peeled and sliced length-wise
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon minced hot pepper
1 teaspoon minced onion
1 small avocado

hot sauce

to garnish:
baby cherry tomato halves

Directions:
In a small bowl, use a fork and thoroughly mix together all ingredients. Spoon an equal amount into each of the egg halves. Top each with a baby tomato half.

My thoughts:

I know I've posted a number of deviled egg recipes here, but this weekend I came into posession of some tiny (about the size of my pinky fingernail) cherry tomatoes and kept thinking what a cute garnish they'd be for a deviled egg. I had a fast approaching over ripe avocado and there you go-guacamole deviled eggs.

Maki Sushi

Ingredients:
sushi rice
nori
sushi filling- I used thinly sliced avocado, masago* and surimi**
>bowl of water to dip your finger tips in

Directions:

First, place the nori shiny side down on a bamboo rolling mat. If there are lines or bumps in the nori, they should be horizonal on the mat. Break it in half horizonally if you want to make the small, single filling rolls (maki) or use the whole sheet to make large (futomaki) rolls. For example, I used the whole sheet because I used the crab stick and avocado but if you are just making a tuna roll, avocado roll, etc, only half a sheet is needed. Spread the nori evenly with sushi rice. Try not to make too thick of a layer and keep away from the top edge***. The rice is very sticky so it might help to wet your finger tips before and during this step.

Then arrange your filling towards the center of the rice. If I am using masago, I tend to spread it over all of the rice, or you can keep it in the middle.

After that, begin rolling. Use firm pressure and start to curl the mat up. Hold the filling in towards the center of the roll as you bring the edge of the mat up and over to start forming the roll. When the mat hits the edge as you are rolling, then just pull it back towards you. Once the maki is rolled all the way, gently squeeze it to pack it together and round out the roll. It should now be a thick, dense log.


Cut into several slices. I find a bread knife works best, even better than super sharp knives, for cutting the roll. Serve with wasabi and soy sauce.

Easy! And if you are a little less rice happy than I am you won't get the rice in the curl like I do. Although, I kind of like it this way.



* Roe available in large frozen blocks at Asian grocery stores, chop off some and defrost it over night.
** Imitation crab. While conventional grocery stores frequently carry this (Louis Kemp is a popular brand) it does not taste like the surimi used in sushi bars. Any Asian grocery would have it, often frozen.
*** I am always a little overzealous with my rice. Try and leave a slightly bigger margin on top than I do.

My thoughts:

Like making sushi rice, everyone has a slightly different way of making sushi rolls. I find I get good results using this method, but you can of course tweak it to make it work for you. Some people like to line the mat with plastic wrap, but I personally don't find that too helpful. After you do a few rolls it gets easier and quicker. This is a fun thing to do for a dinner party and cheaper than going to the sushi bar. Many stores now have sushi grade fish available but I would advise you to use it the same day you buy it. Otherwise, use vegetables or cooked ingredients.

Guacamole

Ingredients:
4 avocados
4 long Asian chili peppers (or 6 Serrano peppers), chopped
1 medium tomato, cubed with excess liquid squeezed out
1 small vidalia or other sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1 teaspoon garlic powder
juice of 1 lime
salt
pepper

Directions:

In non-reactive bowl, us a spoon or a potato masher to mash the avocados to desired constancy. Add lime juice and stir to combine. Add all other ingredients, stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it slightly in to the guacamole to prevent oxidation and chill for at least 1 hour. For best results, serve the same day you make it.

My thoughts:

Who doesn't like guacamole? We invited a couple of friends over and devoured the whole lot of it in about 20 minutes. It is a little spicier than a lot of guacamole I have had in the past but that's what makes it special.

Chicken Avocado Club Sandwiches

Ingredients:

4 slices sourdough bread (toasted or untoasted)
1 large avocado, sliced thinly
4 slices bacon, cooked crisp
2 boneless skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced or pounded thin

Directions:
Heat a grill pan over high heat. Add chicken and grill for about 3 minutes on each side. In a separate pan, fry bacon until just crispy. Drain bacon. Assemble sandwiches, layering chicken and bacon with avocado.