Avocado Vegetable Salad or Toast Spread

I was going to make this as a vegetable-heavy spread for avocado toast, then remembered halfway through the prep that I was out of bread. . .Hence the salad! This would be good either way.

1 sm. ripe avocado

1 Campari tomato 

1/4 Vidalia onion

1 lg. clove of garlic
1 lg. orange mini pepper
2-3T sour cream
3/4c shredded Parmesan 
a drizzle of lemon vinaigrette 
black + cayenne pepper
garlic salt

Mash the avocado and finely chop all the vegetables. Mix together, season, add the sour cream and a little vinaigrette and the cheese. Stir until well combined.

Spread on toasted sourdough bread or serve as a salad over your favorite chopped lettuce. Today my green base was torn up pea microgreens and baby arugula. This makes enough for 2 servings of salad or toast. . .Lin

Chicken and Pesto-Avocado Toast

I made some great pesto recently that I combined with a mashed avocado and some chopped pea microgreens.

This was delicious on Aldi's Everything Bagel Sourdough Bread, toasted. I added a little roasted chicken, cucumber and tomato - peppered and garlic salted - for an excellent lunch. . .Lin

Healthy Fat and Protein Toast

I'm really picky about bread and try to keep it minimal in my diet. So when I do indulge, it has to be something really special. My all time favorite bread for sandwiches and toast is Aldi's Everything Bagel Sourdough Bread. Excellent!

Take a big piece of that, toast it and spread it with the following combination. This makes enough for two breakfasts.

1 lg. pasture raised egg - hard boiled

1 sm. avocado

a little spicy mustard

a big or little sprinkle of garlic salt

a big or little shake of a black and cayenne pepper blend

several tablespoons of EVOO or toasted sesame oil

finely chopped green onion

Mash everything together and spread on the toast pieces. Serve with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers or fruit.

After I made this I realized a couple sardines would also be great in this. I'll add those before breakfast tomorrow. Buy the good kind, in EVOO, not that soy stuff. If you don't eat all of them, combine them with your cat or dog's food and they'll love it! . . Lin

LOADED Avocado Spread - for avocado toast

I just got my CSA farm box yesterday. Additionally my freezer is packed, as is my 'fridge.
Blessings of riches for sure, but the quantity of food in my house right now is over the top!

The 6 little avocados I bought last week went from rock hard to perfect in a day or two. I like them less ripe than most people, so they went into the 'fridge immediately. . .where they continued to ripen and soften! I decided to use 2 today then saw lots of other vegetables to add to the mix. . .

I often wish I could cook more simply but I doubt it will happen. As much as I admire all aspects of minimalism -so far- my brain just won't go or stay there.

So, for this recipe, it began with these ingredients all rough chopped into my blender jar:

2 stalks celery
2 medium carrots
2 roma tomatoes
6-8 garlic scapes
1/3 large green pepper
1 big garlic clove
1 bunch of basil
1 bunch flat leaf Italian parsley

Use a vegetable peeler to take only the bright yellow layer of the lemon peel and added all the juice. Add 2-3T spicy ranch dressing. Blend that until well combined.

In a medium bowl, finely chop 2 avocados. (yes, I used 2, the second is tucked in between the basil and the bottle of dressing) Add 3oz. of sharp flavored shredded cheese and 3oz. of finely chopped pistachios (or walnuts) Sprinkle with Himalayan pink salt. 

Pour in the blender contents, fold everything together until well combined. Some of the liquid rose to the top so I tilted the bowl and absorbed that with a bunched up paper towel. It was great on toasted sourdough bread but could also be served like salsa or guacamole with tortilla chips. . .Lin

Avocado Bean and Corn Salsa

We're having a 'celebrate Spring's arrival' neighborhood get together at a neighbor's home across the street tonight. I originally said I'd bring Tabouli, but when I shopped, somehow a couple necessary ingredients slipped my mind. . .so I decided on a guac-type salsa instead.

Mash 2 ripe avocados in a bowl, add the seasonings you like.

Today I used about 1T of this guacamole seasoning containing lots of the usual dried vegetables and a drizzle of lemon juice. 

When I tasted it at the end, it seemed good, so I stopped with just that.

I poured in about 10oz. of the salsa, some finely chopped purple onion, a celery heart and tops, a can of drained and well rinsed black beans and then decided it also needed a can of corn, well drained and rinsed. 

It went together fast and I'm hoping the super thin and crispy chips will hold up to such a chunky 'salsa.' Happy Spring Everyone! . . .Lin

A Protein-Fiber Breakfast Bowl

I love putting leftovers together for breakfast. . .

Today it was 3 pieces of Spicy California Rolls cut in half, part of an avocado and a couple ounces of roasted dark meat chicken.

Topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning and a drizzle of Sweet Chili Sauce and Mushroom Soy Sauce. . .it was just perfect!

Be adventurous and think outside the 'traditional breakfast food' box. You might be surprised. . .Lin

Salads - With Turkey

Each of these was a full dinner salad. . .

as in a salad for dinner.

This one started with some mixed greens, a little bit of chopped turkey, green onion and Kalamata olives. 

Add some sauté-steamed broccoli florets and some orange bell pepper in a little EVOO and a big splash of vinegar at the end.

Top with chopped avocado, pepper jack cheese and some half-sharp paprika.

Tonight, another of these sounded good to me. Again, it began with some chopped mixed greens, lightly steamed broccoli, about an ounce of chopped turkey, green onion, celery, avocado and splashed with a little of my favorite homemade 'clean' salad dressing.

Meat doesn't have to be the main event. Here it's a minimal addition to healthy green salads. . .Lin

A Lovely Breakfast!

I was hungry way earlier than usual today. This went together quick and was just what I needed! Chopped up and in a bowl in no time. . .

1/2 tomato
1/2 avocado
1 green onion
1 hardboiled egg
3T spicy hummus
a little handful of pea shoots (micro greens)

Some sunflower seeds and capers would have also been good in this mix. Be creative! Make a little time. Good food is sometimes just about combinations and really doesn't have to take long to prepare. . .Lin

Avocado Dressing(s)

What to do with a soft avocado. . .

Guacamole? Pop it into a green smoothie? Lately I've been making salad dressing with them.  This time it was just about equal parts of mashed avocado and a vinaigrette I made recently. For something similar to ranch dressing, you can add sour cream and seasonings in place of the vinaigrette. Some salt, pepper and dill. Pour it on, and you're ready for lunch!

Be Creative!  Happy Cooking! . .Lin 

Loaded Avocado Egg Salad

• 1 med. carrot
• 1c lentil sprouts
• 1/3c chopped onion
• 1 ripe-firm avocado
• celery heart and greens
• 3 steamed - hard boiled eggs
• 1c finely chopped purple cabbage
• 1/2c sweet or dill pickle - chopped
• mayonnaise, sour cream or salad dressing
• salt and pepper

When I start craving vegetables like I have been lately, I know my body's trying to heal itself. It feels like I've had a bad cold for the past couple months. It might be allergies, but it's not responding well to any of the allergy meds I've tried, so now I'm trying to be more mindful of attacking this with rest, food and hoping it'll go away soon. I had eggs and an avocado I needed to use, so I decided to add more vegetables than I usually would for my regular egg salad.

This would be good in a lettuce wrap, a small, individual size bread bowl, or in a hollowed out tomato for a vegetarian stuffed tomato.  Stay healthy everyone. . .Lin

Orange-Avocado-Spinach Salad

Sometimes when we deviate, just a touch, from our norm, the results are so good we can't wait to use it as a springboard for other directions. This salad turned out so well, I was shocked! I can also vision the basics of this salad with chopped apple, grated raw beet, sliced strawberries, chopped walnuts, sprouts, finely diced celery heart and greens. . .ahhh, endless possibilities! Not all in one salad, but several  interesting combinations. For today though, this is what happened:

• 1 big handful of fresh spinach - stemmed and torn
• 1 Cutie or Halo - tiny mandarin orange
• 2T± very thinly sliced mandarin orange peel
• a few thin slices of a big sweet onion
• 2 radishes - thinly sliced
• 1 med. carrot - cut in half then sliced thin
• 1 sm.-med. avocado - chopped

Tear the spinach, quarter the peeled orange then slice the quarters. Add the peel, and all the other ingredients and toss gently.  Drizzle everything with a good amount of EVOO, salt and pepper and a big splash of fruity white balsamic vinegar.  Toss again and serve.  This makes 1 big salad or 2 side salads. . .Lin

GazSalGuac — Update!

After the first day, I decided I was done with this, in its original form.  I used my immersion blender to change the texture completely, added a big splash of white balsamic vinegar - probably 1/3c, 1t dry dill, 1 big crushed garlic clove, a little more salt and pepper, and a ripe avocado and blended it all again until almost smooth.  Top with dollops of sour cream, some Little's Chili Lime Seasoning, and finely chopped cilantro, parsley, green onion tops, or a little more dry dill.

Gazpacho! A spicy cold soup.

Changing a 'finished' product sometimes makes it better! . . Lin

Spicy Avocado Spread

I love everything-avocado! (Or is it avocado-everything?) Sliced on sandwiches, in a big salad, chopped in egg or tuna salad, in tacos, on omelets. . .lots of possibilities. People put them in strawberry-banana-pineapple smoothies as well as green smoothies. Peeled-halved and grilled with a burger, I've even heard of avocado ice cream, but I'm not sure how that would be.  This is something I put together a couple days ago but didn't photograph or write it down, so I had to make it again, oh darn 😉 The first time it also had a tablespoon each of dill and sweet pickle relish, but I think I like it better this way.

• 1 ripe-yet firm avocado
• 1T coriander chutney
• 1-2t fresh lemon juice
• 1 lg. clove garlic - minced
• a sprinkle of salt, cayenne and black pepper
• 2-3T mayonnaise or sour cream to hold it all together - today I used a little of each

Mash the avocado in a small bowl, with a fork, then add the rest of the ingredients and continue to mash to combine everything well.  This is a little different twist on Avocado Toast, spread on a grainy-seedy piece of Norwegian crispbread. Top with a sliced 12-15 minute steamed (hard boiled) egg and a little sprinkle of salt and chili powder.  Chili powder, egg and mayonnaise go really well together. I discovered this by accident making potato salad one day. My mom used to garnish hers with parsley, radish roses and a sprinkle of paprika. Ooops  no paprika, so I used chili powder. . .(and I haven't used paprika since!)

Tonight this was an early football dinner while watching the Packers beat the Bears 😊

A glass of Beet Lemonade, was perfect with this. This is something I've only had locally, at The Duluth Grill. I make it at home now with lemonade/beet juice/club soda in a 2/1/1 ratio, and it's excellent!

Happy Sunday Everyone! . .Lin

Avocado-Black Bean Guacamole or Salad

3 ripe avocados

2 Roma tomatoes

1 bunch cilantro

2 long spring onions

1 lg. clove of garlic

1 lime - zest and juice

1t pink Himalayan salt

1t chili lime seasoning

1t garlic and herb seasoning

dry black beans - cooked - or

14-28oz. canned black beans

Dice-slice-chop the tomatoes, avocado and onion into a medium size glass bowl.  Wash, dry and finely slice the cilantro, mince the garlic and combine with ingredients in the bowl.  Add the lime zest and juice.  Season everything, then add the beans.  Gently toss all this together.  How you serve this may depend on the ripeness of the avocado.  If it mushes up, I'd serve this with sturdy tortilla chips as a Super Guacamole.  If the avocado stays firm and independent, this would be a great Avocado-Black Bean Salad.  Your call 😉 . . . Lin

Avocado Toast

1T mayonnaise

1t finely snipped chives

fresh ground garlic salt

cayenne-black pepper

½ barely ripe avocado

1 lg. rectangular piece of sunflower seed bread*

The avocado I used today is prefect for me, but not as ripe as usual for spreading, so I couldn't mash it and combine those first 5 ingredients.  Instead I mixed the first 4 together in a small bowl.  Cut the bread into 2 smaller squares and toasted them.  Spread the mayo mixture on the toast then add thinly sliced avocado.  The tomatoes and Cherry Kool-Aid Pickles finished this off just great!  The total calorie count for this breakfast was around 475. . .Lin  *Pumpernickel and Whole Rye are also available at Aldi grocery stores.  

Spicy Corn-Black Bean-Avocado Salad / Salsa

6oz. cherry tomatoes

1 med. red tomato

2 (not too ripe) avocados

6 green onions

1 lime - zest and juice

1 15.25oz. can black beans

1 15.25oz. can corn

fresh ground Himalayan pink salt

1/4c Herdez Guacamole Salsa

a couple Genovese Basil leaves*

Finely chop the first 4 ingredients into a med.-lg. glass bowl.  Add the zest and lime juice, well drained and rinsed (then drained again with the strainer on some wadded-up paper towels) black beans and corn.  Grind on some salt, add the Herdez salsa and finely sliced basil* optional.  The jar says 'Medium' but it's a pretty hot medium!  A quarter cup is all you need.  Gently mix this together, cover with clear wrap and refrigerate a couple hours to blend the flavors.  Carefully mix one more time just before serving.

Avocado Corn and Bean Salsa with Chili Lime Chicken

1 can corn - drained

1½c small red beans

2 minced shallots

2 finely minced garlic cloves

1 diced onion

1 lemon - juice and zest

1½ diced avocado

1 bunch of chopped cilantro

Combine everything in a small bowl.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving to blend the flavors.  Stir gently, then serve with chips, as a garnish over chicken or fish, or as a side dish or salad.  Shown here with my quick. . .

Chili Lime Chicken

1-2# chicken breast meat

butter and olive oil

Trader Joe's Chili Lime Seasoning*

sour cream and water

Sauté the chicken - fast - in a cast iron pan, in very hot butter and oil. After turning the first time, season the chicken with the Chili Lime Seasoning.  Continue to turn, season and brown.  When the chicken is done, remove from the pan, then stir in a little sour cream and water in about a 1 / 1 ratio.  Stir with a wooden spoon, keeping the heat fairly high, to incorporate all the brown bits in the pan.  Pour this over the chicken when serving, as a browned sour cream gravy.  I garnished this with a few cloves of pickled garlic. . .Lin

Avocado-Artichoke Hummus

2 cans drained garbanzo beans

1 can artichoke hearts

1 avocado

1 large garlic clove

3-4T roasted red pepper

1/4 - 1/2c extra virgin olive oil

1t-1T toasted sesame oil

1 lemon - zest and juice

2t± chili powder and/or ground cumin

a little water if needed

Combine everything in a food processor until it reaches your desired consistency.  Serve with sliced fresh vegetables, pita chips, bagel chips, or use in place of mayonnaise on a sandwich. . . .Lin

Quinoa-Rice Avocado Tabouli

Pilaf:

1c of a quinoa-rice blend

2T Italian Herb olive oil

1/2 finely chopped onion

1 very large garlic clove - minced

2T dried parsley

2c water

Dressing:

2 very ripe avocados

1/2c Italian Herb olive oil

2 lg cloves of garlic - minced

2 limes - zest and juice

2T coriander (cilantro) chutney

2T basil pesto

a little water if needed

4 med. tomatoes cubed

2 mini English cucumbers

1/2 lg. Vidalia onion - chopped

2 cans black beans - drain and rinse

2 cans corn - drained

2-4T dried parsley

1/2c fresh snipped parsley

In a 2qt. pot, combine quinoa-rice, olive oil, onion and garlic over med-high heat, stirring often.  When this mixture is browning and aromatic, add water, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until water is absorbed.  Transfer to a large glass bowl.  Mash the avocados in a medium bowl or flat-bottomed pot.  Add all the remaining ingredients and let the flavors blend while chopping the vegetables.  Put all the vegetable ingredients in with the pilaf.  Mix carefully, with a wooden spoon, so as not to mash the rice.

When the rice and vegetables are combined, pour the dressing over all and again, mix carefully.  This makes a very big bowl.  This would be good for a picnic, barbecue, or just to make ahead for the next week of lunches.  To prevent it from becoming soggy, you could store the pilaf and vegetables separate from the dressing until just before serving.  The quinoa and beans elevate the protein content of this vegan dish. . .Lin

Sun-Dried Tomato—Avocado Dressing

1 very ripe avocado

3/4c real mayonnaise 

2-3T Balsamic vinegar

2-3T finely chopped sun dried tomatoes

1-2T oil from the tomatoes

fresh ground sea salt and pepper

2-3T water - as needed

Mash the avocado in a flat bowl, stir in the remaining ingredients and pour over a tossed salad.  Makes enough for 2 big salads. . .Lin