Guacamole, Avocado Spread - for toast or crackers

When you buy a bag of avocados that go from rock hard, to ripe, to lost in the 'fridge. . .well. . .you make guacamole!

4 very ripe avocados

1/2c mayonnaise

1T lemon juice

3T finely chopped green onions

1 finely chopped medium tomato

1t each: garlic salt, granulated garlic, smokey pepper seasoning

Peel and mash the avocados and combine with the mayonnaise, vegetables, seasoning and lemon juice.

If you're having this on toast, you can serve it now. Add an over-easy or medium fried egg if you'd like.

For a chunkier guacamole, add more onion and tomato. You could also add a can of drained corn and rinsed-drained black beans. Chopped celery hearts and greens could also be included. . .Lin

Garden Salsa Guacamole

Finely chop all the vegetables into a large glass bowl.

1/2 skinny orange bell pepper
3 or 4 small avocados
6oz. salsa verde (green salsa)
2-3T fresh lemon juice
1 med. tomato, peeled
3T sour cream
garlic salt + black pepper

Peel, chop and mash the avocados then add the remaining chopped vegetables. Gently stir everything together.

Serve with breadsticks, tortilla chips, seedy crackers or spread on toast. . .Lin

Everything Avocado Chip Dip

24oz. (3c) sour cream
1 lg. clove garlic
2 mini peppers
1-1/2 ripe avocados
1 oz. sun-dried tomatoes

2T Everything Bagel Seasoning
1t± fresh ground pepper
1 pkg. dry onion soup
1/4t sugar

Weigh or measure the sour cream into a medium bowl. Add finely chopped-minced pepper, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes.

Wash, peel and mash the avocado, add that to the bowl. Sprinkle on all the spices and combine everything well with a silicone spatula.

Serve with your favorite chips. . .Lin

Spicy Lemony Salsa-Guacamole

1 sm. onion

2 garlic cloves

½t Penzeys Smoky 4/S

½c medium tomatillo salsa

½t black pepper

2½t cumin

½t sugar

2 ripe avocados

zest of 1 lemon

1-2t fresh lemon juice

2t SWAD coriander chutney

Crush and peel the garlic, then mince it very fine, with the onion. (I would have also included finely chopped yellow, orange or red bell pepper if I'd had that.) Add the seasonings and salsa, then mash in the avocado.

This would be great spread on toast for a spicy breakfast with eggs cooked your favorite way. Good on a taco salad along with sour cream, spread on a chicken, turkey or roast beef sandwich, tuna melt -or- just with a side of chips for a snack. Mmmm. . .Lin

Not-Yo usual Na-Chos 😉

• whole grain Norwegian crispbread
• crumbled bacon
• shredded cheese
• kalamata olives
• sliced green onions
• ½ med. avocado - chopped
• 1 sm. peeled tomato - chopped

Crumble one or two pieces of crispbread into a bowl. Top with any or all of the above. In a small cup, mix some of the sour cream with the green salsa and pour that on top of everything. Warm your taco bowl in the microwave for about a minute. I'm not a fan of ground meat at all, other than in meatloaf and a really good burger on the grill every few years. What I do is buy a couple pounds of bacon, cook it all, drain and cool it, then crumble and store it ziplock bags.

It keeps a long time in the 'fridge or you can freeze it. Then you can add to egg salad, steamed fresh green beans, pea and cheese salad, tossed salad, scrambled eggs, and...NACHOS!

 

Remember, be creative, experiment! Cooking is art, not science! . .Lin

Salsa - Guacamole

Ahhh, I can tell it's heading toward warmer weather when I start craving this!

Make this right before serving.  It doesn't keep well, it's a mix and serve sort of thing.

Heat up 3 quarts of water to a simmer.  Drop the tomatoes in and gently stir them for about 30 seconds.  Drain and immediately put them in ice water.

Zest and juice the lemon, or a lime, into a medium bowl for mixing. Add your favorite salt-pepper, seasoning blend. Chop all the other ingredients shown, into the bowl. Peel and chop the tomatoes. Add them and ⅓c chopped kalamata olives and 2-3T of finely chopped jalapeño slices. Stir everything together and serve with your favorite chips.

You could also add a can of black beans and/or corn, rinsed and drained.

Today I decided to just keep it all fresh.  Be bold. . .have fun experimenting. . .Lin

Avocado Dressing

I'm super picky about avocados and like them in salads when most people would wait another day or two.  Once they reach that level of ripeness, I reluctantly put them in the 'fridge where they mostly go to die.  I'm just not a fan of mushy avocados, and you can only eat so much guacamole! 😐

I thought possibly mashing these two that were in my 'fridge for 5+ days, with the ingredients shown, might make an interesting, creamy salad dressing.  The seasonings may seem excessive, but the blandless of the sour cream and avocado make that level necessary.  Taste it after an hour or so to be sure the flavors all have time to hydrate and you might be surprised to find you need even more!

2 soft avocados

1 lemon - zest

½ lemon - juice

3T this vinegar

1t Shallot Pepper

1t garlic & herbs

¼t black pepper

⅔c sour cream

3T water

Mash all this together with a potato masher.  When it's smooth, spoon it into a lightweight gallon-size plastic bag.  Cut off the bottom tip.  Twist the bag and smoosh it into a plastic squeeze container and refrigerate.  This will keep for a week or two. . .Lin

Tomato Garlic Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

6 garlic cloves

2/3 medium onion

3/4 lime - juice

zest of one lemon

1/2t Himalayan pink salt

1/2t chili powder

1/2 can diced tomatoes

1/2c plain Greek yogurt

As much as I love firm avocado slices in a salad or on a sandwich, I've never been a fan of guacamole.  It's usually just mushy and tasteless.  So I decided to try making something flavorful out of these soft organic ones that got lost in my 'fridge.

Seed, peel and mash or chop the avocados into a medium bowl.  Wrap garlic in a paper towel and microwave for 10-15 seconds.  They will peel easily.  Finely mince the garlic, chop the onion and add to the bowl.

Add the lime juice and zested lemon peel.  Sprinkle on the seasonings, add tomatoes only - no juice and yogurt.  (20+ gm protein/serving is the best kind.)

You can strain the tomato juice into a glass and add ice to have with this.  Or, if you're so inclined, also add a splash of lemon juice, spices and Vodka for a small Bloody Mary.

Finely chopped parsley or cilantro would also be a good addition to the guac.  Also, some fresh grilled corn and/or black beans for an even heartier guacamole would be a nice change.  Mix cover and refrigerate for an hour.  Serve with chips, crackers or vegetables. . .Lin

4 Food Group Snack

1        red Bartlett Pear - chunked
1/2     avocado - cubed
1/2 c  almonds, macadamias, etc.
a handful of cheese cubes or cheese curds

Combine and eat!
:o)  . . .Lin