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

Pastrami Parmesan Spread

• 
  6-8 thin, narrow slices of turkey pastrami
• ⅔c fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 1oz. grated dill havarti cheese
• 1 clove garlic
• 1-2t dry dill
• a pinch of cayenne pepper
• fresh ground black pepper
• ½-⅔c sour cream
• a little water if needed 

Slice the pastrami, then cross-cut, then chop it as fine as possible. Smash, peel, and mince the garlic. Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl, adding a little more sour cream or water if needed so everything holds together, but is spreadable. This is great on seedy-grainy Norwegian crispbread. It would also be good spread on rye bread, maybe add a little sauerkraut for a quick version of a Rueben! . .Lin

A Norwegian Crisp Bread Breakfast

This is sort of a twist on Avocado Toast, but SO much healthier and better tasting. It's great anytime of the day, not just for breakfast. It's also under 500 calories at about 325 without any sides. 

This comes together quickly. Layer everything, then microwave for 30 seconds. I made some quick blanched-cold-shocked tomatoes the other day, so I peeled this one and used about half of it. If you've never tried these crisp breads, there are several types available on Amazon, probably also at your local, natural food stores.  Next time I make this I'll mince the onion, chop the tomato, mash the avocado all together.  Spread this over the base then put the cheese on last.

Mmmm. Experiment with your techniques! . .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