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

South Of The Border Egg Bowl

1 hard boiled egg

2 stalks celery

1/2 purple onion

2T EVOO

1-2c cooked beans

1c medium salsa

Peel and slice the egg into a bowl. Chop and sauté the celery and onion in EVOO in a nonstick pan. When half way done, add the salsa, cover and simmer on low until the celery is cooked the way you like it. Stir in the beans, bring back to a simmer then serve with the egg. A well-balance anytime meal with lots of flavor, fiber and protein. . .Lin

Pineapple-Strawberry Pico de Gallo

Earlier this summer I knocked my own socks off when making one of my 5 Ingredient Salads. I was in the chopping-slicing stage when I discovered my tomatoes were less than stellar. I checked the fridge and there it was - a perfect container of strawberries. Okay then, worth a try!?! What a great salad! Try substituting strawberries for tomato the next time you make a big, fresh, garden salad!

Today I was thinking I'd make salsa when I saw my perfect tomatoes. I changed it to pico, then wondered about strawberries. . .In the end. . .Strawberries Won! I don't know if anyone else ever uses celery in pico or salsa. I had 2 big bunches of it, and this celery heart really wanted to marinate with its 'fridge mates in the bowl, and, Who Am I, to say no to such gorgeous celery?

1 lg. clove garlic

1/3 poblano pepper

1 celery heart and tops

10 oz. cleaned strawberries

4 oz. frozen pineapple

1 lemon - zest and juice

1 oz.+ fresh cilantro

1 med.-lg. Vidalia onion

1t fresh ground black pepper

1/2t Himalayan pink salt

1-2t fruity white Balsamic vinegar

Finely mince the garlic and pepper, chop the rest and gently combine in a medium glass bowl. Serve with corn chips or quinoa chips. Grind it up a bit, and spoon it over any grilled meat: chicken, fish, shrimp, steak, burgers. . .This would also be great over a wedge salad with a drizzle of poppy seed dressing.

Or just grab a fork - Pico Salad! 😉 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

GazSalGuac

Not trying to be cutsie with the name of this recipe, but this is really hard to categorize. Not quite gazpacho, salsa or guacamole. . .more a first cousin to all three! A bowl of this, by any name, however, is pure deliciousness! Tonight, after a day spent watching the Inauguration of our 46th United States President. . .it's a celebratory-victory dinner for me, with a big piece of Norwegian crispbread! Garnished with the avocado slices and some sliced kalamata olives. Mmmm 😋 So good! 

I wasn't planning to cook or post today, but I went into the kitchen during a break in the activity in DC, and saw a sad bunch of droopy cilantro. No way was I going to throw it out, so, this happened!

It's pretty clear from the pictures what ingredients were used. Some hand chopped-sliced, others finely chopped or pulverized - think  garlic - in my chopper. I used the zest and juice of one lemon, 1/2c EVOO and the only change was, at the end, it was needing more cucumber. I added 2 more, all rough-peeled, for a total of 4. A good shake of salt, almost 1t of my favorite chili-lime seasoning, and 2t sugar pulled it all together.

Did I mention how good this is? I had to put it away after the second bowl so I'd stop! . . . 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

Salsa Corn and Oat Quick Bread

1 c quick rolled oats

1½ c corn flour

1 t baking soda

1 t baking powder

2 T raw sugar

1 T cumin

1 egg

¾ c salsa

8 oz. corn

½ c sour cream

⅓ c vegetable oil

⅛ c capers, chopped olives or jalapenos

Preheat your oven to 350⁰.  Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Do the same with the next group in a medium bowl.  Mix each very well, separately.  Pour the wet ingredients into the dry bowl, mixing quickly, but just until incorporated, don't over mix.  Pour into a buttered 9x9" glass pan or an 8-9" seasoned cast iron pan.  Sprinkle the top with a some smokey salt flakes, or some turbinado sugar to bring out the sweetness of the corn.  Bake for 45 minutes.  Cool to room temperature before cutting.

This would go great with chili, soup or grilled meat and vegetables.  I'm also considering letting it dry, cutting it into cubes and using it with crusty bread cubes as stuffing for our Thanksgiving turkey.  Gobble, gobble! . .Lin

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

½ lg. sweet white onion

1 sm. purple cipollini onion

1 sm. orange sweet pepper

1 lime - zest and juice

½t fresh ground black pepper

½t Little's Hot Chili Lime Seasoning

1T ground cumin

1t dry dill

1t sugar

3 ears of corn - cooked

1 15oz. can of black beans - drained-rinsed

2 ripe tomatoes - diced - or

~ 1 can petite diced tomatoes

½ - 1 bunch of cilantro - chopped

In a big bowl, combine the first group of ingredients.  Mix and let marinate while preparing the second group.  Cool the corn until it's to a temperature where you can work with it.  Cut the kernels off the cob.  Add corn, beans, tomatoes and cilantro to the bowl.  Mix together and chill a couple of hours.  Serve on tacos, taco salad, with tortilla chips, or as a side salad. . .😋. . .Lin

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

Corn and Black Bean Salsa Salad

1 med. Vidalia onion

3 sm. tomatoes

1 barely ripe avocado

1 lg. clove elephant garlic

1 can black beans - rinse and drain

1 can corn - rinse and drain

1 lime - juiced

zest of lime or lemon

2-3T snipped regular or garlic chives

fresh ground pepper and salt

Chop-cube the vegetables, mince the garlic and combine with remaining ingredients in a medium size bowl.  Cover and chill a couple hours.  Stir gently, taste and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar for a little extra zing, if needed.  Serve with pita wedges, tortilla chips or as an accompaniment to grilled fish, chicken or shrimp. . .Lin

Quick Corn and Black Bean Salad

1 15oz. can black beans

1 15oz. can of corn

1 14oz. can petite diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic

½ medium onion

½ bunch of cinaltro

salt and pepper

Drain and rinse the black beans. Combine in a medium size bowl with the drained corn and tomatoes. Mince the garlic and chip the onion and add to the bowl. Snip in the cilantro. Mix and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve over lettuce as a side salad or with scoop chips. . .Lin

Spicy Ginger-Peachy Salsa

This would be good with chicken or turkey.  Also as an appetizer over a block of room temperature cream cheese, on a plate with rice crackers.

5       peaches

1/2c  walnut pieces

1 lg   sweet onion

3       stalks celery

1/3c  candied ginger

Zest of 1 lemon

2-3T lemon juice

1 med  poblano pepper

2       cinnamon sticks

1/2c water

1c     raisins

2T    brown sugar

1T    balsamic vinegar

Bring a 4qt. pot of water to a rolling boil.  Drop the peaches in one at a time, turn and keep submerged 1 minute.  Take out and put in a bowl of ice water to chill.  Halve and quarter, then peel and chop.

Dry toast the walnut pieces in a heavy pan, for a few minutes stirring.  Take off heat, cool a minute then add 1T butter, chopped or sliced:  onion, celery, ginger, poblano pepper.  Add cinnamon sticks.  Stir together, cover on low heat for just a few minutes.  Add water, raisins and the chopped peaches.  Simmer 15-20 minutes - add sugar and vinegar the last 5 minutes.  Store in covered glass bowl for a week or so in the refrigerator. . .OR. . .fill clean pint jars with the bubbling-hot salsa.  Top with rubber seal lids, screw caps tight.  Listen for the ->ping<- . . .Lin