Holy Moly Guacamole

I love avocados.  It hasn't always been that way.  I remember being served some sliced avocado at a friends house and being totally freaked out. When I found out how good they were for you I gave them another try.

Did you know avocados promote heart health? They are rich in good fats and help stabilize blood sugar.  They are a good source of fiber and vitamins as well.  You can find out more information about them here

Some of my favorite ways to eat avocados besides just scooping it out with a little sea salt is a turkey and avocado sandwich with tomatoes and bacon. YUM I eat this weekly or more if I have the ingredients.

I think the most famous use of avocados is guacamole.  I substitute guacamole on my sandwiches or eat it with chips.   Of course piled high on anything remotely Mexican will work too.  The best part is guacamole is really easy to make.

 

 Go to the market and get some ripe avocados and then make the recipe below.

Easy Guacamole 

 serves 4

2 large avocados

1 tomato chopped

1/2 red onion chopped

1 small handful cilantro chopped

juice of 1 lime

1 garlic clove minced

salt to taste 

1/2-1 jalapeno chopped (optional)

in a bowl smash avocados with potato masher or fork.  Leave some chunks.  To the avocado add tomato, chopped onion, cilantro, garlic,lemon, jalapeno if you like heat and salt.

The heat in a pepper comes from the seeds so make sure if you like it on the milder side you seed the pepper.  If you like it spicy add the seeds.  Make sure you wash your hands well after handling peppers.  

Serve with nachos, eat on sandwiches or lick off a spoon.  Enjoy!

Beets my love

Beets my love

 I love beets.  I don't know when it started but I just love them.  I remember sitting in my aunts kitchen with a fork eating pickled beets out of the jar with her. 

I have not met a beet I didn't like, be it pickled, roasted or boiled.  Lunch today is going to be divine. Fresh beets from the farmers market roasted to perfection fresh greens with creamy goat cheese and of course a delicious homemade vinaigrette. So here goes the recipe:

Roasted beet and goat cheese salad with balsamic vinaigrette

serves 4


4 beets roasted (place washed beets in tinfoil and bake 350 for 1 hour or until tender when they're cooked and cool enough to handle rub off skin and cut into quarters)
4T goat cheese or as much as you like
8c fresh greens ( i use mesculine mix )
1/4 cup walnut halves
4T dressing or to taste


Balsamic vinaigrette

1t wholegrain mustard (you can use any fancy mustard but no yellow mustard)
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/8 cup good olive oil
1 clove garlic crushed
1/2-1t dried basil
salt to taste

whisk together mustard, vinegar, garlic, basil and salt. Slowly add in the oil until combined. Use this basic recipe or change out the herbs and vinegar to suit your tastes.

Stuffed Eggplant

When you think about summer what comes to mind? I think about late nights outside, family vacations and warm weather.  And of course all the beautiful food that's available to us.  Whether you have a back yard garden or get to visit one the incredible farmers markets, like i do, summer is the time when you have the freshest local food at your fingertips.  

I picked up some eggplant at the farmers market and came up with a delicious stuffed recipe for it.  It was incredible.  You could leave out the turkey and it would be just as good.  Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant 

serves 4

2 large eggplants (hollow out with a spoon leaving about 1/2 inch shell)
reserved eggplant meat diced
1 pepper diced (red,orange,yellow or a mixture)
1 small onion diced
2 cups prepared brown rice (i used instant made with beef stock)
1/2 lb ground turkey
2c frozen chopped frozen spinach
2T garlic powder more to taste
2T italian seasoning more to taste
1T salt
2 eggs
1/4 c panko bread crumbs
1 lg can crushed tomatos mixed with 2 cups beef broth, 1 T basil, 1 T garlic powder and 1t salt

saute peppers and onions for a few minutes
add turkey cook for 5 mins
add eggplant and spinach cook till spinach is thawed (if using fresh till wilted)
add garlic, italian and salt
mix in rice
add eggs and panko and mix well

fill eggplant shells and cover with tomato sauce
pour remaining sauce into pan (there may be extra filling save it for another time)

bake 350 for 1hour covered until eggplant is soft