Avocado.&.Banana.Salad.

Listen. I know it sounds crazy. I get it. But TRUST me. This.Is.Amazing. The salty crunch of the pistachios mixed with the sweetness of the banana and the bite of the chili and lime is all interesting and delicious.

Let me tell you a quick little story though. So yesterday I was clicking on some blogs I follow and came across this one on FussFreeCooking and decided I was so buying the ingredients and going to try it.

Later that day I got a notification that someone had commented on my blog --- and it was a STRANGER. That may not excite you but it excited me. I really only thought my friend Sarah and my Mom ever read my blog so to get a legit comment (and compliment no less) from just a random reader --- Ex.Citing!

It gets better. I then clicked on her name to see who this random fan was and believe it or not --- it took me back to FussFreeCooking! Literally the girl who's blog I'd been on earlier that day and who made the recipe I decided to try --- was the girl who commented on my blog.

Crazy great --- and this all went down on my birthday!

Ok --- on to the recipe, this makes 2 servings:

[Ingredients:]

1/2 avocado, diced into cubes

1 banana (at preferred level of ripeness), diced into cubes

1/4 or 1/2 small red chili, finely chopped

1T olive oil

Juice from 1/2 a lime

2T coriander, chopped -OR- 1t ground coriander seed powder (in bulk spices section)*

2T pistachio, toasted and chopped

Salt and Pepper

[Directions:]

1. Combine all ingredients in medium bowl except for pistachios and stir

2. Plate mixture and sprinkle with pistachio

3. Enjoy as is or with crackers, chips, or bread (I just had it plain)

*Literally just realized I read the recipe wrong when I made it. I bought the coriander powder thinking it was the spice that was needed. Didn't realize it even came in "leaf" form. When I was making it I could tell there was some sort of leaf in the picture but assumed it had been left out of the recipe --- kinda looked like cilantro. Then I just realized I read it wrong.

HOWEVER --- I thoroughly enjoyed my "powdered" option and definitely recommend going that route if desired!

Lemon-Basil.Lump.Crab.&.Corn.Salad.

So this was a recipe I gave a slight twist to from AllRecipes.com --- following serves 2:

[Ingredients]

Zest of one lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

Juice of 1 lime

2T vinegar

1T olive oil

1t honey

1/2T dijon mustard

1/8t salt

1/8t pepper

1 ear of corn / roughly 1/2 cup kernels

1/4 cup sliced basil

1/4 cup red bell pepper

2T finely chopped red onion

8oz / 1/2lb of lump crabmeat*

2 beefsteak tomatoes

6 cherry tomatoes

[Directions]

1. If using a fresh ear of corn, shuck it (ha ha), then rub with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and garlic salt. Grill or roast in oven at 400 degrees for 15 min --- rotating occasionally.

2. Combine zest, lemon and lime juices and the remaining ingredients up until the corn in a medium bowl and whisk.

3. Add corn, basil, bell pepper, and onion to juice mixture and stir until coated.

4. Slice or chop tomatoes and divide on two plates. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top with scoop of crab mixture.

Enjoy!

*Crab meat is expensive!! Like the 8oz jar is roughly $15

Here's what went down at Whole Foods this evening:

Me talking to the butcher guy behind the fish counter: Do you have any lump crab?

Him: Yes, right here.

Me: How much is it?

Him: $18.99 a pound

Me: How much is that little container?

Him: A pound

Me (in my head not out loud): OMG! Should I just cook some chicken instead??

They have less expensive crab meat in a jar --- bought the "mid-grade" and picked "lump crab" vs. the high-end "jumbo lump crab" and the low-end "claw meat"

Point of the story --- maybe a recipe for a special event rather than a Wednesday night! :)

[Update]
Here's an idea for a twist on any of the leftover crab salad for day two...

Put on top of tomotoes and lettuce
Add diced avocado
Add chopped red chili pepper
Add more fresh basil and squeeze of lime

 

Still liking it day two...

Beets.Are.Delicious! Who.Knew?

Seriously. I learned today --- scratch that --- 2 hours ago --- that Beets.Are.Great. To think of all the salads in the past I've scanned and quickly passed up upon reading an ingredient is beets. What a shame! I don't know why I thought I didn't like beets. To be honest it might be my mom's fault --- sorry mom --- because I'm pretty sure she is anti-beet. But I will be changing that. And let's be honest, the word "beet" is really not that sexy.

I came across a beet and orange salad that looked like something I couldn't help but like and decided to give beets a shot. Actually ended up making two recipes tonight and I honestly cannot say which one is better. Both amazing.



One more thing before we get into the recipes --- did you know beets had to be cooked?!?! I'm not sure why this came as a surprise to me as I didn't even know what a raw beet looked like (thank you Albertson's associate) but I guess I thought you just started slicing away. Not true.

For both of the below, cut the stems (and tails) off the beets and put into a medium saucepan covered in water. Bring to a boil and boil for 30 minutes until they can easily be pierced with a fork.

The skin should be soft enough that you can just slide it off with your fingers. Let the beets cool a bit first! Or use a knife to peel/cut the skin off. Warning: change into dark clothing and consider gloves.

Although this is the "before" washing hands picture --- the "after" does not look much different! I'm not a hand model though (although I bet I could be) so it's not that big a deal. :)

[Beet, Basil, & Orange Salad]
Following serves ~4

2 medium beets, peeled and cut into eighths
2 oranges
2T balsamic vinegar
3T chopped basil
salt and pepper to taste
3T olive oil

While beets are boiling, in a small mixing bowl combine the following:
- The zest of one orange
- 2T of balsamic vinegar
- 3T of chopped basil
- Salt and pepper


Whisk then slowly add the 3T olive oil while continuing to whisk. Set aside.

Then peel and section the orange so you have just the wedges without the skin/pulp. Arrange on serving plates. Then arrange the beet wedges on the plate. Drizzle with basil vinaigrette.

D. Lish. And gorgeous.

[Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Walnuts]

Following serves ~4

2 beets

2T red wine vinegar

3T olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup walnuts

Goat cheese

Lettuce: Bibb lettuce pictured, arugula and escarole used in original recipe

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the 2T of vinegar, salt and pepper, and slowly whisk in the 3T of olive oil.

Cut the beets into bite-size wedges/cubes and add to the marinade. Put in fridge and let sit at least 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees and spread walnuts on cookie sheet. Toast for roughly 8-10 minutes until browned --- stirring occasionally. Once toasted, cut into smaller pieces.

On serving plates place handful of lettuce. Top with marinated beets. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts then crumble desired amount of goat cheese on top.

Enjoy!

Then tell me which of the two is better!

Summery.Italian.Chicken

This is a GREAT dish. It was inspired based on two things:
1. This amazing chicken sandwich my sister Dani made over mother's day weekend
2. This amazing chicken sandwich I had at a little cafe in New York down the street from Magnolia Bakery

[All you need:]
Grilled chicken
Fresh mozzarella cheese
Jar of sun-dried tomatoes
Jar of roasted red peppers
Clove of garlic
Basil, small handful, chopped
Garlic salt

Grill chicken. Take a forkful of the sun-dried tomatoes and a forkful of the roasted red peppers from the jars and chop into small pieces. In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat one clove of chopped garlic. Add the peppers and tomatoes. Sprinkle with garlic salt. Warm through.

Slice chicken. Cut two slices of mozzarella, then cut in half and layed on top of chicken. Top with pepper/tomato mixture. Then sprinkle wi thbasil.

Simply delicious. A good italian twist but still fairly light. Would be wonderful on toasted ciabiatta bread if desired --- but also just great with a knife and a fork!

Summer.Salad.

I'm really not a huge salad fan but this is simply delicious. And full of fresh summer ingredients. The secret ingredients are lemon zest and mint!
















[Salad ingredients:]

1 package of bibb lettuce
1 lemon's worth of zest
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Diced avocado
Handful of mint, chopped (basil if store is out of mint)
Handful of chives --- cut into 1/4 inch pieces
Handful of pine nuts --- toasted
Grilled chicken if desired

[Dressing:]
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1T of dijon mustard
1T of honey
1t of Chipotle Tabasco
1T of vinegar
3T of olive oil
Salt & Pepper

Combine all salad ingredients in bowl. To toast pine nuts just swirl in dry skillet/small saucepan over medium heat until turn brown. Combine all dressing ingredients in small mixing bowl and whisk. Toss over salad. Top with chicken.

So good.

Mangos.

I'm utterly obsessed with mangos right now. They are so summery and delicious. I love to just eat them raw and sliced.

To check ripeness --- squeeze them and they should be soft like an avocado.

As pretty as the skin is --- you don't eat it. I just use a potato peeler and it comes right off. Then slice the fruit from the core. Mangos have some crazy pit similar to an avocado but you can't just twist the fruit into two halves --- slice wedges of the fruit around the center.

Enjoy!