Avocado Kiwi Salsa

My boss came in to work the other day and had me taste her homemade salsa. It was a nice, refreshing combination of kiwi and avocado. Of course, then I asked for the recipe, thinking how nicely it would go with the fillet of snapper I had in the freezer.

Ingredients:
4 kiwi, diced
2 avocado, diced
2-3 tbsp cilantro, diced
3 tbsp lime juice, diced
2 jalapeno peppers, diced
1/2 orange or red bell pepper, diced
1/4 c red onion, diced

Mix everything together in a bowl to combine. I would recommend if you don't like heat to remove the seeds from the jalapeno.

We grilled the snapper fillet (seasoned with salt, pepper and olive oil) and served with a heaping side of the salsa. It went great with the fish and the leftover salsa went perfectly with some tortilla chips.

Spicy Sweet Potato Fries with Cool Avocado Dipping Sauce

Mmm...Sweet Potatoes. I didn't like, or didn't think I liked, sweet potatoes for years. They always were topped with marshmallows and butter and brown sugar and the like and I just couldn't get into it. Were they side dishes or dessert? However, I love this side dish. Nick found this on Food Network and since then, I can't stop eating them. It's a great way to eat sweet potatoes without the usual other sweet toppings that are usually associated with them. It's a spicy, savory version of the veggie (with their natural sweetness of course) with a cool and creamy avocado dipping sauce. And ya'll know that I love avocados.

We served these with a pork tenderloin with lime, chili and cilantro that I'll post tomorrow.

Ingredients (for fries):
2 sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut it into fries. Ours are usually around a 1/2" square, and anywhere from 3-4" depending on the size of the potato. Make sure that they are all about the same size so that they cook evenly.

Once you have them cut, place the potatoes into a plastic ziploc bag (or a bowl) and add the olive oil, paprika, chili powder and ground coriander. Shake (or mix) until all the fries are evenly coated with the spices. Using a ziploc is also great if you are making these in advance, or want to save 1/2 for another time. If you are doing that, just place in the sealed bag in the fridge and they will keep for a day or two (any longer I can't say, since they never last that long in our house).

Since we were making these as a side (for two), we placed half on a piece of foil, spread out evenly, and kept the rest for another day in the ziploc. Once they are on the foil, salt and pepper them to taste.

Cook in a 450 F oven for about 15 minutes on the bottom rack. Your cooking times may vary, but just cook until they are soft. Then, place on the top rack for 8-10 minutes, until crispy. Ours got a bit charred, but I kind of like the crusty bits because they have a nice, smoky flavor.

Ingredients (for dip):

1 avocado

1/3 c cream cheese

1/3 c mayonnaise

1 jalapeno (I subbed a 1/2 poblano just because we had one)

2 scallions, white and light green parts only

1 lime, juiced

salt and pepper

Blend the avocado, cream cheese, mayonnaise, jalapeno, scallions and lime juice in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This is so delicious. I actually bought more sweet potatoes this week just so I can eat this again. Yum!

Standing Rib Roast Burritos

My love affair with items wrapped in tortillas goes way back. During the Girl Scouts when I was about 10, I brought quesadillas to the "Bring your Favorite Food" meeting. Needless to say, my mother's homemade dessert quesadillas, made with Monterrey Jack cheese and brown sugar wrapped inside of fried, then baked corn tortillas, was not a hit by the chicken nugget and brownie crowd.

 So, it's no surprise that I love burritos. We eat them a lot to use up the little bits of veggies we collect with other meals or meat we have left over from some other meal. Tonight's burrito was a mix of veggies that we needed to use up, an avocado getting too ripe, a half used orange pepper from this recipe, some left over cilantro, an onion, and watercress from this dinner. Add a tomato and some cheese (Drunken Goat's Cheese - which adds a creaminess with the perfect amount of tang). Pull some black beans from the freezer and heat up the remainder of a rib roast from the weekend, sliced very thin and you've got the makings of a great dinner.

I wrapped up two more for our lunches tomorrow (without the leafy stuff and avocados - packed separately). I am so excited to eat the rest up tomorrow. Yum!

Avocado Pizza

We eat pizza about once a week. This week, we decided to switch it up and use a recipe that's perfect for springtime. It's based on a Rachel Ray Magazine recipe. Instead of heavy, tomato based sauce and cheese, it uses avocados and leafy toppings.

Ingredients:

1 pizza dough
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in quarters
1 shallot, thinly sliced
olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 avocados
1/2 package of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 bunch watercress, or other peppery, leafy green - remove large stems

Stretch out the pizza dough. Brush with olive oil and bake.We used the dough from our freezer, but store bought would work. We baked until crispy in a 450 degree oven, about 20-25 minutes.

Whisk together the olive oil and vinegar. Toss the tomatoes and shallot in the mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Mash the avocado and spread onto the cooked pizza crust (let it cool a bit first). Top the avocado mash with the watercress and the tomato and shallot mixture. Top with the crumbled bacon. Drizzle with some of the remaining vinegar/oil mixture.

Cut, serve and enjoy!

I thought the avocado topping was delish, but then again, they are possibly my favorite food. Nick really enjoyed it as well. We got our avocado's this week for 80 cents each, so all in all, this pizza cost us around 5 bucks, maybe 6. Serves 8 slices. Definitely a keeper.