Transitioning Into An Avo-Advocate

Avocados used to be some weird green food that I was never interested in eating. I don't know why. It was never anything we ate when I was growing up and my life had been just fine without them. Then I had friends who were obsessed with guacamole. I tried it. It was alright on a chip with salsa. I could eat that if it were in front of me. Then there were more encounters of the avo-kind. I ordered a pita sandwich at a favorite restaurant in my hometown knowing it had avocado. In fact, I was drawn to order it because of the avocado. I knew it wasn't bad and they wouldn't have it on their menu if it was gross. And it was great. Since then I have been trying avocado in different ways. I don't go out of my way for avocado like a good friend of mine does (at work he would talk about and plan his sandwich once he got home and would often crave simply an avocado), but I am intrigued by them, enjoy what they can add to a dish, and their nutrition definitely doesn't hurt them in my book; lots of good fats and low in sugar (but watch out! Over 200 calories per avocado, while an orange has under 40).

I have become a friend of this fruit. An avo-advocate.

Then I came upon this recipe for avocado pasta. Instead of a red or white sauce, the sauce is made from pureed avocados and goes together super fast. I had some bacon in my fridge, so of course I am going to add that and a bit of onion (most everything can benefit from some onion or shallot). Kyle will never go out of his way to eat pasta, and being a pasta-lover, I always have to find the great pasta recipes to try to beckon him away from the dark side of disinclination toward it. The bacon helped on this recipe. And I think the avo did a great job. So this is my version. I hate to say it, but I have no pictures of this dish. The recipe could become vegan if you take out the bacon, which I think would still be delicious.

Creamy Avocado Spaghetti with Bacon

1 1/2 Medium Sized Ripe Avocado, Pitted

2 TB Lemon Juice

3 Garlic Cloves, Chopped

1/2 Tsp Kosher Salt, To Taste

1 TB Olive Oil

5 Slices High Quality Bacon

1/3c Chopped White or Yellow Onion

8oz Whole Wheat Spaghetti, Or Your Favorite Type of Pasta

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta as instructed on package until al dente. In the meantime, heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a plate to drain.  Pour out excess bacon fat, leaving 1-2 tsp in the pan. Saute onion and one clove of chopped garlic in bacon grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Place remaining two cloves of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, avocado, salt and pepper into a food processor and process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once pasta is drained, place in a large bowl with sauce, sauteed onion, and chopped bacon. Toss to evenly coat pasta with sauce. Serve with a crack of fresh pepper over the top.

I am getting hungry just thinking about it. If you are indifferent or not a fan of avocado, I still recommend you to at least try this dish. The avocado is anything but bland, and the lemon brightens the dish with a sweet acidity. The bacon and onion add that little bit of somethin'-somethin' that I have a hard time turning down. In the summer I plan on adding halved cherry or grape tomatoes (because YUM!!).

This week I also made an avocado spread for Bacon Apple Swiss wraps that Kyle and I made. It was sooo yummy I even used it as a dip for the spicy sweet potato fries Kyle made to go with the wrap. I threw it together, but the proportions are about this...

Creamy Avocado Spread

1 Medium Sized Ripe Avocado

1/3 c Sour Cream
3TB Dijon Mustard

1 Clove Garlic, Pressed

1/4c Shallot, Minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mash it all up. Add seasoning depending on what you are using it for. This was perfect for the wraps we made.

Can you tell avocados were on sale at the St. Peter Food Co-op this week? I have been having fun with them. There is one more waiting to be used, so your guess is as good as mine as to what it will be used in!

Have a wonderful rest-of-your-weekend and a pleasant week. If you are in Minnesota, stay warm these next few days (highs below zero...I love this state!)

Cheers!

Korean/Chinese/Mexican Mash-up? Yep. Then Baked.

Over a month since my last post. Holy Cow, what a month it has been! Christmas was pretty low-key this year, which was just fine with me. I was in bed sick with the flu for a week so Christmas Eve dinner was me and Kyle, Chinese take-out (remembering scenes from A Christmas Story...), and Netflix. Not bad. Christmas day was just as low key, but we had the strength to make french onion soup in homemade bread bowls. We had the day after Christmas at both Kyle's parents' house and my parents' house. There was food, smiles, laughs, fantastic company, lots of Alka-Seltzer Plus, tea, tissues, hand washing, and best of all, family. We did some baking for our families again this year. We made Bacon and Dark Chocolate Truffles, Blueberry Champagne Truffles, English Toffee, Snickerdoodle Cookies (with cardamom and lemon instead of cinnamon sugar...YUM!), Brownies, Glazed Spiced Molasses cookies, and Marmalade (I made one batch with tangerines and clementines, and the other with the same fruit, but added ginger and brandy. Both are quite tasty if you ask me).

My work schedule has changed and could possibly change again in the coming weeks. I go to work half an hour earlier to help kids get out of their cars. Seriously. This is part of my job. Kids don't quite know how to coordinate their bodies yet, and I always have a smile on my face helping them get out of the car with backpacks, huge winter coats, and huge mittens obliterating any dexterity that they have picked up in their first five years of life. Adorable. I am enjoying the addition of extra hours to my day because kids make me smile so dang much I almost can't get enough of it.

I have also had some Norwex shows/parties that I have presented. I have been a consultant for a mere three months and have found myself really enjoying it. I love the products, the mission behind the company, and the opportunities to get together with people. I never thought I would be in the direct sales world, and I am glad that I found myself in this particular company and niche within DS; none other would be nearly as satisfying, rewarding, or true to my beliefs as this company is.

So. Now that Christmas is over, the New Year has come, and life is back in the swing of things, what have I been cooking?! I have been craving Korean food from a certain restaurant that we used to go to with my aunt and uncle. And the Korean food my friend's dad would make in high school for my friend's birthday. Kind of barbeque but with an Asian attitude....So today I made something to satisfy that craving. It is bite size and better than any boxed frozen TGIFriday's appetizer out there. I made Korean Barbeque Won Ton Tacos. What a mash-up. I was uncertain if it was something worth posting (is it something worth presenting to others? Do other people really crave and enjoy these things like I do?) I put them to the test. I had my family try them and they were approved with licked fingers, nods, and closed eyes.

Korean Won Ton Tacos (yield: about 30)

3 Chicken Breasts, Thawed

1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

1/2c Barbeque Sauce (sweeter sauce preferred)

3/4 tsp Fresh Grated Ginger

1/2 tsp Toasted Sesame Oil

3 Cloves Garlic, Pressed

1/2-1 tsp Sriracha (to taste)

1 1/2c Cooked Black Beans

1/2c Corn, Fresh or Frozen

Won Ton or Pot Sticker shells

3/4c Grated Cheese (I used a combination of Sharp Cheddar and Pepper Jack)

Sour Cream and Avocado for serving

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 min. 

In a separate bowl combine barbeque sauce, ginger, toasted sesame oil, garlic, and Sriracha. 

When onion is cooked, add sauce to skillet. Heat and add thawed chicken breasts. Cover and cook until chicken internal temperature reads 165deg, flipping occasionally. When chicken is cooked, remove pan from heat. 

Place chicken pieces in a large bowl and shred using two forks. Once chicken is shredded, add sauce from the pan, beans, corn, and cheese. Stir to combine. 

To fill shells, lay won ton shells flat, dampen two edges if round or two corners if square with water, and spoon a heaping tablespoon of chicken mixture into the center. Press damp edges or corners together to hold shell closed. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and brush outside of tacos lightly with olive oil. Bake at 375deg for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden and crisp. Serve with avocado and sour cream.

Because there were so many, I froze a lot of them (before baking them, of course). I am excited to have these little suckers at the ready when we want a snack or a quick appetizer thrown together for a get-together (or for me when my blood-sugar gets low...nobody likes to see that monster).

As I was making these, I was also thinking about different variations. They could become vegetarian by using stir-fried veggies (carrots, celery, cabbage, green onion) and/or tofu. I think the tofu would really stand up well with this sauce. Cilantro could be added. You could use shredded beef if you like (Bulgogi is a Korean barbeque beef dish that was always my cousin's favorite).

This was my first time ever using won ton shells, and I had fun with them! I will be using them again for sure!!

All in all, I am glad to be back writing about my yummies. With all of the Christmas parties, holiday get-togethers for this group and that group, and all of the food eaten at all of these, not enough meals have been made in my kitchen. As much as I love the holidays, it is good to be home.

Cheers!! (and a belated Happy New Year!)