A salad made for simpletons.Okay, so maybe the term is a bit pejorative, but you get the idea.This recipe is as easy as chopping vegetables and following package instructions.Yet, the final product is vibrant and delectably gourmet.Plus, quinoa is that magically filling grain that is guilt and gluten free, so it won’t weigh you down or leave you hankering for more.
Tonight’s dinner was one of those “throw-this-together- after-work-because-I’m-starving” deals.When I’m hungry there isn’t time to spare on being hung up on some missing ingredient from an over-the-top recipe.So, while it is no great date meal or anything fancy to impress the folks with, it was just what I needed for dinner tonight.
The texture was a perfect yin yang – the crunchy quinoa contrasted with the velvetiness of the avocado made for textural bliss.The taste was fresh and perky – tomatoes, parsley, and feta are naturally bright and lively flavors that made the salad taste light and refreshing.I’m not a huge fan of salads when they are made up of “rabbit food”, i.e. bags of pre-chopped iceburg lettuce.But this is the kind of salad I’ll have seconds of.
For those days when you are on the go, this is a healthful, tasty salad that would be a perfectly packable lunch or a super side salad.
Simple Greek Avocado Quinoa Salad
Ingredients:
½ cup quinoa
1 avocado, ¼ inch cubes
½ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
2 green onions, sliced
2 T fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1.Cook quinoa according to package instructions (I use broth instead of water and add ½ a clove of garlic for more flavor).
2.Prepare all other salad ingredients.
3.Mix together quinoa and salad ingredients, hot or cold and enjoy! Yep, it’s that easy.
Summer rocks until you have been assaulted by a heat index of 114˚ and your kitchen isn’t air-conditioned. All the food that could melt does; probably because you are constantly opening the freezer door just to cool down. Needless to say, you want to minimize your time slaving over a hot stove (or stopping to take step-by-step pictures – my apologies, dear foodies). Thus, a cold cucumber avocado soup won out after a friend dropped off a five pound bag of summer squashes, cucumbers, and peppers.
After peeling, seeding, slicing, and simmering the cucumbers they turned from crisp and cool to soft and savory. Cucumbers being mostly water, I never thought to cook a ‘cuke. Although I admit I was skeptical at first, I have been won over. There is something familiar and yet adventurous about cooking cucumbers. Adding avocado was the secret to a smooth, silky texture and nutty, buttery flavor. To brighten the soup, I used cilantro, dill weed, and mint for their tingly citrus notes and grassy-green taste.
Once I had finished blending the soup, I took a taste of the warm cucumber soup and actually found that I preferred it over the cold soup. (Ah the merits of taste testing along the way…) Eating the soup cold had its perks – it basically tasted like a thinner guacamole, yum! – but the heat of the jalapenos did not blossom without heating the soup, and the cold soup’s texture became a bit strange after bowl two. Overall, the soup was a successful attempt at minimizing time in the kitchen and maximizing my eating enjoyment (even when I can’t get the thermostat any lower than 85 without my AC busting).
Cucumber Avocado Soup “Cold Guacamole Soup”
Ingredients:
2 T EVOO
2 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 small onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
1 T fresh lemon juice
4 cups peeled, seeded, and thinly sliced cucumbers
1 ½ cups vegetable broth
Salt and Pepper (to taste)
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 tsp jalapeno, finely diced
1 avocado
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp dill weed, dried
1 T fresh mint, chopped
½ cup plain yogurt
Instructions:
1.In large saucepan or high-walled skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat.
2.Add onions, cook for about 2 min. Then add garlic, cook for an additional 2 min.
3.Add lemon juice and cook for 1 min.
4.Add cucumber slices, broth, and season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne.
5.Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers soften, about 6-8 min.
6.Take skillet/pan off heat; let cool for about 5 min. Transfer soup to a blender.
7.Add avocado, cilantro, dill weed, and mint; blend on low speed until smooth.
8.Pour into bowl and stir in yogurt. Garnish with fresh diced cucumber and cilantro.
Soup can be enjoyed hot, or can eaten cold after being chilled for about 2-4 hours.
I love a bargain as much as the next guy, but some cheap things must be bought on principle. Take, for example, an $8 deep fryer we found at a thrift store. Sure, it’s not going to produce anything overtly healthy (so far we have fried tortillas, pickles, saltines, and beignets – no regrets so far); but at least by the end of exams, your brain won’t be the only thing breaded and fried.
Our deep fryer was full of possibility, easily outdoing any dorm’s vending machine as the best junk food machine around. Some were skeptical – “What are you going to do with it?” Better question, what were we NOT going to do with it. Visions of sugarplum fairies have nothing on beer-battered shrimp, crispy fried chicken, or fried dough. Soft corn tortillas, the precursor to a perfect dipping vessel, were on sale for about $3 a package of 30, so we picked one up. When we returned home, and cut each individual tortilla into 4 slices, we realized we had way more than a lot of chips.
A ritual was born: finish an exam or paper, and then start up the deep fryer. The reserve brain power we had left was enough to absently plop soft tortillas into our cauldron of scalding oil and watch them emerge as hot, honey-golden crisps. After a quick sprinkle of salt, they offered the perfect salty crunch to kick started our fading minds. But we weren’t finished yet. We wanted something to go with it… Chips + dips=bliss. (Unfortunately, I saw none of these equations on my finals)
The fridge revealed a Mexican powerhouse trio: jalapeno, lime and cilantro. Initially, we had planned on having guacamole and salsa on separate nights. But with the copious chip count, we wanted both. We upped the ante, added hummus to the dip list, and made all three for dinner. Each incorporated the three fresh ingredients, but had a uniquely defined character. Arranged elegantly on a long plate, we treated ourselves to velvety guacamole, vibrant salsa, and creamy hummus. Served cold, it was the kind of meal you could enjoy when it’s too hot for anything heavy. Although we had it as a dinner, it would also be an excellent appetizer before a meal of grilled chicken or flank steak.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 avocados, mashed
1 lime, juiced
¾ cup cilantro, finely diced
½ small onion, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
1 tsp salt (to taste)
¼ tsp cumin
Instructions:
1.Mash avocados into a paste.
2.Mix in the rest of the ingredients, and chill. Place plastic wrap over the guacamole (even when in a sealed container) to preserve freshness and color.
Makes about 2 cups.
Fresh Salsa
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can organic tomatoes, diced
1 large tomato, seeded and diced
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup corn, frozen but brought to room temperature
1 (14.5 oz) can black beans
½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1.Mix together all ingredients. Serve chilled.
Makes about 4 cups.
Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
Ingredients:
1 (14.5 oz) can garbanzo beans, reserve drained liquid
1 T tahini
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely minced
½ cup cilantro, chopped
Lime juice
Cumin
Salt
Instructions:
1.Remove as many skins from beans as possible.
2.Place beans into food processor or blender. Blend, adding reserve bean liquid when needed. Should come out looking like a thick, beige paste.
3.Add tahini, garlic, jalapeno, and cilantro to blender.
Have you ever had a craving for freshly made guacamole? How about some thick, chunky salsa? Creamy, garlicky refried beans? Big dollops of sour cream? Have you had all these at once?! Then why limit yourself to one, when you can satisfy them all in one dip.
American celebrations entail big food productions, and I love another excuse to make food. However, people tend to restrict dips to holidays, parties, and game days. Perhaps it’s because dips are a splurge to our daily diets, or because most recipes make so much that, without friends, it usually ends up in the trash. Okay, so I did make the dip in celebration of the Super Bowl, and I did share with friends; but this dip’s next destination is not the garbage. It’s being rationed as my lunch for the next few days.
You may have guests who pass up the dip, claiming that it will ruin their diet. The truth is, on average, ¼ cup of 7 Layer Dip has only 86 calories and 6 grams of fat. [The real culprits are those sneaky corn tortilla chips…but they taste so good!]
So, although Super Bowl XLV is over, it doesn’t mean you have to ditch the dips. Explore the possibilities of this 7 Layer Dip by trying crackers, chips, pita bread, and even carrots or celery to make it last all week.
7 Layer Dip
Ingredients:
2 (14.5oz) cans pinto beans (do not drain liquid)
1 clove garlic, minced
½ cup sour cream
2 ripe avocados
¼ cup onions, finely chopped
3-4 T lime juice
½ clove garlic, minced
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 cup salsa (I used canned)
¼ cup green onions, sliced
¼ cup olives, sliced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions:
1.In a sauce pot, boil beans and clove of garlic until beans absorb most liquid.
2.With a stick blender, puree beans until thick and creamy.
3.Layer on bottom of 13x9 pan (I used an 11x8).
4.Next, layer on the sour cream.
5.In a small mixing bowl, combine avocados, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt and pepper. Mash together to make guacamole. Add as next layer in dip.
Adadaba. Although seemingly counterintuitive, this is not an infant’s first babbles. It’s a spice and a very intricate and comprehensive one indeed. When they called it “multi-purpose”, I thought: Okay,flavors should then blend well with chicken, vegetables, some red meat, some fish, etc. I hardly expected it to include everything in an advanced spice rack! Over 40 spices go into this super-spice.
Ingredients: Allspice, Basil, Celery Seed, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Curry Powder (a blend of 7 spices), Dextrose, Dill Weed, Granulated Garlic, Garlic Powder, Ginger, Marjoram, Nutmeg, Granulated Onion, Onion Powder, Onion Salt, Oregano, Sweet Paprika, Parsley, Black Pepper, White Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper, Rosemary, Sage, Sour Salt, Sea Salt, Savory, Spearmint, Tarragon, Thyme, Turmeric and MSG.
When I opened the tiny package I had bought from the Seattle market to take a whiff, it was like an entire spice family reunion! The amount of spices blew me away. Perhaps all you are able to utter after experiencing it is the mindless prattle: “adadaba”.
In the package, the spice is a burnt orange color, with flecks of green and brownish black. When I smelled the chaotic culmination of spices, the obvious dominant spice jumped out at me first: curry, garlic, turmeric, cumin, tarragon, etc. I decided to test it out on some shrimp; a nice clean, light meal for this blisteringly hot day of over 102˚. Also, I figured that my ordinary shrimp and rice could use the extra “oomph”.
The waft I got from the adadaba only brushed the surface of the deep intensity of flavor that it punched out when eaten. After cooked and mixed in with food, the curry and turmeric paint most a yellow color, speckled with some black dots from the pepper and darker spices. The flavor was spicy, but with strong aromatic qualities. It was delicious; however I was glad to have had the rice to dilute some of it down, as I had just dredged the shrimp through a little bowl of the adadaba. Next time I might add filler of some sort; just a teaspoon or two of flour to help keep the balance.
The recipe itself was simple. And when you hardly want to move out from underneath the fan blowing cool air on your face, that’s a plus.
Adadaba Shrimp and Avocados
Ingredients:
7 raw shrimp, shelled and deveined
Less than 2 T adadaba spice
About 2 tsp all-purpose flour
1 T olive oil
1/3 rice
1 T lemon juice
½ ripe Hass avocado, chopped
Salt and pepper
Instructions:
1.Cook rice.
2.Heat olive oil in small frying pan over medium high heat until hot.
3.Mix adadaba and flour, dredge shrimp through.
4.Fry shrimp until pink and nearly curled – about 1 min a side.
5.Add lemon juice, avocado, salt and pepper and cooked shrimp to rice. Mix. Serve.
Some may consider setting the bar too high too early on a disservice for things to come, but with cooking, it’s near impossible to eat your way to the very top with a single dish. There is always something else to make you salivate. Savor your culinary pinnacles. Involving nearly all of your senses, these food fantasies will be some of your most vivid memories.
You might be wondering how a burger could climb its way to becoming an ultimate belly bomb. Well, you could grill me with questions, or try it for yourself. Fact is that this was no ordinary burger. This burger was the creation of my favorite fellow chef-mate, and was a burger with the works. Stacked at least six inches high, this defined deliciously messy eating. With the first bite, you hear the clear crunch of crispy bacon and toasted bun. Second bite: globs of melted cheese encapsulate a juicy meaty burger, encrusted with a slightly salty exterior. Third bite: the smell of tart lime and ripe avocado greet your nose, while your tongue is refreshed with a cool guacamole sauce, all of which are accented by a bite of spicy pepper and a tasty fried onion ring. And those are just your first three bites; there are many more to follow.
My taste buds were torn between packing my cheeks with burger bliss and leisurely enjoying the mouthfuls of flavors that kept drizzling down my face. Paired with Refried Beans on the side, this southwestern-style burger meal was well worth the 30 minutes of cooking and cost of $10 per plate. However, this isn’t the kind of meal you want to eat on-the-go, nor is it a meal you want to enjoy alone. It’s a meal where you sit for a good while in silence; your conversation is only mutual smiles and "mmms". Afterward, you settle in for a post-dinner nap. No matter what you ate that day, it’s as if your stomach restarts and somehow you have room to eat and savor every bite of this burger.
Backyard burgers will never be the same.
Recommendations: seed the chilies/peppers to lessen the spiciness; make the guacamole prior to eating to allow the flavors to embolden; try other cheeses on the burger such as Pepper Jack; and if possible, grill burgers over charcoal or hickory chips.
Bacon Guacamole Cheeseburger
Guacamole
Ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, chopped
½ red onion, diced
Juice from 2 limes
2 Serrano chilis or 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
Salt and pepper
¼ c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
¼ c sour cream ***Part of guacamole sauce***
Instructions:
1.Peel and chop avocados, onion, and chilies/peppers. Put into bowl.
2.Slice limes in half, use fork to extract juice from limes. Do this over the bowl of veggies.
3.With potato masher or fork, mash the avocados.
4.Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add cilantro. Continue to mash until desired consistency is reached.
5.Add chopped tomato. Mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Put in fridge.
6.Allow flavors to culminate in fridge for as long as desired.
7.Before serving, mix with ¼ cup of sour cream to create the sauce.
Burgers
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chuck [the higher fat content, the more tasty it becomes!]
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/8 t cumin
¼ t chili powder
3 slices of Colby Jack Cheese
Onion, 1 slice – about 6 rings
2 T flour
6 strips of bacon
3 Kaiser rolls, sliced
4 leaves of Cilantro
Instructions:
1.Mix together first five ingredients in large size mixing bowl.
2.Work the meat in hands until conglomerates and becomes tenderized.
3.Form into 3 balls, press into patty shape with hands. Lightly salt the burgers.
4.In skillet, heat about 1 T olive oil.
5.Put flour in bowl. Coat onion rings in flour. Add to skillet, cook until tender with a crispy exterior. Remove from skillet.
6.Add bacon to skillet. Fry until nearly crispy, take off heat. ***the bacon will continue to cook even after you take it out of the pan, so by taking it out just a bit early helps you achieve the perfect crispiness!***
7.Drain off bacon grease, but SAVE at least 2 TABLESPOONS in skillet. Keep grease hot.
8.In another skillet/frying pan, throw a few pinches of salt onto the pan and then cook burgers. About 5 min per side.
9.Put rolls into bacon grease and fry them for about 2-3 min, until crispy.
10.Add cheese to burgers, let melt.
11.Plate. Bottom roll, burger, onion rings, guacamole sauce, bacon, cilantro. Put the top roll to the side until ready to be ravenously eaten.
Refried Beans
Ingredients:
1 T olive oil
¼ c onion, chopped
½ clove garlic, diced
2 cans [15 oz.] black beans, DO NOT DRAIN
½ c cheese [Queso Fresca or cheddar]
Instructions:
1.Heat olive oil in saucepot. Sautee onions until translucent, about 5 min.
2.Throw in garlic, brown for about 1 min.
3.Add first can of black beans. Bring to a boil.
4.Once some of the liquid has boiled off, add the next can. Allow some of the liquid to boil off this as well.
5.Mash with potato masher, spoon, or my personal favorite, the can of beans itself until your mixture reaches desired consistency.
6.Add cheese to help thicken the mix. Continue to mash the beans.
