Monday, July 20, 2020

Quick and Tasty Guacamole




Guacamole, the well-known Mexican avocado dip, is so easy to make that you should never need buy it again. By using healthy ingredients, you can benefit from the terrific nutritional value of avocados while controlling for excess sodium and eliminating preservatives.

Like many such recipes, this one is a suggestion. It is delicious as is. But you should feel free to experiment - add, change, or delete ingredients or vary their measures.

Avocados are high in natural fiber, low in sugars, and contain a number of important nutrients like potassium, oleic acid, and folate. Since it is the major ingredient, your guacamole’s nutritional profile will be closely modeled by avocado.

One bit of advice – try to find tortilla chips which offer a good profile of low sodium and dietary fiber content. The overall nutritional value of your snack (chips and guacamole) will be very good.

Prep is about 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Ingredients


·         2 ripe avocados
·         1 ripe plum tomato, chopped
·         ¼ cup chopped red onion
·         Juice of one lime
·         1 clove fresh garlic, minced
·         1 tsp cumin powder
·         2 TBS medium salsa verde (green salsa) – less if you want lower heat
·         2 TBS fresh cilantro, washed, patted dry, and chopped
·         Salt to taste
·         Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Procedure


Slice avocados in half lengthwise. Remove pits and scoop out the flesh with a spoon into a medium bowl. Use a fork to gently mash into a chunky consistency.

Add all remaining ingredients. Toss and fold lightly until well mixed.

Add salt and pepper to your taste. Let the guac rest for a few moments for flavors to mingle then break out the chips and dig in!

(PS: store in an airtight manner, in a sealed plastic container or in the bowl tightly covered with cellophane. Avocados tend to oxidize and turn brown which doesn’t affect the taste but is unsightly).

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

Southwestern Bean, Corn, and Avocado Salad




Black beans, corn, avocado, tomato, green onions, garlic, olive oil, lime juice. Hooked yet?

Summertime is great for a refreshing, healthy salad, but it’s certainly a welcome dish any time of year. Black beans provide high quality fiber, corn kicks in a good dose of vitamins and minerals, and avocado a creamy smoothness. The cumin, cilantro, and dressing of oil and lime juice give it an authentic southwestern tang.

But the main difference in this recipe which sets it apart from similar efforts is the sautéing of the corn. That lightens and sweetens the corn and helps balance the main ingredients.

While some unfortunate folks experience cilantro as tasting like soap, to the rest of us it’s a great southwestern kick, a great way to top off this salad.

Prep is about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Dressing

·         3 green onions, sliced thin
·         3 TBS lime juice (2 limes)
·         2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
·         ¼ tsp salt
·         ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

Salad

·         1 TBS extra virgin olive oil
·         12 oz. frozen yellow sweet corn kernels
·         15 oz. can black beans, salt-free, drained
·         1 plum tomato, chopped
·         1 avocado, halved and cut into ½” pieces
·         2 cloves garlic, minced
·         1 TBS cumin powder
·         2 TBS medium salsa verde (green salsa)
·         3 TBS cilantro, washed, patted dry, and chopped
·         Salt to taste
·         Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Procedure

Dressing

Place sliced green onion, lime juice, olive oil (2 TBS), salt and pepper in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly and let stand.

Salad

Heat olive oil (1 TBS) in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add corn and stir occasionally to avoid sticking. Sauté till corn is cooked, 5-6 minutes.

In a large bowl, place black beans, sautéed corn, chopped tomato, and avocado pieces. Add garlic, cumin, and salsa verde, toss well and allow to stand for several minutes to permit flavors to mingle.

Pour dressing into salad bowl, mix well. Top with chopped cilantro. Adjust salt and pepper to your taste.

Buon appetito!