Another quickie lunch or appetizer to serve. It is easy and scrumptious so go for it…..
- 1 lb. medium shrimp, shelled, deveined
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 tbsp. melted butter
- 1/3 cup fresh coriander leaves
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 cup black bean puree
- 1 tomato, seeds and diced
- 1/2 avocado, diced
- 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
- 1 bag of shredded nacho cheese
- 3 tbsp. salsa verde
- 1/4 cup sour cream (not light)
- 1 lime, quartered
Thread the shrimp on wooden skewers (soak the skewers first).
Place on a platter, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with the garlic and turn to coat both sides.
Preheat the barbecue.
Grill the shrimp for 45 seconds. Spread with bean puree, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Add the diced tomato, avocado and onion, then arrange the shrimp pieces over the top. Sprinkle with the cheese and cover with another tortilla. Press lightly.
Place on the grill and reduce heat to medium. Cook about 3 minutes on each side until lightly browned and the cheese has melted. Cut in half and serve with the salsa verde and sour cream.
Yummy….
Breakfast Toasts With Poached Eggs and Avocado
Always looking for something different for breakfast? Tired of the same old, same old?
If you like toast, like eggs and like avocado then try this one. Together they are a refreshing new “love this” dish to serve.
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
- pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- 3 slices sesame bread, lightly toasted (if serving 3 people)
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh pea shoots
- olive oil for drizzling
- 1 tbsp. white vinegar
- 3 large eggs
In a small bowl, scoop the flesh from the avocado, add the lime juice, salt and pepper.
Mash with a fork until mostly smooth, with some chunks still remaining. Divide the avocado among the 3 slices, spreading evenly. Top with the pea shoots and drizzle with oil.
In a deep skillet with about 2 inches of water, simmer and stir in the vinegar. Crack an egg into a small bowl and gingerly let slide into the water. Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs. Poach until the whites are set yet the yolk is still a little runny. For a firmer egg, cook another 2 minutes longer.
Remove the eggs, one at a time with a slotted spoon and place on each slice of toast.
Serve immediately. In a word….YUMMMMMMMY!
Avocado and Pomegranate Salad
Now THIS is different. With the use of dark rum and fig balsamic vinegar, it is refreshing and really neat – both in ingredients and flavours.
- 2 navel oranges
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 tbsp. fig balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp. dark rum (in the salad, not you)
- pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper
- 6 oz. argula, washed and dried
- 1 oz. cilantro leaves, washed and dried
- 2 ripe avocados, peeled and sliced, brushed with some lime juice so they don’t turn brown.
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Use a sharp knife to remove the skin and white pith from the oranges. Over a small bowl to catch the juices, slice the oranges in 1/8 inch rounds.
In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp. of the orange juice, lime juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper and rum. Set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the arugula and cilantro, toss with about half of the dressing. Arrange the orange rounds and avocado slices on top of the greens, and lightly drizzle the remaining dressing over the orange slices. Sprinkle the pomegranate seeds over the salad. Serve.
Voila! Again, you gave a spectacular presentation to the lowly salad and came away looking like a rock star. Good for you.
Yummy.
Shrimp Stuffed Avocado
You have to read this one to the end. Don has made this a few times and I LOVE it. You will see why. I never knew why, but this is what love is all about.
- 2 ripe avocados , cut in half
- 1/4 red onion (NEVER IN BONNIE’S)
- 1 1/2 cups shrimp, cooked
- 3 tbsp. mayo
- 1 ts. white vinegar
- pinch of dry mustard
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- pinch of sugar
- 1/8 tsp. worchestershire sauce
- pinch of salt and pepper
Remove the flesh from the avocado and cube, reserving the skin for filling later.
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients and then carefully stuff the skins.
OMG! This is so yummy. I did not know he had written this about the onion. It must have been done up 25 years ago, when we were first dating. I was going through our recipe box and thought this would be a good one to share. Gotta love this man, I know I sure do.
Papaya-Grape-Avocado Salad
You just can’t beat a well chilled fruit salad for a warm summer meal. You can add whatever you want, but this is a real good one.
Serves 8
- 4 cups Red leaf lettuce
- 4 cups butter lettuce
- 1 large, ripe papaya, peeled, seeded and sliced
- 1 large avocado, peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup red, seedless grapes, halved lengthwise
- 1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans
Gently toss the salad ingredients to combine. Now to make the dressing.
Dressing
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 1 tbsp. grated lime peel
- 2 tsp. white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp. sugar
- pinch of salt
Drizzle the dressing over and toss gently to coat. This, is a yummy salad.
Now, may I pour you a glass of wine? Be right back.
Guacamole – My Way
As you know from previous recipes, I do not eat onions. Never have and I can’t see it happening any time soon BUT at the same time, I admit, if done this way or the way I make the butter sauce for my perogies, it is edible.
- 3 avocados, halves, pulp removed
- Juice of 1 lime
- pinch of salt
- pinch of cumin
- pinch of cayenne
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 tbsp. chopped cilanro
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 Roma tomato, seeded and chopped
Okay, toss the scooped out pulp of the avocado with the lime juice so they won’t turn brown and then strain the pulp. Save the juice.
Put the onions and garlic in a blender and puree. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
You can put the guacamole in a bowl, add the chopped tomato, 1 tbsp. of the reserved lime juice and lightly stir. Cover and place in the refrigerator for about 1-2 hours before serving. This will allow the flavours to marry well.
Put out warmed taco chips, sour cream, melted cheese and the guacamole.
Cold beer anyone? Go Team Go.
Crab Creme Brulee
I was reading a magazine article the other day and it suggested “IF THE RECIPE SOUNDS TOO INVOLVED, DON ‘T DO IT”. Boy is that ever wrong. If I think it could be a challenge, I always say to read it through first
If you don’t try to do something you have never done before, how will you learn? Everything new is a bit challenging the first time, but once under the belt, whooppee! you did it. Hence, the mantra “damn I can do this”.
- 3/4 cup whipping cream
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp. flour
- 1/2 cup Havarti cheese, diced
- cayenne to taste
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 ripe avocado, diced
- 2/3 cup well drained crabmeat
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar
Preheat your broiler. In a saucepan heat the cream and milk until it starts to steam. Beat the egg yolks for a good 2 minutes and then beat in the flour.
Pour a little warm milk into the egg mixture to temper it and pour it all back into the saucepan. Cook until it becomes thick and coats the back of a spoon.
Add the cheese, and stir until it is all melted. Add the cayenne, salt and pepper and, again, stir into the mix.
In 4 buttered ramekins, divide the avocado and crabmeat equally and be sure to sprinkle the top of this with fresh lemon juice to prevent browning. Pour the cheese mixture on top and now sprinkle the sugar on top.
Place the ramekins on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler for about 4 – 4 1/2 minutes. Watch so it doesn’t burn.
You have just upped the ante big time. Different but yummy. Makes a superb appetizer. This can be served warm or hot. Add a fresh dinner roll and, of course, the chilled glass of wine.
On with the rest of the dinner…….
Bass with Papaya Salsa
This is a really tasty dish. The salsa really works.
Serves 4
For the Fish, you need:
- 1 1/2 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
- 1/2 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 4 sea bass fillets
Put all dry ingredients in a food processor until almost smooth. Add juice and blend well. Season with a little salt and pepper. Rub the mixture on each fillet, cover and place in the fridge for a couple of hours.
When ready, preheat the grill, remove the fish from the marinade and grill approximately three minutes on each side.
For the Dressing:
- 1/8 cup plus 1 tbsp. lime juice
- 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp. Sherry vinegar
- 3/4 tbsp. finely chopped fresh mint
- 1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh ginger
Whisk the ingredients together and keep in fridge until ready to serve. Add the dressing at the last to a small bag of spring baby greens, two large mangoes, thinly sliced, one avocado peeled and thinly sliced , fresh orange segments and one papaya, peeled and thinly sliced.
Plate in a pretty way and present to oohs and ahhs.
.
Salmon with Ginger-Avocado Salsa
This is a nice healthy treat that will also do for a Ladies Luncheon…..
- 1/2 cup yogurt
- 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped, threads removed
- 1/4 cup pickled ginger, drained and chopped
- 1 ripe, firm avocado, diced
- 1 English cucumber, seeds removed and chopped (no big chunks)
- pinch of salt
- 4 salmon fillets
- 1 tsp. olive oil
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place rack in the upper third of the oven. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil. Mix all the ingredients except the salmon and oil together and set aside in the fridge to keep cold.
Brush the salmon with the oil and place skin side down on the cookie sheet. It should take abut 8 minutes to be cooked perfectly. To test, hold a fork in the thickest part of the fillet for about 10 seconds. If it comes out warm, it is done.
To plate….set a generous scoop of salsa on the plate and place the salmon fillet (minus the skin) on top. Serve with fresh warm buns and butter. Decorate with a small sprig of fresh dill.
Rodini Heaven
Don makes a sandwich to die for. We buy the bread from Cobbs Bakery. He cuts it in half. He spreads dijon mustard on one side and lays out thinly sliced roast beef. Spreads a very thin amount of horseradish on the beef. Then he adds thinly sliced ham. We are not even halfway there! Now he adds thinly sliced sun dried tomato turkey breast. The fourth meat is Italian mild Genoa. This is about the only thing that is thin…..certainly not my waistline.
On this goes slices of Havarti cheese to cover the entire surface. Strips of roasted red pepper is laid over the cheese and avocado slices on top of the peppers. Thin slices of tomato covers this. Lastly, he spreads mayonnaise on the top half of the rodini loaf. Replace the top half and wrap in tin foil.
Wrap this CAREFULLY in tin foil and heat in a 350 degree oven until the cheese starts to melt. Remove from the oven and slice it up like a pie. This is absolutely the best sandwich you can make.
He gets requests for this all the time. Not just in our home. For luncheons at Church, friends having company, etc. Yup! He’s a real keeper.