Guacamole Salad

I did not like avocado until I was in my 20s. Which, if you know me today, seems insane since I eat at least 3-4 a week. I think I had had some once or twice when I was little and didn't like it and proceeded to never try it again -- well, not NEVER obviously, but not for a very very long time. Even when I'd be at some great Mexican joint with girlfriends sipping (mutiple-ish) margaritas and there was what was purported to be unbelievable guacamole, I would say, "I don't like avocado" and I'd be met with that wide-eyed, open-mouthed gape every. single. time.

It wasn't until my boyfriend of five years and I went on our first vacation together to Mexico in 2000 (where he became my fiancé and the rest is history) that I even gave avocado/guacamole a shot. It was out of sheer desperation. We had gone on one of those ATV tours through the jungle and on the ocean and there was a rest stop with refreshments and snacks. I was really hungry (hanging on to the waist of your man trying to hold on and not get flung into the jungle to live with the monkeys while he's zipping around and he's 6' and you're 5'1" is hard work!). The only "snacks" that were there were actually "snack"...some chips that were topped with some fresh guacamole. I was so annoyed! But hunger gave in and I thought, I'll just try one. ..... Not three seconds later I was debating which would be worse: Shoving my face onto the platter a la Randy in "A Christmas Story" or dumping them all down my shirt and taking off on the ATV.

And so the love affair began.
With my husband too. ;)

I watched Rachel Ray make this on "30 Minute Meals" years ago and thought "I've gotta try that!" (being a new avocado worshipper and all) and I've never stopped making it. It is so delicious and I love that I can have "guacamole" without the chips sometimes!

~Leah

Guacamole Salad

Recipe Type: Salad

Author: Leah (from Rachel Ray)

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 medium avocados, pitted and sliced


• 2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped


• 1/2 English (seedless) cucumber, chopped


• 1/2 red onion, sliced


• 1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped


• 3 Tbsp lemon juice


• 1 small clove garlic, chopped


• A few drops hot sauce


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

1. Arrange vegetables on platter. Mix lemon and garlic, hot sauce and salt. Stream in extra-virgin olive oil while whisking dressing. Pour lemon dressing over the salad and serve.

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Avocado Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

I promise you won't need Cinco de Mayo as a reason to make these awesome enchiladas. But if you are looking for a way to celebrate that won't require showing an ID, look no further. Plus, getting up the next morning will be a lot more pleasant.

I'll eat avocados in any way, shape, or form and they drew me to this recipe in the first place. The addition of the ranch dip is mine and happened quite by accident. Mostly because I was being distracted by a small child (or three)  in the grocery store and also because I apparently can't read. Anyway, all said and done I'm glad I bought veggie dip instead of sour cream because it was delicious.

Moral of the story? Ranch = Awesome.

And since grocery store mishaps are kind of a thing with me, I confess that I accidentally bought cheddar instead of jack cheese for the enchiladas in the picture above. Cheddar was good, but I definitely prefer the melty-ness of monteray jack.

Avocado Ranch Chicken Enchiladas

Author: Erin (adapted from The Novice Chef)

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 5-6

Ingredients

• Sauce


• 1 T butter


• 4 oz. can green chilis, drained


• 2 garlic cloves, minced


• 1 T flour


• 1 cup chicken broth


• 1 tsp. cumin


• 1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper


• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro


• 1 cup medium salsa verde


• 1/2 cup sour cream based, ranch flavored veggie dip


• Enchiladas


• 3 c. chopped cooked chicken breasts (3-4 breasts)


• 2 c. shredded monteray jack cheese


• 1 small onion, chopped


• 3 avocados, peeled and chopped


• 8-10 flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 375.


2. Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Saute green chilis and garlic for 1 minute.


3. Sprinkle in flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.


4. Whisk chicken broth, cumin, and pepper into pan. Allow mixture to come to a boil, then remove from heat.


5. Stir in cilantro, salsa verde, and ranch veggie dip.


6. In a separate bowl, gently toss together chopped chicken, onion, 1 cup of jack cheese, and avocado.


7. Grease a 9x13 pan and spread 3/4 cup of sauce in the bottom.


8. Divide chicken mixture between tortillas, roll, and place seam side down in pan.


9. Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling. Serve immediately.

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Strawberry Margarita Pie

What a perfect day to be sharing a delicious, frozen dessert. We hit 80 today and it was beautiful outside!

I'm sharing this recipe now because it is perfect for a Cinco De Mayo celebration...but it's also perfect for any reason. I found it years ago on one of those Pillsbury goofy little cookbooks that you see at the grocery store checkout. I know a lot of you out there have tried the infamous strawberry jello-pretzel crust dessert and this is similar, but a little more tart...and deliciously frozen and cold on a hot summer day. As long as you give yourself enough time for freezing, it's easy enough to whip up even for a weeknight.

~Leah

Strawberry Margarita Pie

Recipe Type: Dessert

Author: Leah (from Pillsbury "Menus to Celebrate Spring")

Prep time: 25 mins

Total time: 25 mins

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• CRUST


• 1 1/4 c crushed pretzels


• 1/4 c sugar


• 1/2 c butter, melted


• FILLING


• 1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk


• 1/2 c frozen concentrated margarita mix, THAWED


• 1 (10-16 oz) pkg frozen strawberries in syrup, THAWED


• 1 c whipping cream, whipped


• Optional


• 1 c whipping cream


• 1 tsp vanilla


• 2 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. In small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press firmly in bottom of ungreased 8 or 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate while preparing filling.


2. In large bowl, combine condensed milk and margarita mix; beat until smooth. Add strawberries; beat at low speed until well blended. Fold in whipped cream. Pour into crust-lined pan. Freeze at least 3 hours or until firm.


3. ***Optional***


4. Place a metal mixing bowl and metal whisk into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes.


5. Place the sugar into the mixing bowl and add the whipping cream. Whisk on high just until the cream reaches stiff peaks.


6. Scoop dollops onto the pie or pipe with a pastry bag and large tip or with a ziplock with a hole cut out of the corner.


7. You can do this before or after freezing.

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Taco Bean Layer Dip

Even with all of this goofy weather we've been having around here (6 inches in 24 hours?! Snow this morning?!) I've officially been in "summer mode" when it comes to recipes/cooking lately. I'm always excited to get back to recipes I haven't made in a few months when we go from summer to fall and winter to spring. When we first started discussing doing this blog last fall, I had a lot of recipes in mind that I wanted to use but many of them weren't fall/winter appropriate so I'm very excited that we're getting to begin to share a new season of recipes.

I'm kicking off my spring/summer recipes with this Taco Bean Dip. It's so easy and great to bring to summer parties. I like to serve it with tortilla chips, or Fritos, or veggies...or all three! If you have some leftover (like I did after our photo shoot), it's great to turn into a nacho platter or use as all of your toppings for tacos for dinner (thanks for that idea, Erin!)

~Leah

Taco Bean Layer Dip

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Author: Leah

Prep time: 10 mins

Total time: 10 mins

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 2 cans bean dip


• 2-3 soft avocados


• 1 tsp. lemon juice


• 1 cup sliced black olives


• 1/2 cup mayo


• 1 cup sour cream


• 1 pkg. taco seasoning


• 1/2 c green onions, diced


• 1/2 c tomatoes, diced


• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Mash the avocados in a small bowl and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside.


2. Mix the mayo, sour cream, and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Set aside.


3. Layer all of the ingredients, starting with the bean dip spread on the bottom, follow with the mashed avocado, olives, sour cream/taco mixture, onions, tomatoes, and ending with the cheese in an 8x11.5 (2 inch deep) baking dish or other dish or serving platter of similar proportions.


4. Serve with chips or veggies.


5. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.

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Bread Dippin' Cilantro Salsa

Here I go again with another recipe whose main ingredient people either tend to love or hate. I happen to love cilantro but I know plenty of people who don't care for it as much. I found this recipe many many years ago in a magazine and tore it out, but of course, it does not say anywhere on the half sheet what magazine it is -- I'm sure it was Good Housekeeping or Better Homes and Gardens or something along those lines. The recipe was in the magazine as a result of a reader writing in about it after having had it at East Bay Crab and Grille in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. I'm not quite sure why it's called "salsa" because it resembles a good oil bread dip more than a true salsa, but the former journalist in me is thinking it was simply a way to not use the word "dip" twice in the recipe title. Bread Dippin' Cilantro Dip would have been a no-no in the editorial world! :)

I first made it years ago for a get-together I was hosting for my mother-in-law's birthday because she LOVES cilantro. I remember wondering if I should make it since no one else in the family (besides her and me) are very fond of it. I decided that it was for HER birthday and that she'd probably love it so the rest of them could just not eat it.

Turns out, everybody liked it! Even the cilantro haters! I have no idea why because it is mostly all cilantro but I guess that fresh lemon juice, and olive oil and hint of a kick from the hot sauce are enough to change it for people's palates. And, seriously, you could put practically anything on fresh, warm, bread and people would like it.

~Leah

Bread Dippin' Cilantro Salsa

Recipe Type: Appetizer

Author: Leah (from East Bay Crab and Grille)

Prep time: 15 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 large bunch (about 4 oz) cilantro, tough stems trimmed


• 2 green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces


• 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or malt vinegar


• 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice


• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil


• 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce


• 1/8 tsp. salt


• 2 Tbsp. water


• 1 loaf French or Italian bread, warmed

Instructions

1. Rinse cilantro. Drain, but do not spin dry. In food processor with knife blade attachment, pulse cilantro and green onions until coarsely chopped. Transfer mixture to small bowl.


2. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, hot pepper sauce, salt, and water. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days.


3. Serve with warmed, sliced bread.

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