avocado

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter A

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Daily Special: Avocado on My Mind! Watermelon and avocado, when mixed together, have a uniquely gratifying flavor. Surprised? It’s as refreshing as a walk in the park. Not only is this salad appealing to the eye, it’s easy on the wallet. These two fruits are affordable, low in calories, and can be eaten often since they are packed with nutrients. Permission granted.

AVOCADO ON MY MIND

Ingredients:

1 ripe avocado

1 wedge watermelon, seedless

1/2 lime, sliced

1 tablespoon feta cheese, crumbled

1 sprig cilantro

Instructions:

Open the avocado, discarding seed. Remove pulp. Squeeze lime juice over both halves to prevent discoloration. Chop avocado into pieces and place into a medium-sized bowl. Using a melon-ball utensil, scoop the watermelon into round pieces. Discard rind. Add watermelon balls to bowl, tossing gently. Sprinkle feta cheese over top. Snip cilantro to taste. Garnish with lime slices.

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter A

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Chow Down: Avocado Breakfast Toast! Nothing looks more appealing in the morning than an open face breakfast sandwich, in my opinion. Avocado and salmon step things up a notch when paired with a nice yolk-drenched piece of artisan toast. I love French butter, but if you choose to omit slathering the toast with it, I’ll understand. My husband and I don’t mind a little taste sensuality in the morning. You choose. 
AVOCADO BREAKFAST TOAST
Ingredients:

2 slices artisan bread, toasted

1-2 tablespoons sea salt butter

1 avocado; halved, pitted, peeled, and chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

2 eggs, cooked over easy or poached 

1/2 cup grilled salmon, flaked

1 teaspoon capers

Pinch Herbes de Provence 

Fresh thyme for garnish
Instructions:

Take the chopped avocado and mash it until chunky. Fold in the lemon juice and garlic powder. Set aside. Toast bread as desired. Spread with sea salt butter and keep warm. Cook the eggs over easy so the yolks are still runny. Place one piece of buttered toast on a plate. Spoon a thick layer of avocado over toast. Next divide flaked salmon between the two servings. Sprinkle with capers. Place one egg on top. Garnish with Herbes de Provence and fresh tarragon. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter T

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Front-Runner Favs: Taqueria Guacamole! Everyone eats out, that’s a fact. It gives us pleasure. Besides, it takes less energy than planning, shopping, and cooking at the end of the day. But have you ever had a taste for one of the vacay restaurant specials and wish you could make it yourself? Well, I do it all the time. That’s why I recreated a popular cantina menu item that takes guacamole to the next level. 
TAQUERIA GUACAMOLE 
Ingredients:

2 ripe avocados; halved, pitted, peeled, and cut into chunks

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 green tomato, chopped 

1 red tomato, chopped

1 tablespoon red onion, chopped

1 jalapeño pepper, sliced

1 roasted red chili pepper, diced

Cilantro to garnish
Instructions:

In a medium mixing bowl, mash avocado chunks with a fork until thick and smooth. Sprinkle in lime juice, garlic powder, and sea salt. Fold in green tomato chunks and red tomato chunks. Transfer to a serving dish. Top with chopped red onion, jalapeño slices, and diced red chilies. Garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter B

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Foodstuff Redefined: Buffalo Chicken Crostini! Take a spicy hot dip, add the buttery texture of avocado, and finish it with the cooling sensation of natural yogurt. Now smile. You’ve just bitten into an appetizer-turned-meal after an exhausting day you’ll soon leave behind. This is how we treat ourselves right. You’re welcome. 
BUFFALO CHICKEN CROSTINI
Ingredients:

8 ounces Neufchâtel cheese, softened 

4 ounces goat cheese, room temperature 

3/4 cup ranch dressing 

1 tablespoon dry ranch seasoning mix

3/4 cup red hot sauce

2 cups cooked chicken, chopped 

3/4 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 avocado, pitted

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1-2 green onions, snipped

1 baguette loaf, sliced and toasted
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat Neufchâtel cheese, goat cheese, ranch dressing, ranch dry seasoning, and red hot sauce. Fold in chopped chicken. Spread mixture into a prepared casserole dish. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle extra-sharp cheddar cheese over top. Bake 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile, using a mini chopper, combine avocado, garlic powder, sea salt, and lemon juice. Pulse until mixture is combined but still chunky. Set aside. To assemble crostini, spread creamed avocado over toasted baguette slices. Add a scoop of Buffalo Chicken dip. Dollop with Greek yogurt. Garnish with onion snips. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter C

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Sunshine Eats: Cobb Salad! Some days the dinner option is as plain as the nose on my face. Leftover rotisserie chicken becomes the star attraction. Using seven of your favorite ingredients, which you probably already have on hand, this time-saving classic is the perfect solution to that mundane question, “What’s for dinner?” Go easy on yourself and build a Cobb Salad on a platter for show-stopping presentation. 
COBB SALAD
Ingredients:

Bag of Spring Mix Salad Greens

3 cups chicken, precooked and shredded

3 eggs, hard-boiled and chopped

6 slices bacon, crispy and crumbled

1-2 avocados, peeled, pitted, and diced

8 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup Bleu cheese crumbles

Salad Dressings of choice
Instructions:

Choose individual salad plates or a serving platter. Arrange salad greens as the base. Working from the left side of the plate to the right, arrange shredded chicken from top to bottom. Next arrange chopped egg, crumbled bacon, diced avocado, and tomato halves, ending with Bleu cheese crumbles. Drizzle with salad dressing of choice and serve. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter A

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Sunshine Eats: Avocado Egg Bake! Everyone already eats eggs and avocados, right? At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I must confess, this really is delicious! Forget hum-drum. I mean, just look at the colors! What surprised me the most was not that the eggs cooked thoroughly in the avocado shell, but that the avocado did not turn an unpleasant shade of brown. Seriously. Top it off with onion snips and prosciutto crumbles for love at first bite. 
AVOCADO EGG BAKE
Ingredients:

1 avocado, halved and pit removed 

2 eggs

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch cracked black pepper

1 pinch garlic powder

1 slice prosciutto 

1 green onion, snipped

1 pinch parsley flakes
Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Place oven rack in the middle setting. Arrange avocado halves in a small baking dish to keep them upright. Crack each egg into a custard cup. Gently spoon one egg yolk into the center of each avocado half. Transfer as much of the egg white as possible without overflowing. Discard excess. Season with sea salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic powder. Bake 15 minutes until eggs are set. Meanwhile, microwave prosciutto on High setting until crispy for 45-60 seconds. Crumble and set aside. Remove avocados from oven. Sprinkle with prosciutto crumbles, onion snips, and parsley flakes. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter G

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? Take a Seat at the Table: Guacamole-Stuffed Tomatoes! Avocados are so convenient to use as a modern salad alternative. Adding fresh lime, tomatoes, and herb seasonings make it a winning combination for more than a Super Bowl Party or Cinco de Mayo celebration. Whether the results are chunky or smooth, once the dish is made it needs to be eaten before the natural exposure to oxygen turns the guacamole sauce brown. The lime juice slows down the process a bit, but this is definitely not a “do ahead” recipe. Make fresh and eat fresh!
GUACAMOLE-STUFFED TOMATOES 
Ingredients:

2 romaine lettuce leaves

2 medium size tomatoes 

1 ripe avocado 

1 teaspoon lime juice

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/8 teaspoon chia seeds

Fresh cilantro 
Instructions:

Place one romaine lettuce leaf on a small luncheon plate. Take one whole tomato; remove top stem; score tomato into 8 sections leaving the bottom intact. Transfer to luncheon plate, atop romaine lettuce leaf, opening tomato to form a serving well. Scoop the flesh from the avocado and place in a mini chopper. Add lime juice, garlic powder, and sea salt. Pulse to thicken. Fill tomato centers. Top with red pepper flakes, green onion snips, and chia seeds. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter D

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Joy of Eating: Daily Diet of Papaya! OMG, the first time I had this in Kauai, I knew I had tasted the fruit of Paradise. It was like eating sunshine. Did you know Christopher Columbus called it “the fruit of angels”? If I had to describe the taste, I guess I would say papaya has a natural sweetness that feels like butter in your mouth. With a squeeze of lime, it is refreshingly nectarous. I could go on and on about its nutritional value, but I’d rather you taste it first. I can tell you this-just one single papaya provides 224% of your daily needs. Eat it for breakfast and you’re good to go!
DAILY DIET OF PAPAYA
Ingredients:

1 medium sized ripe papaya

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

Strawberries, halved

2 lime wedges
Instructions:

Cut papaya in half. Remove seeds. Squeeze lime juice over each half. Fill center with fresh strawberries. Serve with avocado slices. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet; Letter H

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? A Burst of Flavor: Holy Capers-Salmon Avocado Toast! Whenever I have leftover grilled salmon, this is my favorite indulgence. The first time I made it, my husband and I literally stood at the kitchen counter nibbling on it until it was completely gone. Each morsel had us licking out fingers and begging for more. The combination of lemon thyme and salty capers balance the slightly smoky texture of the salmon. It’s followed by a crunch of sesame seed artisan toast with a creamy avocado finish. If you take the time to sit down and enjoy this delightful open-face sandwich, think about pairing it with a light and fruity rosé wine. It’ll tickle your palate and have you giggling all afternoon or evening long. 
HOLY CAPERS-SALMON AVOCADO TOAST
Ingredients:

6 ounces of grilled salmon fillet, flaked 

Sprigs of fresh lemon thyme

2 teaspoons imported capers, non-pareil 

2 slices of sesame artisan bread, toasted

1 small avocado, mashed

1 small tomatillo, diced

Pinch of garlic powder 

1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions:

Make sure the grilled salmon fillet is flaked. Set aside. Combine the mashed avocado, diced tomatillos, garlic powder, and lemon juice in a bowl. Blend well. To assemble the open-face sandwich, place the toasted artisan sesame slice on a luncheon plate. Next spoon avocado mixture over top. Layer flaked salmon over all. Sprinkle with capers and garnish with lemon thyme.