Creamy Avocado Balsamic Vinaigrette

I totally fooled the family with this one by calling it a Creamy Vinaigrette.

You need:

1 Soft Avocado
dash of fresh herbs  (cilantro, parsley, etc.), chopped
1 small clove crushed garlic (optional)
2 TBSP EVOO
1 TBSP Aged Balsamic Vinegar
1 TBSP Red Wine Vinegar
1/2 cup Orange or Lemon Juice
dash of Salt
dash of Pepper

Place all ingredients into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Store dressing in the refrigerator. Add to salads as desired. Use the dressing within 3 days for best flavor.

Cranberry-Avocado Salad with Candied Spiced Almonds and Sweet White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Photo by CafeSucreFarine.com

The CafeSucreFarine.com has posted a mouth watering salad using avocado, cilantro and almonds with a white balsamic dressing. I’ve never tried a white balsamic dressing before, so this will be a new experience I’m eager to test out.

Angela’s Guacamole (Addiction)

I have to admit, for nearly 2 years I’ve been giving most of my avocados away simply because I wasn’t a fan just yet. Yes, I knew about their health benefits and how necessary they were in my diet, I just hadn’t fallen in love with them yet … and for some reason the thought of a slimy green fruit kept me away. BUT, last summer I decided I had to find a way to adjust my senses and mental block. Now, I’m making a dish of fresh guacamole 2-4 times a week… and eating the entire dish! In fact, today my husband asked what the lime was used for (already knowing the answer). I had to admit I failed (again) to save him some. LOL. It is safe to say I have overcome my avoidance of avocados and am now facing a healthy addiction!

Here’s my recipe:

1 Avocado, diced
1 Roma Tomato, diced
2-3 thin slices of Red Onion, diced
0.5 Lime
2-3 slices of Red/Yellow/Orange Bell Pepper, diced
1 TBSP fresh Cilantro, chopped
dash of Salt
dash of Pepper

Combine all ingredients (except lime) in a bowl and mix. Squeeze lime over the mixture and continue to stir a few times. Serve.

Homemade Aged Balsamic Vinaigrette

Making homemade salad dressings is a lot easier than one may think, and you don’t need 20+ ingredients or preservatives to do it. My favorite is a balsamic vinaigrette. The key is to use an aged balsamic vinegar. My favorite stores to purchase my 18 year aged balsamic is the Naples Olive Oil Company or the newly discovered Key West Olive Oil Company. (And guess what? They ship!!!) If you ever get to visit one of these stores (or stores similar to them), consider investing 30+ minutes in sampling all of the various infused EVOO and Balsamics. They are AMAZING!!!

Recipe:
Equal portions of aged balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh squeezed orange/tangerine juice. Add a dash of salt and fresh cracked pepper and wisk in a small bowl. Poor over salad or fresh veggies or fruit of choice.

<Pix to come>

Taco Salad with a Twist

My most recent adventure has been the addition of quinoa in my everyday dishes, adding protein to my dish makeover. In this ‘makeover’ I simply added red quinoa to my black beans (sauted with garlic and onions) and placed them on top of a bed of greens, tomatoes, salsa and bell peppers. It was quite delightful and very filling.

Consider adding quinoa (red or white) to your dishes. It is super high in protein and tastes like cous cous.

-Angela

Sweet Salsa Salad

With ripe peaches sitting in my kitchen, I couldn’t help but get a little creative. I started with a peach and pineapple salsa to garnish dinner and then added it to a bed of greens for an added side dish. Not only did it present well, the flavors sang SUMMER like nothing else.

Pictured above is a Sweet Salsa Salad featuring peach and red onion slices on a bed of romaine, sprinkled with fresh cilantro, olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt and pepper, and garnished with a spoon of Sweet Salsa. If you skip the salsa and cilantro, you can easily substitute basil leaves (as described in Martha Stewart Living June 2011, page 158).

Sweet Salsa

In a bowl, combine the following:
3 ripe Peaches, chopped
1/3 large Red Onion, chopped
1/3 bunch Fresh Cilantro, chopped
1 cup Fresh Pineapple, chopped
juice of 1 Fresh Lime
1 TBSP Olive Oil (not extra virgin)
dash of Salt
dash of Pepper

Cucumber Peanut Salad Recipe

Very soon cucumbers will likely be a staple in our HGO boxes.  In fact, we got some fantastic cucumbers this week from our local farm in Trenton.

By now you probably know I am a big fan of Heidi’s Cookbooks 101, the blog where you can find delicious ways to use whole grains.  Here is a stellar recipe from Heidi Swanson to help you use all those cucumbers: Cucumber Peanut Salad.

Even though I haven’t had a chance to make it, it looks SO good I couldn’t resist sharing.  If you make it, be sure to comment on this post and let us know if you liked it.  Who would have guessed that cucumbers and peanuts would be a good match?

Un-Cobb Salad

Picture Borrowed from SimplyRecipes.com

Need a new salad idea… try Simply Recipe’s Un-Cobb Salad using fresh romaine, avocado, apple slices, mango and whatever else you have on hand. Mix it up and keep it different.

Massaged Kale Salad

Members have been raving about this dream-kale-dish ”Massaged Kale Salad” for several weeks now… I finally received the ‘shared’ recipe and am posting it for you to enjoy this week. (I intentionally bought kale and lemon for our boxes JUST for this post… so go try it and enjoy.)

Feel free to get creative with it. You can add fresh or dried fruit to the salad as well as nuts. In the version presented (in pix) I used kiwi, blackberries and strawberries in place of mango and nuts.

-Angela

Parsley – Great on most any dish, including salads

I just updated the recipe for How to Marinate Your Artichokes (which also uses parsley) while enjoying the salad pictured above and realized how much I enjoy this herb. Add it to most any dish or toss on top of a salad.

Salad pictured includes:
Romaine
Roma Tomatoes
Red Sweet Peppers
Celery
Parsley
Italian Dressing
I was missing my dear avocado today.