FBF: Romaine Salad with Avocado

FLASH BACK FRIDAY

ROMAINE SALAD WITH AVOCADO

click on image to see full post from 6/2/11

Lamb Lettuce Boats with Avo-Ziki Sauce [P]

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo
LAMB LETTUCE BOATS
with AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1lb lamb stew meat
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp dried or fresh oregano
1 Tblsp coconut oil, melted
4-6 large romaine lettuce leaves, cleaned [I used my romaine from my garden!]
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, finely diced
1 lemon, cut in half

• In a small mixing bowl, season the lamb with the sea salt, black pepper, and oregano. 
• In a skillet over med-high heat, melt the coconut oil, and then place the lamb pieces in the pan. Cook the lamb approximately 2-3 minutes or until it is browned on one side, and flip to brown on the other side for another 2 minutes or so.
• Once the meat is cooked, chop it into 1/2 inch pieces.
• Place the romaine lettuce leaves onto serving plates and top with the chopped lamb, cherry tomatoes, and cucumber. 
• Squeeze lemon over each lettuce boat, then top with the Avo-Ziki Sauce.

AVO-ZIKI SAUCE

1 ripe avocado
1/4 cup grated cucumber
1 small garlic clove, grated
Juice of 1 lemon
2 Tblsp EVOO
Sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp fresh dill, finely chopped

• Combine all ingredients in a small food processor or with a hand blender.

This recipe is directly from Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

Spring Greens Salad w/ Fennel & Avacado

SPRING GREENS SALAD

with FENNEL & AVOCADO

1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1-1/2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 (9oz) bag spring greens
4 roma tomatoes, chopped
2 carrots, grated
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed of feathery stalks and thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, chopped
2 Tblsp unsalted sunflower seed kernels

• Make the salad dressing: in a small bowl, whisk the mustard, honey, salt and vinegar. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking to emulsify. Taste and adjust as needed.
• In a large bowl, combing spring greens, tomatoes, carrots, avocado, fennel and cucumber. Lightly toss to combine. Drizzle with some of the dressing, toss and taste, repeating until all ingredients are lightly coated.
• Top with sunflower seed kernels and serve immediately. 

This recipe can be found in this amazing cookbook:

And don't miss a chance to enter this amazing giveaway! SOOOO many ways to enter!

Easy Supper Club: Roasted Veggies & Salad

"Easy Supper Club"

from Southern Living's 

"Cooking for Christmas"
Bacon-Arugula-Apple Bites
Herbed Pork Roast
Roasted Fall Veggies
Puffed Mashed Potatoes
Basil-and-Blue Cheese Salad
Brandy Alexander Cheesecake

For the Introduction to this series of recipes, click HERE

ROASTED FALL VEGGIES

[I just roasted carrots to keep it a little more simple, but below is a list of other veggies that would taste wonderful as well]

10 small carrots with greenery

8 baby yellow beets

8 baby candy cane beets

3 Tblsp Olive Oil, divided

1 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut tops from yellow and candy cane beets, leaving 1/2 inch stems.Peel beets and cut in half. Cut tops from carrots, leaving 1/2 inch of greenery on each.
• Toss yellow beets and carrots with 2 Tblsp olive oil in a large bowl; place in a single layer on 1 side of an aluminum foil-lined jelly roll pan. Sprinkle veggies in pan with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.
• Toss candy can beets with remaining 1 Tblsp olive oil; arrange beets in a single layer on remaining portion of jelly roll pan. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
• Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes; stir once, and bake 15 minutes more or until tender.

BASIL-AND-BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Our Elf joined us this day for dinner! So this was "Elf-Approved"!

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar

1 tsp country-style dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp dried crushed red pepper

10 cups mixed salad greens

1/2 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, coursely chopped

2 ripe pears, thinly sliced

2 navel oranges, sectioned

2 avocados, sliced

1 (4oz) package blue cheese, crumbled

• Whisk together first 5 ingredients. Cover and chill until ready to use (up to 24 hours).
• Toss together greens and basil. Top with pears, oranges, avocados, and blue cheese; toss. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

[Its best to wait to slice pears and avocados last minute so they won't turn brown]

Beef & Black Bean Chili

BEEF & BLACK BEAN CHILI

1/4 cup olive oil 
2 pounds beef, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
1 large red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoons ancho chili powder 
1 tablespoon ground cumin 
1 bottle dark beer 
5 cups chicken stock, or canned low-sodium or water
1 (16-ounce) can chopped tomatoes, drained and pureed
1 tablespoon honey 
2 cups cooked or canned black beans, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

• Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper, and saute until browned on all sides. Transfer the meat to a plate and remove all but 3 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. 
• Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the ancho powder, pasilla powder, and cumin and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced. 
• Return the beef to the pot, add the chicken stock, tomatoes and honey, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes. 
• Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the lime juice, and adjust seasonings.

AVACADO RELISH

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and diced 
1/2 red onion, finely diced
Lime juice 
Salt and pepper 
Cilantro leaves, chopped

• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

CUMIN SOUR CREAM

8 oz sour cream

1 tsp cumin

• Mix sour cream and cumin together in small bowl.
• Serve a dollop in each bowl of chili.

recipe derived from FoodNetwork.com Bobby Flay

Avocado-Corn Chowder with Grilled Chicken

AVOCADO-CORN CHOWDER WITH GRILLED CHICKEN

2 ripe avocados, divided
1-1/2 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
1 tsp honey
1 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, cut in half
1-1/2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onion

• Peel and coarsely chop 1 avocado; place in a blender. Add water, orange juice, honey, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper; blend until smooth.
• Heat a grill pan over med-high heat. Brush chicken with oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Place chicken in pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; rub chicken with cut sides garlic halves. Let chicken stand 10 minutes; cut or shred into bite-sized pieces.
• Pour avocado mixture into medium sauce pan over low heat.
• In same saute pan that chicken was cooked, saute corn, bell peppers, green onion and cilantro until tender. Pour corn mixture and chicken into the avocado mixture. Let cook for 3-5 minutes, or until soup is heated through.
• Spoon chowder into bowls (or bread bowls), and top with more sliced avocado and cilantro. Serve with crackers.

Tomato Carpaccio Crab Salad

This recipe is from Cajunlicious and I fell in love--I HAD to try this!!

TOMATO CARPACCIO CRAB SALAD

1 Heirloom Tomato (or just a "regular" tomato)
1/4 cup Jumbo Lump Crabmeat (it comes in a can)
1/2 avocado, smashed
salt & pepper, to taste
1-1/2 tblsp Greek yogurt (plain)
1/2 tsp rice vinegar
Zest & Juice of half a lemon
1/2 tsp parsley
[I did not add capers...yuk]
1 tsp red onion, diced really small
1 small Roma tomato, seeded and diced really small

• Dill for garnish
• In a medium bowl, combine avocado, yogurt, vinegar, zest & lemon juice, parsley, onion, diced tomatoes and mix well. 
• Gently fold in the crab and season with salt & pepper. 
• Place in refrigerator, tossing every hour for 2 hours or until ready to serve.
• To serve: Slice the heirloom tomato paper-thin and arrange them around the center of the plate. Place the crab mixture in a circle-mold. 
• Squeeze the other half of lemon over top and top it off with some dill.

T&T: Natural Medicine: God's Pharmacy

It's been said that God first separated the saltwater from the fresh, made dry land, planted a garden, made animals and fish...All before making a human.  He made and provided what we'd need before we wereborn.  These are best & more powerful when eaten raw. We're such slow  learners...God left us a great clue as to what foods help what part of our body!

God's Pharmacy! 



 

A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye..  And YES, science now shows carrots greatly enhance blood flow toand function of the eyes.

 

 

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart has four chambers and is red.  All of there search shows tomatoes are loaded with lycopine and are indeed pure heart and blood food.

 



 

 Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.  Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

 

 



A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums.  Even the wrinkles or folds on the nut are just like theneo-cortex.  We now know walnuts help develop more than three (3) dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

 



 

 Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.


 

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and many more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength.  Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23%sodium. If you don't have enough sodium in your diet, the body pulls it from the bones, thus making them weak.  These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.

 

 Avocados, Eggplant and Pears target the health and function of the womb and cervix of the female -they look just like these organs.  Today's research shows that when a woman eats one avocado a week, it balances hormones, sheds unwanted birth weight, and prevents cervical cancers.  And how profound is this?  It takes exactly nine (9)months to grow an avocado from blossom to ripened fruit. There are over 14,000 photolytic chemical constituents of nutrition in each one of these foods (modern science has only studied and named about 141 of them).

 

 Figs are full of seeds and hang in twos when they grow.  Figs increase the mobility of male sperm and increase the numbers of Sperm as well to overcome male sterility.

 



 

 Sweet Potatoes look like the pancreas and actually balance the glycemic index of diabetics.

 

 



 

 Olives assist the health and function of the ovaries

 

 

Oranges, Grapefruits, and other Citrus fruits look just like the mammary glands of the female and actually assist the health of the breasts and the movement of lymph in and out of the breasts.

 

 Onions look like the body's cells. Today's research shows onions help clear waste materials from all of the body cells.  They even produce tears which wash the epithelial layers ofthe eyes.

Flash Back Friday #18

FLASH-BACK FRIDAY

This one isn't THAT old, but its defiantly a goodie!

TURKEY BURGERS

Click on image to see full post from 8/26/11

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My favorite from last week...duh duh DUM...!

LSU CUPCAKES

Click on image to see full post

These look fantastic and I love the swirls on the inside. Ok, and I have to admit that I really like these because my husband's side of the family are HUGE LSU fans. And I mean HUGE. =)
Stop over to Tricia's page NOLA Mommy and let her know how awesome these are!!


Now its time to show me some MORE flash-backs!!
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Turkey Burgers with Avocado Sauce

This is a very simple recipe and every bite is delicious! I used Kaiser rolls for the buns, and I wish I made the patties a little bigger. So take into mind what size your buns are to the size of the patties. (that sounds really funny!)

TURKEY BURGERS WITH AVOCADO SAUCE

Click HERE for printable recipe

1 cup canned corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
1 lb ground turkey
Sauce:
1 medium ripe avocado, peeled
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 teaspoon salt
Serving:
4 whole wheat hamburger buns, split
shredded lettuce
sliced tomato and red onion, optional

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute the corn, onion and peppers in oil until crisp-tender. Stir in the lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, chili powder and oregano; cook 1 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl and cool slightly. Crumble turkey over mixture and mix well. Shape into 4 burgers. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For sauce, in a small bowl, mash avocado with the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, garlic and salt. refrigerate until serving.

Lightly oil grill pan and heat on medium-high heat. Cook on each side 5 to 7 minutes, or when juices run clear and meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees F.

Place on buns; top with 1/4 cup sauce. Serve with lettuce, tomato and onion if desired.

Click HERE for printable recipe

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Flash-Back Friday [FBF] #4

Today is Stewarts Root Beer Day! Saw these in the store, had to get them. Gonna make some root beer floats!

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 BREADED CHICKEN & AVOCADO

*SHOCKING* I know, this picture is horrible! Kinda shows how much I've "improved" since starting blogging! I made this the other day [forgot about the picture] it will remain one of our TOP FAVORITES of all time. Especially when the avocado is in season. *YUMMM*

Last week, this was one from MeiJo's JOY Blog.

Konnyaku Jelly!

 Can't wait to try this one out! Molds are so simple to do-- I don't know why I haven't tried that before! I also have never tried Agar Agar powder--this is the perfect recipe to try it out on!

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FLASH BACK LINKY is up again! With my co-host Micha from Cookin' Mimi

 

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• Use your permalink which is the link in your browser’s address bar.
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• Please only 1 or 2 entries.
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• By entering your link on one blog it will show up on both.

Romaine Salad with Avocado Dressing

First, THANK YOU! Cookin for my Captain has hit 200 Followers!! Ya'll are awesome!!

I'm looking to do a great giveaway after hitting this mark, so stay tuned!
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This was a great lunch for us--and it would serve 4 adults, easily, with these measurements. And it is very filling! Perfect for a weekend lunch in the Spring!

ROMAINE SALAD WITH AVOCADO DRESSING

1 medium ripe avocado
1/2 cup mayonnaise (the real stuff)
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches romaine, torn
2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 can (2 1/4 ounce) sliced ripe olives, drained
corn chips

In a [large] food processor, blend the first 6 ingredients until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the romaine, tomatoes, cheese and olives. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat.

Sprinkle with corn chips.

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The dressing is really thick--so don't add all at once! And don't put chips in until ready to serve--they go soggy fast!

BREADED CHICKEN AND AVOCADO

BREADED CHICKEN AND AVOCADO

One of my really old, and classic recipes. Everyone in my family loves this, and I've giving out the recipe many time. So its defiantly a keeper! This is wonderful especially when avocados are in season. It has taken many times to really perfect this dish. I'll try to explain as much as possible, so you can perfect it too!

Mix together in a large zip-lock bag, or large bowl:
       6 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
       2 tablespoons cornstarch
       1 teaspoon garlic salt
       1 teaspoon ground cumin
In a small dipping dish, whisk together:
       1 egg
       ¼ cup water
In a large heavy duty skillet, heat on medium to medium high: [stay close to medium heat so it won't burn the crust while cooking the chicken]
       2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil (depending on size of skillet)
Dip in egg mixture then add to zip-lock bag or bowl, one at a time until completely coated:
       4 boneless chicken breasts
Then add to skillet. When all four breasts are in skillet, cover and cook for 6 minutes each side, lower heat if it starts to burn before done cooking.
When done, sprinkle over top of each breast:
        1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
Cover and continue cooking for 1 more minutes or until cheese melts. Remove from skillet to serving tray. Slice and add on top of each chicken breast:
       1 large avocado
Then top with a scoop for each breast:
       Sour cream
Option: Top the sour cream with chopped green onion.

Keep the sides very simple, you don't want to overload all the flavor. Rice is my favorite side with this, but simple mashed potatoes would be wonderful as well. 

Have extra slices of avocado and a bowl with more sour cream. Its wonderful when you have enough of each with every bite!