Avocado Enchiladas

I can't believe that yesterday a posted the amount of 0 recipes.
Well, to make it up, I'll try posting three avocado recipes before I give in to my incredible urge to doze off.
My favorite Mexican food is enchiladas by far. The first time I had one, I fell in love.

Ingredients:

 

Sauce

• 1 teaspoon  canola oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon  sugar
• 4 tablespoons  ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons  dried oregano
• 1 can beer
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup  chicken broth or water
• 1 tablespoon  balsamic vinegar

Filling

• 8 ripe avocados, peeled and seeded
• 1 cup  cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon  salt
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 20 corn tortillas
• 2 cups  grated reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese

Instructions:

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add onion; saute 5 minutes. Add garlic, sugar, cumin, oregano; saute 2 minutes. Add beer, tomatoes, broth; simmer 20 minutes. Add vinegar. Heat oven to 400F. Chop avocados; toss with cilantro and next 4 ingredients. Spread 1/2 cup sauce on the bottom of a casserole. Dip tortillas in remaining sauce; spoon 3 tablespoons of filling onto each. Roll up and arrange, seam side down, in dish. Pour sauce over, sprinkle with cheese. Cover; bake 25 minutes. Remove foil; bake 5 minutes. Let cool and serve.

 

All Bites Reserved By ~Me~

Avocado Deviled Eggs

I've enjoyed deviled eggs since I was born into the Earth, and avocado deviled eggs delighted me beyond belief. Actually, the first thing I did was make them, even before I posted this. I made them yesterday. They were amazing, and hopefully yours are too!

< Beyond Perfect Deviled Eggs That I Can't Make

Ingredients:

• 10 hard-boiled eggs
• 1 avocado, peeled and pitted
• 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Peel eggs and cut in half, either lengthwise or crosswise. Carefully scoop out yolks, and arrange whites on a platter or tray.
2. In the bowl of a food processor, process egg yolks, avocado, lemon juice, and mayonnaise until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer egg yolk mixture to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe mixture carefully and very neatly into egg halves. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 hours.

All Bites Reserved By ~Me~

Avocado Cheesecake (With Walnut Crust)

My mind is set on repeat, and the song that's playing in my head is a string of words: avocado, avocado, avocado, avocado, avocado, andI'm just sitting at the keyboard, patiently waiting for my mind to clear avocados entirely from my memory. Maybe this 'Food of the Week' thing will cause insanity.

But, anyways, yet another crazy way to use avocados is in a cheesecake, apparently... So here it is.

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup shelled walnuts
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed anise seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 cups skim milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 fully ripened Avocados from Mexico, halved, pitted, peeled and diced
• 8 ounces fat-free cream cheese, softened and cut in pieces

Instructions:

   Heat oven to 350°F. In food processor, pulse walnuts until finely ground. Add graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon sugar, anise seeds and salt; pulse just until combined. Add 2 tablespoons water; pulse until ingredients are thoroughly combined and resemble wet sand. Press into bottom of an 8 1/2-inch springform pan. Bake 20 minutes; cool completely.
In measuring cup or small bowl, combine gelatin with 2 tablespoons water; let stand for 5 minutes. With vegetable peeler, remove strips of lemon zest (yellow portion only). In saucepan, combine milk, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla and lemon zest; bring to boil. Add gelatin; simmer until gelatin has completely dissolved, about 1 minute; strain and discard lemon zest. In food processor, combine avocados and cream cheese. Pour hot milk mixture into processor; process until very smooth. Pour into baked crust; cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set. Remove side of pan; cut cheesecake into 10 slices. Serve with raspberry sauce, if desired.

All Bites Reserved By ~Me~

Avocado-Chocolate Mousse

Chocolate Mousse. Chocolate Mousse. Chocolate Mousse.
I say it again and again in my mind. Just the sound of the name sends people to the kitchen table in two seconds flat. We had some mousse today, and it was then that I had one of those 'A-Ha!' moments- a chocolate mousse recipe for the blog.
But, of course, I stumbled upon gold while looking for silver- an Avocado-Chocolate Mousse. For once, I wasn't surprised. In fact, I'm getting kind of sick of avocado, and it's only been a couple days. But how could I refuse to add this to the growing empire of avocado-based recipes?

Also, here's a hint on what the next 'Food of the Week' will be: It's a famed dairy product, and there are many variations of it. If that didn't give it away, this will: The French are crazy for this dairy product. Ring a bell? Anybody could know this one, but if you don't hang on to your seats until next week!

Back to the recipe!:

Ingredients: 

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, such as Ghirardelli

 

semisweet chocolate chips½

4 very ripe (8-ounce) avocados, peeled and pitted

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup agave

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

⅓ cup unsweetened almond milk

Fresh raspberries, for garnish

 

Instructions:

 

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Place over a small saucepan of barely simmering water. Stir until the chocolate is melted and smooth, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.

Place the melted chocolate, avocados, cocoa powder, agave, vanilla, and salt, and almond milk in a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Spoon into glasses and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (can be prepared 1 day in advance). Garnish with fresh raspberries and serve.

All Bites Reserved By,

 

                                       ~Me~

Avocado Chicken Salad

   Mmmmmmm... Chicken Salad.
Chicken salad is good, but it's even better when tossed with avocado, white rice, and mayonnaise, and blanketed in a smooth, creamy avocado dressing sauce. Mouth watering yet? It should be. and if it is, then make this salad now.

Ingredients: 

Salad:

• 3 cups cooked, diced chicken
• 3 cups cooked white rice
• 2 avocados, peeled, diced, and tossed with 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 to 2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Avocado Dressing:

• 1 large avocado, peeled and mashed with 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Dash cayenne pepper
• Thick, crusty bread, multi-grain or sourdough, for serving
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Instructions:

   Salad:

Mix all ingredients and chill. Pass with avocado dressing.

Dressing:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Chill and serve alongside chicken salad.

Eat ^ UP,

                      ~Me~

Homemade Pop-Tarts: Toaster Pop-Ups

Wow. Just wow.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this recipe in 'More Make Your Own Groceries', the new cookbook I got at a thrift shop. Eating Pop-Tarts is one of my favorite pasttimes (next to drawing and eating), and I've always wanted to try making my own.
So, I decided to share the recipe! Aren't I just the nicest? ^.^           Below is a diagram to the
                                                                                                           toaster tart's construction.

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Vegetable Shortening
2 Eggs
2 1/2 Cups Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
Choice of Filling: any flavor jam, marmalade,
     preserves, or fruit butter (See Note)
1 Egg White (optional)
Milk, optional
Sugar, optional

Instructions:

   Cream together sugar and shortening, beating until light. Beat in the eggs until creamy, then stir in the flour and baking powder to make a soft dough. Divide the dough evenly into 16 parts. Roll each part into a flattened ball; set the balls on a plate. Wrap the plate in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

   Grease a cookie sheet and set it aside. Roll one dough ball into a vaguely rectangular shape, about 1/16-inch thick. Spread 1 heaping teaspoon of filling evenly over dough, as pictured on the diagram above, leaving a generous margin. Roll out another dough ball into a similar shape and lay it neatly over the first. Use a knife to trim the filled Pop-Up tart to 3 1/2 by 5 inches, then crimp the edges together with your fingertips or the tines of a fork. Place the tart on the cookie sheet, then prick the top of the crust with a fork. Repeat this procedure with the remaining dough balls and any trimmed-off dough.

Optional: Lightly beat an egg white with with one tablespoon milk; brush the tops with the mixture for golden crust, and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake the tarts at 350 degrees (F) for about 25 minutes, or until the edges have become browned. Prick the Pop-Up Tarts again during the first 10 minutes of baking to keep them flat. When cool, wrap and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

To Serve: Place a tart in the toaster and toast once. Let cool slightly before removing as it will get very hot.

Note: The fillings are endless. You can fill with chocolate sauce, or make my favorite Pop-Tart flavor (Maple-Cinnamon Sugar) by making a cinnamon sugar mixture and using that as the filling. You can also spread a glaze or icing atop the tarts to give it a more 'Pop Tart' feel.

           Homemade Pop-Tart                                                                                    Real Pop-Tart


  
  

Avocado-Banana Smoothie

Smoothies are one of the staple diet foods in my opinion. Once we went on a health spree, and every day for two weeks we had a different healthy smoothie for breakfast. There were all kinds- and one was Martha Stewart's Avocado-Banana Smoothie. That one was among my favorites, and as soon as I remember it, I rushed to Martha Stewart's website. So, here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

   ~1 avocado~

1 banana

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice (from 3 oranges)

1/4 cup honey

2 1/2 to 3 cups ice

 

Instructions:

 

   In a blender, combine avocado, banana, yogurt, orange juice, honey, and ice. Blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

 

Eat ^ UP,

 

                       ~Me~

Avocado Bread

I love the different kinds of bread to make.
Zucchini bread is amazing, and banana nut bread is irresistable. And now I've found what I've been looking for- Avocado Bread. The name just makes my mouth water. I can't wait to make it, but first, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

  

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup mashed avocado (1 medium avocado)

1/2 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

 

Instructions:

 

   Step 1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Generously grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

Step 2. Combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk to blend thoroughly.

Step 3. In a separate bowl, beat together the egg and avocado. Stir in the buttermilk. Add to the dry ingredients and blend well. Stir in the pecans.

Step 4. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Makes one loaf.

 

Eat ^ UP,

 

                          ~Me~

Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

I'm really learning a lot by doing this blog- especially about the many ways avocado can be used. I've been trying to list as many recipes that feature avocado in them besides guacamole, and I already have some interesting avocado recipes posted up- including avocado ice cream!
But here we go again, this time with avocado cupcakes. And the avocado is paired with chocolate! And peanut butter! Who would've thunk it? It's incredible! So I seriously beg you to try this, because I'm sure most people who read this haven't had avocado cupcakes before...

Ingredients for the:

   Cupcakes:
2 C cake flour
1 C sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking soda
dash of salt
2 tsp. vanilla
~1 C mashed avocado~
1 C warm water


Peanut Butter Icing
 1/2 C butter, softened
1 C creamy peanut butter
2 C powdered sugar
2-3 Tbsp. milk

Instructions:

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees; line cupcake pan with liners.
Step 2. Place flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, vanilla and avocado into a bowl.

Step 3. Mix until incorporated; pour in the water, then mix until combined.

Step 4. Evenly pour the batter into the cupcake liners.

Step 5. Bake 18-20 minutes; until a toothpick comes out clean.  Set aside to cool.

To make the peanut butter frosting, whip the peanut butter and butter until creamy. Mix in the powdered sugar, then slowly whip in the milk until you reach the desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and dig in!

Eat ^ UP,

                         ~Me~

The 100 Flavors of...

Though I've been working on this blog only since yesterday, I've been brainstorming a LOT for what I can do. I had one more idea to throw out there, but I didn't know whether or not it would work, because it's a crazy idea.
I figured that- just maybe- once a month, I will make an article where I list 100 creative versions of one type of food. I have lots of creative ideas swimming around in my head, and I'd love to share them. One of the ideas was hot dog ice cream. Another one was dessert corndogs. Or maybe peanut butter & jelly lasagna. Something crazy and cool like that.
But maybe instead of me picking the monthly food, I figured that anyone can suggest something for me to use. It can seriously be any kind of food, and I'll still use it, adding it to my list.
The article will be called 'The 100 Flavors of Donuts' if the topic were donuts. Or 'The 100 Flavors of Lettuce' if the topic were lettuce. I'd also like to make an article about healthy eating, cooking techniques and terms, or one of the two, or maybe niether if it doesn't work out the way I planned.
So, I guess now I'll just wait and see if anyone has any ideas... :3

Eat ^ UP,

                          ~Me~

Cheesy Hot Dog Crescent Rolls

Staring down at the plate that had two sad links of hot dogs drizzled with cheese, I knew something had to be done. And fast.
Cheesy hot dogs have always been my favorite, but there must be something to do with them other than eat them cut up or in a bun. I found some cool versions of it- Cheesy Hot Dog Casserole was almost the one I was going to choose, but then I figured that adding that recipe right after adding a tater tot casserole recipe might ruin it for some reason.
Crescent Dogs seemed like a great idea. I tweaked the recipe that I found just a little bit, to make it a cheesy version. So, here it is! Cheesy Hot Dog Crescent Rolls!

Ingredients:

• 1 can crescent rolls
• 8 slices cheddar cheese
• 8 hot dogs

Instructions:

   Let's begin this operation by unrolling croissants and dividing them into the 8 different triangles. Place on cookie sheet. Ready? Here's where the magic happens: On each of the triangles add 1/2 a slice of cheddar cheese. Place one hot dog on top of the cheese. Place the other 1/2 of the cheddar cheese slice on top of the hot dog and roll the croissant edges around the hot dog. Place in 350 degree oven for 15 – 18 minutes or until croissants are golden brown. Here comes the fun part: Eat them (Hopefully they're just for you, or they'll be gone in a flash...)!

Eat ^ UP,

                      ~Me~

Avocado Ice Cream

I will admit that I was very... skeptical about the idea (Which is bad, because, as a food enthusiast, I believe that any food can taste good if prepared the right way). Avocado ice cream? Sure, it's good on sandwiches, in salads, in dips, even spread on pizza or blended in a dietary smoothie. But... as ice cream?

While looking for a homemade cereal recipe, I somehow stumbled upon this recipe. I was scrolling through a food site, minding my own business, searching for the cereal recipe, when the word 'avocado' entered my radar. I was excited at first, but when I saw that it was a recipe for 'Avocado Ice Cream', I was very dubious about the whole recipe.

But, after a lot of thought, I decided 'Why not?'. I scoured the web, but this time not for homemade cereal- for avocado ice cream. Imagine that- a couple of minutes ago, I had never even imagined such a thing existed. But it's not a myth, and people actually make this stuff- I found more than ten different kinds of avocado ice cream recipes! I went with Alton Brown's classic version, so you can vary it however you want!

Ingredients:

• ~12 ounces avocado meat, approximately 3 small to medium~
  
  
  
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

Instructions:

  

1. Peel and pit the avocados. Add the avocados, lemon juice, milk, and sugar to a blender and puree. Transfer the mixture to a medium mixing bowl, add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Place the mixture into the refrigerator and chill until it reaches 40 degrees F or below, approximately 4 to 6 hours.


2. Process the mixture in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. However, this mixture sets up very fast, so count on it taking only 5 to 10 minutes to process. For soft ice cream, serve immediately. If desired, place in freezer for 3 to 4 hours for firmer texture.

Eat ^ UP

                        ~Me~

Classic French Toast

This morning, Allison suggested to make French Toast for breakfast.
The whole morning we debated on what kind of french toast would taste best, and we threw out different ingredient tweaks to the classic recipe to make a perfect, fluffy-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside platter of French Toast.
So, did we ever find a worthy recipe that made the 'Perfect French Toast'? No. But I'll bet that if I keep experimenting, I'll get it right, but until then, why don't you try tweaking this classic french toast recipe instead, and try to make THE perfect french toast?

Ingredients:

6 thick slices bread
2 eggs

2/3 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

salt to taste

  

1. Beat together egg, milk, salt, desired spices and vanilla.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle of skillet over medium-high flame.
3. Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in pan, and cook on both sides until golden. Serve hot.

Blogger's

Eat ^ UP

                   ~Me~

Tater Tot Casserole

Today was a boring, rainy day...

We were supposed to be able to finally use our pool (our first time ever having our own pool), but, of course, rain began to pour down. So we're trapped inside with nothing to do...

So, though it may be sunny where some of you are, I wanted to post a recipe for one of my favorite comfort foods that is great for a rainy day.

The thing that I like about tater tot casserole is the fact that nearly everyone likes it- it's not an opinion, it's a fact. And it's also a creative idea.

Ingredients:

   • 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. ground beef or ground turkey
   • 1/2 - onion, diced
   • 1 - 32 oz package ore ida crispy crowns or tater tots 
   • 1 - 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
   • 1 - 8 oz container sour cream or light sour cream
   • 1 - low fat cup milk
   • 2 - cups grated cheddar cheese
   • pepper, to taste
   • season salt, to taste

   • garlic salt, to taste
Instructions:

   1. Brown ground beef and diced onions, adding, pepper, seasoning salt and garlic salt to taste. Drain.

2. Pour ground beef & onion mixture into the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. In a separate bowl mix together the soup, sour cream and milk.
3. Pour the soup mixture over on top of the ground beef layer spread evenly to cover the meat mixture. Top with tater tots, sprinkle with grated cheese over the entire casserole.
4. Bake at 350 degrees uncovered for 30 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and cheese is completely melted.

Yes, this recipe has NO AVOCADO in it... But remember that I said that not every recipe will have the FOTW in it. ^_^

Eat ^ UP,

                        ~Me~

Bacon & Avocado Dip

A wonderful combination of bacon and avocado collides in an easy to make appetizer that's sure to please! This recipe features avocados, the featured FOTW (Food of the Week).

Ingredients:

   • 1 (4 ounce) package cream cheese, softened  

   • 1/4 cup salsa

   • 5 slices cooked bacon, chopped

   • 3 green onions, chopped

   • salt and ground black pepper to taste  

   • ~1/2 avocado - peeled, pitted, and cubed~

Instructions:

   Mix cream cheese, salsa, bacon, green onions, salt, and pepper in a bowl; top with avocado cubes.

Given recipe makes 4 servings.
Finished in 10 minutes.