Friday, April 17, 2009

Craving Guacamole Salad

Images from foodnetwork.com

I love to cook and I love the cooking channel. I have to admit - this is still a main reason we haven't cancelled our cable. We discuss it. We hash it out. We plan it. And every time I say, "But I won't get to watch the cooking channel."
When I say this, what I really mean is: "I won't be able to watch Ina Garten on The Barefoot Contessa." She may not be flashy and a hipster, but her recipes are fantastic and they always turn out well. ALWAYS! Besides all of that, she has a really nice speaking voice, it's easy to listen to, and she doesn't treat the audience like they are morons who have never heard of water. Oh - and I LOVE her house. :-) Read her bio here, if you want to learn how she went from working in the White House on nuclear energy policy to food.
I recently caught an episode (new or re-run? I 'm not sure) and she made Guacamole Salad. YUM! I then made it for my Moms birthday and it was a hit. The recipe makes 6 servings, but we were feeding a lot of people, so I doubled the recipe and it still turned out awesome. Here it is (the undoubled recipe):
1 pint grape tomatoes - halved
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded & 1/2 inch diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup red onion - small diced
2 tbsp jalapeno - seeded & minced (2 peppers)
1/2 tsp lime zest - freshly grated ( I used more - but I like lime)
1/2 cup lime juice - freshly squeezed ( 2 limes)
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper - freshly ground
1/2 tsp garlic - minced
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper - ground
2 ripe Hass Avocados - seeded, peeled, & 1/2 inch diced. ( I suggest prepping these just when your ready to add them, so they don't turn brown.)
Place tomatoes, yellow pepper, black beans, red onion, jalapeno pepper & lime zest in a large bowl.
Whisk together the lime juice, olive oil, salt, black pepper, garlic & cayenne pepper. P
Pour over the vegetables and toss well.
Just before your ready to serve the salad, fold the avocados into the salad, check the seasoning and serve at room temperature.

Saturday, April 4, 2009

46 Days Until Interstate Farmer's Market Opens


I am trying to wait patiently for the Interstate Farmer's Market to open. The weather this weekend isn't helping. The sun has finally come out, there are flowers blooming in my yard and it feel like time for the market to open. I NEED berries. I can already taste the tomatillo salsa from Hot Mama Salsa...YUM. I can't wait to see my friends from Unger Farms and taste the blueberries. Oh, ya, don't forget the guy who makes the crazy yummy brownies - from traditional chocolate to crazy savory and sweet flavors. Ok, I could go on for a while...
The IFM is just a short MAX (Yellow Line) ride from my house...or a bike ride depending on how much you plan to haul back home. You will find it right across the street from the Kaiser complex, in Overlook Park.
I LOVE the farmer's market. It smells good. It looks good. It tastes good. It helps the little guy.