Fresh Orange Guacamole

I love Guacamole. My husband, on the other hand won't go near it, so if I make it, I need to make sure company is coming. If not, I get to eat the whole thing! That was the case this time so I made half a batch of this recipe from the December issue of Southern Living magazine. I ate the whole thing!
I was enamoured as soon as I saw the photo of this Fresh Orange Guacamole, so I had to try it. The avocado is mixed with onion, jalapeno, orange, and orange juice. It can be topped with a few pomegranate seeds for extra color if desired. It is a very pretty presentation. It is different, but I liked the burst of orange flavor with each bite of orange I took. I did miss the lime juice that I normally use though. Lime gives this dip some punch, something that the orange juice didn't. I couldn't taste the orange juice at all, and the jalapeno I used had very little flavor. I am going to make this again, and try using lime juice instead of the orange juice. But, I'd still love to find this guacamole at any food event, and certainly it would be a wonderful addition to a New Years celebration. So give it a try if you are looking for a new way to serve your guacamole.

Fresh Orange Guacamole
adapted slightly from Southern Living - 1/2 recipe
2 ripe avocados
1/2 of a navel orange, peeled and cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 tablespoon finely diced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice
1/2  jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced- I did not use this
salt and pepper to taste
fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish- optional

Scoop avocado pulp into a bowl and mash with a fork until chunky. Stir in the orange and the rest of the ingredients, except the pomegranate seeds. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Garnish with pomegranate seed if desired. Enjoy!

BLT Sandwiches with Avocado and Red Onion

The continuing blazing hot weather has left me with little desire to actually cook. I know I'm not the only one struggling here, so sandwiches, salads and one pan meals are all I've been making. I'm just trying to keep the house cool, so I don't use the stove anymore than I have to. Bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches are always good when you have some juicy homegrown tomatoes to use. I decided to add avocado and red onion slices to it and the sandwich was even better.
Of course, you don't need a recipe for this.
All you need is 2 slices of bread, toasted- or not if you prefer
several slices of crisp bacon
sliced tomatoes
thin onion slices
avocado slices
mayonnaise
Assemble sandwich and devour!
What do you like to eat when the temperatures soar to 100 degrees?

BLT and Avocado Salad with Homemade Buttermilk Dressing

I almost always have buttermilk on hand as I love to use it in pancakes, waffles, biscuits and baked goods. So, when I decided to make a BLT Salad and discovered that I was out of Ranch dressing, I decided it was time to try my hand at homemade Buttermilk dressing. I have to say that it is really good! The cool, creamy and tangy dressing was a perfect topping to complement this wonderful salad! I used Romaine lettuce and some homegrown cherry tomatoes along with some thick, smokey bacon and buttery avocado. This BLT Salad was quite a treat!

BLT and AVOCADO SALAD with HOMEMADE BUTTERMILK DRESSING

Dressing ingredients:

1/2 cup buttermilk (be sure to shake it first)

1/4 cup sour cream, reg. or low fat

1/4 cup real mayonnaise, reg. or low fat

1/4 tsp. dry mustard

1/4 tsp. pepper, or to taste

1/4 tsp. salt, I used Kosher

2 tsp. sugar, optional

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. cider vinegar

2 T. finely chopped fresh chives
Add all ingredients into a small bowl and stir well with a whisk. Make a couple of hours before serving to the flavors can come together well. Makes 1 cup.

Salad ingredients for 2 main dish sized salads: 6-8 cups torn romaine lettuce, divided among 2 plates

4-6 strips of crisp bacon, crumbled

cherry tomatoes, halved, or other diced tomato

avocado- I used 1/2 of an avocado for each salad

diced red onion
Arrange romaine lettuce on plates. Top with the bacon, tomatoes, onion and sliced avocado. Serve with the Homemade Buttermilk Dressing. Enjoy!

This was a wonderful salad! I love romaine because of it's sweet, crunchy taste, which was perfect with the sweet cherry tomatoes and the salty bacon. The avocado is perfect with this salad! The amount of chives in the dressing was about right. I think I may try a small amount of dill next time too. And maybe some parsley. My first attempt at making dressing turned out very well! Do you make homemade salad dressings?

Avocado, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

My mother-in-law was a great cook. This is my version of a salad that she used to make that I absolutely loved, but I've not been able to make the dressing like she did. So, I changed it a bit and it worked great! My MIL was a very frugal shopper and cook, but she always made well balanced meals. This salad was a favorite in the summer when the tomatoes and cucumbers were ready in her garden. She cut all the veggies very thin and used more dressing, but I have cut these in a large dice and used minimal dressing. The result is a very delicious salad with crisp vegetables, creamy avocado and a simple, tangy dressing. This salad dresses up any summer meal. I've made a small salad here, as the avocados won't keep well, so you will need to double it for a larger group. However, I kept eating this after I made it and now there's not much left! I'll have to make more of this delicious and healthy salad!

AVOCADO, CUCUMBER and TOMATO SALAD

1 avocado, skin and seed removed, cut in a large dice

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 of a green bell pepper, diced

1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in half, (or, 1 cup of diced tomatoes)

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded, if desired and cut into chunks, I had a little over 1 cup

Put all veggies and avocado in a bowl. Make dressing.

Dressing ingredients:

2 T. olive oil

4 tsp. red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp. sugar, if desired (I always use it; sorry, I omitted this when first posted!)

pinch of sea salt

dash of pepper

Mix well and pour over salad. Stir lightly with a wooden spoon so you won't tear up the avocado.

Best served the day it's made. The dressing may seem too tangy if you taste it before adding it to the salad, but it mellows out after it is stirred into the veggies. Enjoy!

Guacamole Dip

I have to say that I am very grateful that we have avocados to enjoy! They have a nutty, buttery flavor that is delicious in so many dishes. Some people shy away from making homemade Guacamole, but it is quite easy to prepare. Start with ripe avocados. Push your thumb against the skin and if the fruit "gives" a little, it's ripe. If it gives too much, it may be too ripe to use. Also, it's easy to alter this dip to your own liking. I use less onion in Guacamole than I used to back in the 70's when a friend gave me this recipe. Boy,does that make me sound old! Anyway this recipe originally called for 1 medium onion and that's too much for me now, unless Vadalia onions are in season. Vadalia onions are sweeter and very easy on the digestive tract. Today, I used just 4 tablespoons of diced red onion, so I have cut down. Just make it how you like it!

Guacamole Dip
2 ripe avocados, pitted and peeled
4 Tbs. finely diced red onion
1 or 2 diced jalapenos, Serrano's, or chili peppers ( I used 1 small chili)
1 or 2 ripe Roma tomatoes, seeded and finely diced ( I used 1)
1 Tbs. fresh lime juice ( or lemon juice)
1 finely minced garlic clove, if desired
1/2 tsp. sea salt
dash of black pepper
2 Tbs. or more of chopped cilantro

To cut an avocado, cut it length wise all the way around and pull it in half. It will have a large seed inside. If the seed doesn't release from the fruit easily, cut that half of avocado length wise again and pull apart. The seed will come out now. With a spoon scoop out the pulp into a bowl and mash well with a fork. Add the diced onion, peppers and tomato. Add the rest of ingredients and mix well. It's best if chilled for the flavors to develop. Put into a serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Place the wrap right on the Guacamole to keep the air out. The air is what turns Guacamole brown. When ready, serve with your favorite tortilla chips. If you have much of a crowd, you may need to double the recipe! Enjoy!