Recipe Redo: Avocado Enchiladas

Someone was looking for vegetarian Mexican recipes recently and I recommended these avocado enchiladas. Then I looked at the picture and cringed. I know enchiladas are hard to photograph but I knew I could do at least slightly better. We all love guacamole so I put these on the menu for the weekend.

These are basically guacamole-stuffed tortillas topped with homemade enchilada sauce and cheese. Nothing wrong with that. My guacamole recipe is below but you can prepare it however you would normally. I don't add garlic or jalapeno, but some people like that. Whatever you do, make the homemade enchilada sauce. It's a very simple recipe and I love the spice and tang from the chipotle in adobo. It's the perfect compliment to the creamy avocado.

I froze the leftovers in individual portions and can't wait to pull out one of those parcels for a quick lunch or dinner.

Avocado Enchiladas
Modified from ...But where do you get your protein?

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo
3/4 cup water
4 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pit removed and flesh scooped out
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lemon juice, to taste
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
Salt and black pepper to taste
8 fajita-size flour tortillas
8oz grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle, and 3/4 cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spray a glass 9x13" baking dish with cooking spray. Mash the avocado in a bowl. Add the onion, cilantro, lemon juice, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Mix together like you're making guacamole. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Lay one tortilla on a work surface. Spoon 1/8 the avocado mixture into each tortilla and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with the enchilada sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.

Black Bean, Avocado and Onion Quesadillas

I like to have one Mexican dish on the menu every week. Lately I've felt like we're eating too much meat so I was on the hunt for a vegetarian dish. My friend Jaida recommended these Black Bean and Avocado Quesadillas and I couldn't wait to try them.

One nice thing about cooking without meat is the prep time is substantially less. I was able to toast the tortillas while I mashed the beans and avocado and then it was simply a matter of assembling and baking to melt the cheese. I love easy dinners like that.

We all loved these. SP said he thought the beans were unnecessary but I liked the contrasting flavors. Plus the protein - beans are so good for you. I opted to add caramelized onions for flavor and to break up the monotony of mashed beans and avocado and it was the perfect addition. Delicious!

Black Bean & Avocado Quesadilla
Adapted from Sweet Beginnings, originally from Sing For Your Supper

1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
salt
cooking spray
4 burrito-size flour tortillas
1 can black beans, drained, rinsed and mashed
1 avocado, mashed
shredded cheese (mix of cheddar, monterey jack, etc)
lime wedges
sour cream for dipping

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the onion slices, season with salt and allow to cook slowly until they caramelize. This will take about 30 minutes. Stir frequently to avoid burning. The onions can be made ahead of time, allowed to cool and then refrigerated until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Spray with cooking spray. Place 1 tortilla at a time in the skillet, turning often to brown on both sides. Remove to a plate.

Place two of the tortillas side by side on a baking sheet lined with foil. Top each with half the mashed beans followed by half the mashed avocado. Add half the onions to each tortilla, then top with cheese. Place the other two tortillas on top.

Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted, then cut into triangles. Serve with lime wedges and sour cream for dipping.

Bacon, Brie, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato (BBLAT) Sandwiches

::Putting on my flame-retardant suit::

I'm not a fan of BLTs.

There, I said it. The simplicity just doesn't do it for me. I need more than bacon, lettuce and tomato to make a sandwich. In my mind, those are toppings. Add them to a burger or chicken sandwich and I'm a happy camper. But on their own, meh. SP, on the other hand, loves BLTs.

I think I've mentioned before that we always do a what's for dinner post on my cooking board and one night someone said they were having bacon, Brie, lettuce, avocado and tomato sandwiches - a gourmet twist on a traditional BLT. It sounded heavenly and a good way to compromise on dinner.

These sandwiches were amazing. I loved the Brie and avocado - both added a great creaminess to the sandwich. I still think a nice piece of chicken would have made these perfect but they were still great without it. I left the Brie off SP's sandwich (although Baby Girl insisted on having some on hers) and when I couldn't finish my sandwich he ate the last few bites of mine and decided he liked it better. Score!

The recipe below is really just an ingredient list since we all know how to make a sandwich. I can't wait to make these again the next time SP asks for BLTs.

Bacon, Brie, Lettuce, Avocado and Tomato Sandwiches
For two sandwiches

4 slices bread, toasted
Mayo
8 slices bacon, cooked to desired doneness
4oz Brie, sliced
2 Romaine leaves
1/2 avocado, sliced
4 slices tomato

Spread some mayo on all four slices of bread. Layer on the bacon, Brie, lettuce, avocado and tomato. Cut in half and serve.

Recipe Swap: Avocado and Cucumber Tartine

It's always fun to receive a new blog for the Blogger's Choice swaps. Obviously I'm familiar with Caroline's blog, The Barbee Housewife, since she's a member of my cooking board, but I haven't had a chance to really look through her blog. Since Caroline is relatively new to blogging I actually went through her entire blog to check out what she's made. I had a really hard time picking something to make - I actually made something for breakfast after seeing it on her blog, post to come soon - but in the end I needed something easy for lunch one day and this Avocado and Cucumber Tartine looked like it would fit the bill.

I bought a Portuguese roll from my supermarket the same day I made this for lunch, which I highly recommend. There's nothing like fresh-baked bread on a simple sandwich like this. Mincing the cucumber and mashing the avocado took about as long as my toaster oven took to toast the bread, which makes this a super fast lunch.

Holy yum, this is one amazing sandwich. Like cancel your lunch plans, go to the supermarket to purchase the ingredients and whip one up today amazing. You can't go wrong in my book when avocado is involved, but add a crispy baguette and tangy cucumber salad and you've got perfection on a plate. The creaminess of the avocado blended nicely with the tang from the rice vinegar and the nuttiness of the toasted sesame oil.

I'm already contemplating when I can make this sandwich again. So, so good. Thanks for sharing this one, Caroline!

Avocado and Cucumber Tartine
As seen on The Barbee Housewife, from Smitten Kitchen

1 6-inch baguette
1/2 cup cucumber, seeds removed, minced
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt and pepper
1 avocado, halved, pit removed
2 teaspoons sesame seeds

Cut bread in half lengthwise and toast.

While the bread is toasting, combine the cucumbers, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and salt in a small bowl. Allow to sit for at least 5 minutes. Mash the avocado in a separate bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Once the bread is toasted, spread the mashed avocado on each baguette half. Top with the cucumber salad, making sure to drizzle the liquid on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa

I've had this recipe for Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Mango-Avocado Salsa printed out for awhile but I wasn't sold on the mango. Then I had leftover pineapple from these Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa and realized I could sub the pineapple for the mango.

I left the hot pepper out of the salsa because I'm not that into spice. I also opted to cook the onion until caramelized and leave out the red pepper because I don't particularly like peppers. As I was getting ready to cook the chicken I noticed the leftover spice rub from the BBQ Spiced Pork Tenderloin sitting on the counter. I decided to use it and wow, what a great idea. The flavors from the rub were perfect on the chicken and went so well with the onions and cheese.

But the real winner was the salsa combined with the quesadillas. The pineapple was a great substitute for the mango and when I put a little salsa on the quesadilla it was the perfect combination of tang from the pineapple, creaminess of the avocado and a slight bite from the red onion.

I can't wait to make these again.

Tropical Chicken Quesadillas with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
Adapted from Apple a Day

For the salsa:
1 1/2 cups diced pineapple, cut into quarters (juice reserved)
1/2 avocado, peeled and diced
1 Roma tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup thinly slicked red onion
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the quesadillas:
2 boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground ginger powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 teaspoons crushed dried rosemary
2 teaspoons oil, divided
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 medium/soft taco size tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican or cheddar cheese
Cooking spray

To make the salsa, combine all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Marinate the chicken breasts in the reserved pineapple juice for at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours.

Combine the brown sugar through dried rosemary in a bowl. Mix well. Remove the chicken from the pineapple juice and sprinkle the dry rub on the chicken breasts, coating evenly.

Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 degrees. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet. Sauté chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with tinfoil and put in the oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Set aside to cool slightly, about 3 minutes. Cut into a small dice or shred.

While the chicken is cooking, heat the other teaspoon of oil in a nonstick skillet. Add the onions and saute until caramelized and brown, about 15 minutes.

Lay out four tortillas and assemble quesadillas in this order - cheese, onion, chicken, cheese. Top with remaining tortillas.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Lay quesadilla in the skillet and let cook until the bottom of the tortilla is golden and crispy. Flip and let cook until the other side is also golden and crispy and the cheese is melted. Repeat cooking process with remaining quesadillas. Serve immediately with salsa.

Recipe Swap: Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa

It's time for another round of the Blogger's Choice Recipe Swap. I was excited when I received Coleen's blog, The Redheaded Baker, which recently went through a redesign and name change.

My game plan when I get a blog for these swaps is to figure out what ingredient or cuisine I want to make to help me narrow down the choices. I had already made my menu for the week and decided I wanted something using ground beef. As soon as this recipe for Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa popped up I remembered printing it out when Coleen made it for the Sandwich/Burger Swap.

This was a messy but delicious burger. I didn't even bother making it for SP - he got a plain cheeseburger to dress however he wanted. It worked out well because my one pound of ground beef only yielded 3 burgers. The jerk seasoning added a wonderful flavor to the burger patties - I don't think I've ever had anything with that particular flavor profile before. The pineapple salsa was a great compliment to the burger but the chunks made it tough to eat - pieces were falling out left and right. It was worth it, though.

Thanks for a delicious burger, Coleen!

Island Burgers with Pineapple-Lime Salsa
As seen on The Redheaded Baker

For the salsa:
1/2 can diced pineapple, cut into smaller dice
2 tablespoons diced red onion
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lime
1 avocado

For the burgers:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
4 teaspoons jerk seasoning
Cooking spray
4 slices Cheddar cheese
4 burger rolls

Early the day of serving, or the day before, combine the pineapple, sweet onion, cilantro, pepper and lime juice in a medium bowl. Toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for one hour, then cover and refrigerate.

Divide the beef into 4 portions and form into patties. Use your thumb to press an indentation in the center of each patty. Sprinkle the top half of each patty with 1/2 teaspoon jerk seasoning. Flip over and season the other side with another 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning.

Spray a heavy skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Add the burgers and cook for 6 minutes. Split the burger buns, and place on parchment-lined baking sheet.

Flip and cook another 6 minutes for medium-rare doneness and place baking sheet in oven to toast the burger buns.

Place one slice of cheese atop each burger and cover the skillet with a large pot lid to melt the cheese. While cheese is melting, dice the avocado, add it to the salsa, and gently toss to combine.
Place one patty on each roll and top with a spoonful or two of the salsa.

To see what the other swap participants made click the links below.

Black Bean Burgers with Avocado Basil Cream

I had two more Black Bean Burgers in the freezer and wanted an easy, no-fuss dinner for the end of the week. I had seen this Avocado Basil Cream on How Sweet It Is so I thought I'd give it a whirl.


Please forgive the photos. I thought I'd try my hand at those staging shots so many bloggers do with the ingredients and the finished product. I even edited both of these photos in PicMonkey, although I doubt you can tell. My photography is a work in progress, that's for sure.

Anyway, on to the cream. It was delicious but I did modify it a bit. I've been burned before by avocado creams that have way too much sour cream, so much that you can't taste the avocado anymore. I was worried that this recipe had too much and since I was only using half an avocado to begin with I decreased the sour cream substantially. I also added lemon juice because I felt it needed a little something to brighten and lighten it up. It was delicious paired with the black bean burgers.

A funny story - Baby Girl insists on helping me in the kitchen these days (not that I'm complaining, I love it) and I also want her to taste and smell the ingredients. I offered her avocado, which she declined, but as soon as I opened the sour cream she asked for a taste. I ended up spoon feeding her at least 1 tablespoon of sour cream before I cut her off. First lemons and now sour cream? The kid is weird.

Avocado Basil Cream
Modified from How Sweet It Is

1 tablespoon sour cream
1 avocado, chopped
10 medium basil leaves, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Add sour cream, avocado, basil, a pinch of salt and pepper to a food processor, blending to combine. Once somewhat smooth, add lemon juice, blending a bit and then tasting. Keep tasting and seasoning until you're happy.

Achiote Shrimp, Avocado and Refried Beans

SP was home last Thursday and he wanted to cook dinner. He loves Rick Bayless, so he found a recipe for Achiote Shrimp that sounded good and even bought the achiote paste from a local Mexican grocer. We had the shrimp over white rice with sliced avocado and refried beans.


Honestly, we weren't fans of the dish. I could tell I wasn't going to like it when I was grilling the shrimp. The smell just didn't make me hungry with anticipation. While I was still photographing my plate SP took a bite and said the shrimp tasted like they were coated in Mexican mustard, which turned out to be a good description.


Of course, this was probably entirely our fault. The original recipe calls for sauteeing the shrimp in oil, but we thought grilling would be fun and impart a nice flavor. Little did we know the achiote needs oil to blossom and develop, so it's likely sauteeing would have been yieleded much better results.

The avocado, on the other hand, was delectable. I absolutely love avocado sliced and simply seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper.


We might try experimenting with achiote again in the future but I don't think this is something we'll rush to make again.

Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce

SP was looking through our Williams-Sonoma Mexican cookbook over the weekend and found this recipe for Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce. We had a pound of shrimp in the freezer so I decided to try this recipe last night.


I should have known better then to use 2 canned chipotle chilies. The heat level was through the roof. We were both sweating as we ate. And to make matters worse, I'd somehow managed to undercook the rice. That's never happened to me before; if anything I overcook it. Thankfully we had two avoacados that I'd made into guacamole:


... that we are with chips to cool the flames. I took the leftover shrimp and guacamole for lunch today, but I'm planning to make shrimp nachos with it to mellow out the heat. We both thought the recipe had potential, but with way less chipotle next time!

Shrimp in Chipotle Sauce

8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined (I used 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped white onion
4 ripe tomatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds, chopped or 2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each), chopped tomatoes (I used the canned tomatoes and it made a ton of sauce. I think 1 can is plenty)
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobe, with 1 tablespoon sauce (I would use 1 chile and no sauce, or maybe even half a chile, if you like moderate spice)
1/2 cup Coca-Cola
1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano

In a bowl, stir together the garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the shrimp and toss until thoroughly coated. Let marinate while preparing the sauce, at least 5 minutes.

In a heavy pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the onion and saute until golden, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring constantly, until the color deepens. Using a slotted spoon, trasnfer the tomato mixture to a blender, allowing any excess oil to drip back into the pan. Add the chiles, cola and oregano to the blender and process until you get a textured sauce.

Remove the shrimp from the marinade and pat dry. Return the pan with the reserved oil to medium-high heat, until the oil starts to shimmer. Add half the shrimp and cook until opaque, about 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and add the sauce. Fry, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the flavors deepen, about 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook fo 2 minutes, just to heat through. Serve over steamed white rice, spooning some of the sauce over the shrimp before serving.

UPDATE: I wish I had brought my camera to work so I could show you the beauty that was my lunch. Last night I took the leftover shrimp, wiped off the excess sauce, chopped them into pieces and drizzled them with lime juice. I also shredded some cheddar cheese, put the rest of the guacamole in a container with sour cream, put some tortilla chips in a bag and some salsa in another container. When lunchtime rolled around today I arranged the tortilla chips on a dinner plate I brought from home and topped each chip with some salsa and shrimp, then added the cheese. The plate got microwaved for a minute and a half before being topped with the guacamole and sour cream. This was an outstanding lunch! I love when I can take a meal that was just so-so and remake it into something incredible. I could really taste the lime in the shrimp and all the flavors went beautifully together. And the best past - the spice level was perfect. Yum!

Grilled Chicken and Cheesy Orzo with Tomatoes and Basil

We love orzo, but it isn't usually on my radar for weeknight dinners. I had a box of it in the pantry, ripe tomatoes and basil in the garden and no idea what to make. Then I remembered a dish my friend C Laz turned me on to called Bruschetta Chicken. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it was the same basic idea.


After cooking the orzo with the onions and garlic, I added it to a bowl where I'd tossed chopped tomatoes from my garden with basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I added in some grated cheese and cubes of mozzarella. SP manned the grill and dinner was served.

You might be wondering what sliced avocado is doing on the plate in the above picture. Well, we bought 4 avocados on Saturday, put them in a paper bag on the counter and promptly forgot about them. Until last night, when SP encouraged me to see if they were ripe before they went too far. One of them was almost overripe, so I cut into it last night:


Isn't it gorgeous? We both love avocado plain so we each had half the avocado sliced, drizzled with lemon juice, salt and pepper. It didn't quite go with the theme of the meal, but it was certainly tasty.

Avocado Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Black Beans

I know Cinco de Mayo was on Monday, but my home life has been a little topsy-turvy lately so our celebratory meal didn't happen until last night. A woman on a cooking board I frequent recently shared a recipe for Avocado Enchiladas that sounded fantastic. Really, when it comes to avocados, you can't go wrong in my book. I love everything about them so I knew this recipe would be a winner.


I basically tripled the recipe so I'd end up with 6 enchiladas. I also used the enchilada sauce from this recipe and it was perfect. It's a great, simple sauce recipe and it made enough for me to have some leftover for another time.

My buddy Melissa has a recipe for Spanish Rice that I've been dying to try so I finally made it last night. This was seriously the best Spanish rice I've ever had. And it was so simple to make. Yum!

Black beans rounded out the meal. I got a recipe from a coworker (I used canned beans, but the idea was the same). I liked the flavor a lot, but the texture needed some work. Of course SP told me after dinner that he isn't a fan of beans (except for refried). Oh well. The rice and enchiladas were stellar so I'll definitely be making this meal again.

Avocado Enchiladas
Modified from ...But where do you get your protein?

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)

1 can (14.5 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

1 small canned chipotle chile in adobo, minced, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from can

6 ripe avocados, sliced in half, pit removed and flesh scooped out
1/2 a small red onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Lime juice
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 cloves garlic, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and black pepper to taste
12 flour tortillas
Grated sharp Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Additional cilantro leaves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium saucepan, heat 1 ½ tablespoons oil over medium. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally, 1 minute. Add broth, chili powder, chipotle and adobo sauce, and ¾ cup water; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer until lightly thickened, about 10 minutes.

Spray a glass baking dish with cooking spray. Mash up the avocado in a glass bowl. Add the onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, tomatoes, jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper. Mix together as you would if you were making guacamole.

Spoon the avocado mixture into the tortillas and roll them up. Place tortillas in the prepared baking dish and cover with enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with additional cilantro just before serving.