Avocado Frog Dip and Potato Mice

   My kids like to look at cookbooks almost as much as I do.  Well, maybe not quite as much, but they do enjoy flipping through and marking recipes that they want us to make together.   A week ago, my 7-year old daughter marked quite a few recipes in this Mom and Me Cookbook and she asked  if we could get the ingredients and make them for dinner.  

The first thing she wanted to make was this Avocado Frog Dip.  It is a basic guacamole dip and my girls had lots of fun making it with me.   It was quite easy.  We took turns cutting and scooping out the avocado, mashing it and stirring in a few other ingredients.  Then my girls wanted to get a pretty tray and arrange all the veggie dippers and make the face.

 I thought it turned out great.  My kids aren't huge fans of avocado, but they ate this with the veggie dippers because "It's good for me" and "I know it's healthy".   They said it, not me! They actually both ended up liking it more than they originally thought they would and we had fun putting it together.  We made the dip while the potatoes were baking in the microwave.

 Here is the recipe for Avocado Frog Dip
* We used plain Greek Yogurt instead of sour cream

   To complete our meal, we made these Potato Mice.  We baked them in the microwave, so that the prep time wouldn't be quite as long.  Our potatoes were pretty small, so we didn't use as much butter or milk as the recipe called for.  We just used a little bit of each, and mashed it together until the texture was perfect.   These were tasty as well and the girls were very proud of the dinner they helped me make. 

 Here is the recipe for Potato Mice
* We used mozzarella cheese to top our mice
* We baked our potatoes in the microwave (minus the oil brushed on the skins of course!)


 

Cooking School- 7 Layer Dip

This is the perfect thing to make with children in the kitchen. It is fun for the kids to help open cans, chop things, spread the layers and sprinkle everything on top.

My girls and I decided to make this dip for a family dinner with a Mexican theme. Mostly because I can remember making it as a child with my family when we would get together with my cousins. I remember everyone taking part in preparing the different layers and then putting it together.

I haven't made this dip since I've been married, although I have tried other versions, like this Meditteranean one and a lighter one for a cooking group I was in. My advice is to taste test the different layers as you go along to make sure they have the right flavor and let someone help you put it together. We had a lot of fun.

If you are lucky enough to have any leftovers, try them with scrambled eggs, in some sort of burrito or as part of a salad.
There are so many version of 7 Layer Dip out there, but this our adapted version of the one I remember making with my family as a child

7 Layer Dip
1 can bean dip or refried beans (seasoned with garlic powder to taste)
8 oz container sour cream (I used greek yogurt since I had it on hand)
1 pkg taco seasoning
3 ripe avocados
1 lemon
shredded lettuce
shredded cheese (We used a monterey jack/cheddar blend & the girls shredded it)
chopped tomato
sliced black olives (I accidentally bought chopped black olives this time)

1. On a large platter or in a deep dish, spread the bean dip/refried beans in a even layer.
2. Combine the taco seasoning and sour cream in a bowl; spread on top of bean layer.
3. Mash the avocados with a few Tbls of freshly squeezed lemon juice; season with salt and pepper. Spread the avocados over the taco sour cream mixture.
4. Sprinkle shredded lettuce on top of avocado, followed by the shredded cheese, chopped tomatoes, and sliced black olives.
5. Chill until ready to serve.
6. Serve with tortilla chips.

Eggland's Best Brinner & Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I received an email from Eggland's Best Eggs, asking me if I was interested in hosting a Brinner. What is Brinner? Well, it's something that we have all done before- it's Breakfast for Dinner or simply some combination of Breakfast and Dinner.

Of course, I said yes. I had some family members coming to town for a visit and I knew that would be the perfect time to have the Brinner. The hardest part was narrowing down the menu, but we finally picked out a really great one.

Since eggs were the star of the show, I decided that eggs should be an ingredient in each part of our menu. We had Avocado Deviled Eggs (pictured above), Garden Turkey Meatballs, Summer Squash Bacon & Mozzarella Quiche, Sweet Potato & Chile Hash w/ a Fried Egg, and a flourless Chocolate Cake for dessert (which has a surprising secret ingredient).


I had lots of help prepping the food, thanks to the family members I had visiting, so we were able to put it together quickly. A couple of friends came over and we enjoyed all of the dishes.

The Avocado Deviled Eggs were a nice twist on a familiar favorite. Just imagine guacamole as the filling for your Deviled Eggs. I used Eggland's Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs to make them. My kids also really love these eggs as a snack.

The Garden Turkey Meatballs were really delicious. I finished them off in a really tasty pizza sauce.

The quiche recipe was one that my sister spotted in Cooking Light and she prepared it. You would never know that is was a light recipe because it was so delicious-definitely a crowd favorite!

The hash was really great too. I threw in a couple of extra veggies that I had on hand just for fun. It was spicy and yummy.

The Flourless Chocolate Cake contains a surprise ingredient that really just can't even be guessed. It was delicious. Dense and fudgy.

I used Eggland's Best eggs in all of these recipes.

Now, as part of the Brinner experience, Eggland’s Best provided me with a fun giveaway for you, my readers.

The giveaway includes:

• 2 free EB dozen coupons (any variety- classic, cage-free, organic)
• 1 free EB Hard-Cooked and Peeled Eggs coupon
• 4 EB ramekins
• 1 EB apron
• 1 EB whisk
• 1 EB spatula
• 1 EB egg timer
• 1 EB Eco bag
• 1 EB plush egg

All you have to do to enter the giveaway, is leave a comment on this post.

If you want to tell me your favorite way to prepare eggs, go for it. Please also feel free to share a link to your favorite egg recipe if you would like.

You have until 12:00 am EST on Monday, July 11th to enter this giveaway.

Hopefully you will try some of these recipes soon too and have your own Breakfast for Dinner party. Brinner can't be beat!


Here is the recipe for Avocado Deviled Eggs

Here is the recipe for Garden Turkey Meatballs

Here is the recipe for Summer Squash, Bacon, and Mozzarella Quiche from Cooking Light

Here is the recipe for Sweet Potato & Chile Hash with a Fried Egg from Fine Cooking
* I used nonfat Greek Yogurt to make the chile mayo
* I used less oil- only 2 or 3 Tablespoons
* I added diced zucchini to the hash
* I cooked the yolk in my eggs all the way through

Here is the recipe for Flourless Chocolate Cake



*This giveaway is open to US residents/addresses only, age 18 and older-No PO Boxes.
The winner will be chosen randomly.
All the opinions stated above are my own. I was provided with VIP coupons and a giftcard to help purchase the items necessary to make these dishes. I was also provided with a package similar to the one available in the giveaway.

Tuna Melts with Avocado

We used grape tomatoes from our garden on these delicious tuna melts!! And that was very exciting. I didn't follow the instructions exactly, but these were a really great dinner after a long day of swimming. Filling and delicious. I really like the combination of tuna and avocado and so did my family.

Here is the recipe for Tuna Melts with Avocado from Cooking Light
* I used a whole wheat baguette instead of french bread
* I didn't read the instructions all the way through, so I put the tuna mixture on the bread, then sprinkled the cheese and then broiled them

Guacamole Hummus

My daughter has really taken interest in helping me in the kitchen. She has always wanted to help, but now she really wants to get her hands dirty and do it all.
This was the perfect thing for her to help me with. You just dump the ingredients in the food processor and in a few minutes you have a smooth, creamy, delicious dip. It tastes like guacamole, but it acts like hummus. What does that mean? I'm not sure, but it is good.

My hubby doesn't like guacamole, but he really loved this dip. It would be a great spread for a taco, breakfast or sandwiches/wraps too. We enjoyed it with pita chips, bell pepper strips, and carrots.

Guacamole Hummus-Everyday Food

In a food processor

combine 1 can (15.5 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 cups fresh cilantro leaves, (I used half fresh Italian parsley)

1 garlic clove, chopped,

and 1 ripe avocado, roughly chopped.

Process until finely chopped.

With machine running add 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil in a slow, steady stream and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture is smooth. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. (I added a dash of cumin)

Cooking Ligh Virtual Supper Club- Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Roz chose our theme this month- Spring is Berry-licious Season, for the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club. Each of us chose a recipe that highlighted some kind of berry and we came up with a delicious menu. Check it out below-

Roz - Pork Medallions with Spicy Pomegranate-Blueberry Reduction

Sandi - Raspberry Asparagus Medley

Mary Ann - Strawberry-Avocado Salsa

Jamie - Balsamic Strawberry Topping

Jerry -Raspberry Daiquiris

Val - Mesclun with Berries and Sweet Spiced Almonds

I don't know why I am drawn to wierd salsa combinations, but this strawberry and avocado salsa just seemed so interesting to me that I had to try it. I made it when my parents were here visiting, after my dad bought a large bag of avocados. I made it on a night when we were having tacos for dinner. We tried it with some tortilla chips and it was really good. Even though I forgot to add the sugar! My mother and I added some to top off our tacos and it was a really great addition. I was actually glad that I accidentally left out the sugar because it made the salsa seem savory, with just the right amount of sweetness from the strawberries.

I noticed that a very similar recipe was in the May issue of Cooking Light, but was paired with Cinnamon Tortilla Chips. I am going to have to make it and compare the two.

Make sure you go and see how the rest of the menu turned out!

Here is the recipe for Strawberry-Avocado Salsa from Cooking Light
* I forgot to add the sugar, but I thought it tasted great that way

Lindsey's ABC Salad

Now that we've got all of those baked goods out of the way, that leaves room to talk about this delicious salad that I found over at one of my favorite blogs- Cafe Johnsonia.

It is called ABC Salad. It contains Baby salad greens-(to which I added some arugula), avocado, almonds, dried apricots, buckwheat, chickpeas and I figured while I was at it, I might as well top it off with some blueberry vinegar.

I've been trying to get more salads and veggies in my diet and eating a nice big salad for lunch is one easy way to do that. My only problem is that sometimes I get bored with salad. Especially if it always seems to contain the exact same ingredients.
That is what I loved about this salad the most- it had lots of fun flavors and textures, combining ingredients that I never would have thought to mix. And it's vegan.

So give it a try because it is delicious.

Here is the recipe for ABC Salad
*She has much prettier pictures and more details about this delicious salad

Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Pancetta

Happy New Year! I am really excited for all the good things that I hope 2011 will bring.
I hope you are excited too.

I saw the picture for this recipe in Bon Appetit and thought it looked too interesting to pass up. It combines kiwi, avocadoes and bacon. Sounds like a strange mixture, but I knew it probably would end up tasting really delicious.

I found some cubed pancetta at Trader Joes and decided to use that instead of bacon, because it was already cut into pieces and I like the flavor better.
I am not a big fan of bacon, but I knew in this recipe it would add the perfect amount of crisp, salty crunch. Well, the pancetta would.
I also just used some Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta.

This was one of those dishes that really exceeded my expectations.
The mashed avocado on the toast, topped with the kiwi salsa and crisp pancetta was the perfect combination of flavors and textures. It really surprised me how yummy this was.
This tasty little snack would make a great breakfast, lunch or snack. Perfect for anytime of the day. It looks kinda pretty too. I can't wait to make it again.





Original Recipe for Avocado Toasties with Kiwi Salsa and Bacon from Epicurious
* I used cubed pancetta instead of bacon, cooking it until crisp and then sprinkled it on top
* I used sliced Italian sandwich bread instead of ciabatta, and just toasted it

Cranberry- Avocado Salsa

Here is a fun way to use cranberries, in a delicious salsa.
I love cranberries and finding savory ways to enjoy them is really great.
I took this salsa to a Christmas get-together and it was gone by the end of the night.
There is a little bit of honey and lime juice, which evens out the tartness of the fresh cranberries.
If you need a fun appetizer for a party or just want to try something a little different, give this a try!
Recipe for Cranberry-Avocado Salsa

Eggs Barbacoa, kindof

I don't like meat. I don't like to cook it or eat it, so we rarely have it on our dinner table. Of course, if my kids want meatballs or chicken strips/tenders, I take the time to make them, but we usually eat vegetarian meals and lots of fish/seafood.

Well, a couple of weeks ago I saw a recipe that I really wanted to try in Cooking Light Magazine. And it called for beef. It was weird for me because usually meat/chicken dishes do not appeal to me at all.

Then, at the Farmer's Market, a nice farmer/professor had a booth about his grass-fed beef and so I went to talk to him. I asked him lots of questions, even specific ones about how his cows were processed. I took his business card. I thought about it for a couple of weeks.
I decided that if we were going to only eat beef once a year, then it was perfectly okay to pay a higher price for it.

My neighbor happened to buy some grass-fed beef from the same man and she said it was the best beef she had ever tasted.

Now, I kinda did my own thing on putting this together. I cooked the beef according to the Beef Barbacoa recipe but made all sorts of changes when it came to the complete dish. I don't really remember what I did actually, so that is why the picture here and the picture featured over at Cooking Light look entirely different.

The beef was good, but I still just don't care for it. My family on the other hand was really excited about the meat.


Recipe for Eggs Barbacoa

Recipe for Beef Barbacoa

Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips

I don't usually get posts up this quick, but somehow I did with this one.
We had this salad for dinner a couple of days ago and it was really good.

The salad caught my eye in a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. It looked too delicious to pass up and seemed like the perfect summer meal.

First you crisp up some lightly seasoned corn tortilla strips in the oven. While that is happening you mix up a quick, light dressing. The dressing starts with warming some olive oil, garlic and spices, which is then combined in the food processor with lime juice, scallions, and cilantro.
The dressing was really good!

Then all sorts of veggies are chopped and added to a bunch of romaine. You've got celery, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, fresh corn kernels, roasted red peppers and really, whatever else you want to add. I decided to add sliced mushrooms since my family likes them. Oh, and don't forget the pinto beans, for some protein.

My son doesn't like dressing on his salad, but this time I decided to go ahead and dress the entire salad before serving it to my family. I gave everyone a large bowl of salad and we all dug in.
The kids really liked this salad, even my son- with the dressing.
I loved it too. It was really fresh and delicious.
The tortilla strips gave just the right amount of crunch and the dressing was the perfect compliment for all the veggies. I had the leftovers for lunch today. Wish there was more for tomorrow!


Recipe for Mexicali Chop Salad with Crunchy Tortilla Strips
* I seasoned half of my tortilla strips with chili powder and half with paprika (for the kids)
* I used grape tomatoes, halved, in the salad
* I added sliced mushrooms to our salad
* I omitted the red onion

Summer Veggie Salsa

First of all the winner of the TERRA Chip giveaway- comment #21- Gabrielle, who says they eat TERRA Chips with hummus. yummy!

Here are the results-

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 29
Result: 21
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Now on to today's recipe. I saw this recipe for Summer Veggie Salsa on Playing House
and all the veggies just looked so delicious. I added some chopped jicama and green bell pepper just because I was cutting them up anyway and I love the crunch that jicama gives to things.
I made a great big bowl of this salsa and it was really great with baked tortilla chips.

I also topped salad greens with this salsa and loved it that way. This was so fresh and delicious.
I am going to make it again while it is still nice and hot outside.


Recipe for Summer Veggie Salsa
* I added some jicama and green bell pepper
* I used cherry tomatoes

Southwest Quinoa Salad

One of my favorite bloggers recently started a new blog. I loved her old blog, Cafe Johnsonia
(which she has kindly left up so people can still use her recipes) but, I really, really love her new blog- Fresh Clean Start.

It's all about getting to a healthier place and I absolutely love every single post.
When I saw her post about this Quinoa Salad, I could not wait to put it together.

I made this salad for our 4th of July get-together and since the recipe written was enough to serve 1-2 people, I at least quadrupled the salad ingredients, so that everyone could have some and hopefully there would be some leftover for me to eat for lunch sometime during the next week.

I cooked up a bunch of quinoa (something I always do, so that there will be enough for whatever I need during the week) and started chopping my veggies.
I used fresh corn on the cob that I got from the Farmer's Market and I also used some heirloom cherry tomatoes.
I added cumin, chili powder, paprika, and lime juice- tasting it along the way- until it was just right.

I really didn't know how well it would be received at our dinner, but many people really, really liked it. This made me happy, but also limited the amount of leftovers. Luckily, there was enough leftover for lunch one day and I served it over a big pile of salad greens as Lindsey suggested.

This really is so, so good and good for you. I can't wait to make a big batch of it again.



Recipe for Southwest Quinoa Salad
* I used heirloom cherry tomatoes
* I used fresh corn on the cob
* I sprinkled sunflower seeds on top

Tomato-Avocado Salad

When my friend was here visiting, we created this simple salad.
We found some beautiful heirloom grape/cherry tomatoes and combined them with chopped avocados, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.
It was delicious on its own and we enjoyed it as part of our lunch one day.

The wheels in my head were turning though, and the next morning I had an idea for breakfast.

I like to get up early and exercise before my kids wake up. I don't eat before I work out, so when I finally get to eating breakfast it is late morning and I am hungry. I don't want a wimpy breakfast. I want something full of protein and fiber that is going to fill me up and do something for me nutritionally.
My friend found this Hearty Grain with Flax and Soy loaf at Publix, and basically fell in love with it.

We decided to toast the bread, fry an egg in a little bit of olive oil, top the bread with the egg, then top the egg with the tomato-avocado salad and some pinto beans.
Best breakfast ever. It was really so good.

We also made this tomato-avocado salad when we were in DC and used it to top our green salad. We also ate it with tortilla chips.
Endless possibilities on this one.

Tomato-Avocado Salad by Mary Ann
1-2 avocados, chopped
2-3 cups cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbls olive oil
salt
pepper

Put avocado in a bowl. Toss with lemon juice, to prevent discoloring. Add tomatoes and olive oil. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy on its own, on salad, on toast, with eggs, with chips, in a burrito- anyway you want.

Refried Black Beans w/ Avocado & Fried Egg and Jicama-Cucumber Slaw

I saw a recipe recently for black bean and avocado burritos and decided I would give avocados another try. Lindsey's new blog, Fresh Clean Start, also gave me a push to try them again.

Unfortunately, I got food poisoning a few years ago and avocados were involved, so that sight of them for many years made me feel sick to my stomach. I decided it was time to get over that and I am proud to say that I now like avocados again.

I decided to change this recipe a little bit and make it healthier, by removing the tortilla and cheese, so essentially just using the refried black beans and slaw that were in the recipe. I also added a fried egg because avocado and egg are a good combination, in my book.

I really liked the way my version of this recipe turned out.
I added a little bit of water to the black beans, when reheating the leftovers and it made them a little bit creamier.

I also added radish to the slaw.

Recipe for Black Bean and Avocado Burritos with Jicama-Cucumber Slaw
* I didn't make a burrito because I didn't use tortillas or cheese
* I added sliced radish to the slaw
* I added fried eggs to the top of the black bean/avocado mixture

CEiMB- Five Layer Mexican Dip

This week's CEiMB recipe is Five Layer Mexican Dip. It was chosen by Heather who blogs over at Mama Cooks. You can find the recipe on her blog or by clicking on the link at the bottom of this page.
The Five Layers in this dip are: 1- a delicious black bean dip, made in the food processor with garlic, cumin, and other things 2- corn/cilantro mixture combined w/ some of the leftover onion/garlic from layer 1, 3-mashed avocado with lime juice, 4-chopped tomato, jalepeno, and scallions, 5- shredded cheese.

I went back and forth about making this recipe, mainly because I have 2 tomato haters and 1 avocado hater in my family and didn't know how it would go over.
I decided to make it for a family dinner that we were going to because then there would be more mouths to fill and hopefully more people that would like this dip.
I didn't love it. Sorry. I am not going to lie to you. I wanted to really like it, but it was just ok.
I liked the black bean layer and I would have rather eaten that with the chips.
The corn/cilantro layer just didn't fit. I don't love frozen corn-not a big fan. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh corn on the cob, but not so much the frozen kernels.
I just didn't appreciate all the layers together.

That's not to say that there weren't those family members who loved the dip. There were some. They liked it so much that they were gifted the leftovers :)

Go check out the CEiMB Blogroll to see what everyone else thought about this one!

Recipe for Five Layer Mexican Dip