Avocado Cream Pasta

Brit found this recipe in one of her food blogs (a healthy vegan food blog in fact) and sent it my direction. We both love avocados, this recipe looked fantastically simple, and we eagerly added it to our list of new recipes to make. We make another dish that’s similar, linguine with pea pesto, and we knew we would love this version as well.

Avocado Cream Pasta

(originally posted on the Oh She Glows food blog)

Serves 3

1 ripe avocado, pitted

Lemon zest

½ lemon, juiced

3 garlic cloves

½ tsp salt, or to taste

¼ cup basil

2 tbsp olive oil

1 package pasta

Black pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Once al dente, drain and return to the pot.

Meanwhile, blend the garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil in a food processor. Add in the avocado, basil, and salt and blend until smooth.

Toss the pasta with the avocado sauce until well mixed. Garnish with lemon zest and black pepper. Brit decided to toast some walnuts and add them them as an additional garnish. (Great idea Brit!)

Brunch Tostadas!

Yes, the exclamation point is a necessity here. We accidentally didn't have time to try out the Shredded Chicken Hard Tacos recipe we had planned this week, so in a pinch we decided to use all the ingredients and substituted eggs for the chicken. It was a very exciting way to start the day.

Brunch Tostadas!

5 eggs
1 -2 tbsp skim milk
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red onion, diced & divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup salsa, divided
6 oz shredded light Mexican cheese blend
2 corn tortillas
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Sour Cream
Avocado
Lettuce, chopped
Tomato, diced


In a small saucepan, heat about 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1/2 of the onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and stir until the scent of garlic is released, about 1 minute. Add black beans and stir until combined. When the black beans are heated through, stir in 1/4 cup of salsa. Reduce heat to low and cover to retain liquid.
Roughly chop the avocado. Place in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mash with a fork. It's okay if the avocado is still a little chunky - that's the best part.
Meanwhile, whisk eggs in a medium bowl. Add milk and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat a pan over medium-low heat. Spray with olive oil spray to lubricate. Add eggs. Wait about 1 minute and then stir the eggs with a wooden spoon, gently scraping the bottom of the pan. Repeat this process until the eggs are scrambled and all the liquid has been cooked/evaporated, about 10-12 minutes.
While the eggs are cooking, heat a small pan over medium high heat. Spray quickly with olive oil spray. Add one corn tortilla and toast until both sides are brown and the tortilla is almost crispy.
Place the toasted tortilla on a plate. Spread 1/2 of the mashed avocado mixture on the tortilla. Add the black beans, sprinkle the cheese, then cover with eggs. The lettuce, tomato and sour cream will top off a deliciously complete brunch meal. Too bad we didn't have any guests to share this with! We'll be sure to make it again sometime.

FISH TACOS! Plus fixins

Mike and I tried out several taco recipes this past summer (see here, here and here), and fish tacos were by far our favorites. We slowly determined what other elements were the best (in our humble opinions) from each rendition, and tonight we brought those elements together in holy taco perfection.

Fish Tacos with Avocado & Pico de Gallo

1 package corn tortillas
1 package frozen cod (from TJ's -3 to 4 filets), thawed

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp salt
black pepper to taste
3 cups water

1 avocado, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped and divided
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped and divided
1 medium tomato, diced
1 medium jalapeno, diced
handful of cilantro, roughly chopped
juice of 1 lime

TJ's light Mexican cheese
TJ's light sour cream
cilantro for garnish

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat a medium pot on high heat for about 45 seconds. Add the olive oil - when it starts to shimmer, add the cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Saute for about 30 seconds, then add the rice. Saute the rice until it starts to become translucent - about a minute. Pour the water over the rice (it should hiss at you as it hits the bottom of the pot). Wait for the rice to come to a boil, then stir it ONCE (this is key) to incorporate the spices, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes or until all of the water has been absorbed. Do not stir.

Place the fish filets in a 9x13 baking dish and season both sides with salt and pepper (we also used some Goya seasoning, but all the fish really needs is a little salt to bring out the flavor). Place the pan in the oven and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until a knife is easily inserted into the thickest portion of the filets ("like butter," if you will). Remove from oven, slice the filets into bite-sized portions and set aside.

Bell peppers: Meanwhile, heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add 1/3 of the onion and all of the bell pepper. Saute until softened - 5 - 8 minutes - then add the garlic. Continue to cook for about 2 additional minutes (just long enough for the garlic to release its flavor). Salt and pepper to taste, then remove from heat.

Pico de Gallo: Combine the tomatoes, the other 1/2 of the garlic, the remaining onion, the jalapeno and the cilantro in a medium bowl. Add lime juice, salt and pepper and stir to incorporate.

When all of the elements are complete and the rice is just about finished, heat a small pan over medium-high heat. Toast the tortillas for about 45 seconds on each side.

Prepare tacos. I like to layer it as follows, but feel free to vary as much as you like: Rice at the base, cheese layered on top for melting, then the fish, the bell peppers, the pico, the avocado, the sour cream and a little cilantro on top. NOMS!

I wish we had gotten pictures of the gargantuously delicious finished products, but alas we were so hungry we forgot until they were almost annihilated.

Tilapia fish tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onions

We found this recipe in the August 2011 issue of Cooking Light. We have always loved making tacos and this simple, minimal ingredient dish, looked perfect.

Tilapia Tacos with Grilled Peppers and Onions

Serves 4

Onion, sliced
Bell pepper, sliced
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb of tilapia fillets
8 corn tortillas
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 lime, cut into wedges
1 avocado, sliced


Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Grill onions and peppers, turning occasionally until cooked. Cut veggie slices into smaller pieces and combine with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper in a bowl.

Sprinkle fish fillets with additional salt and pepper and cook on grill pan over medium-high heat. Cook approximately 3 minutes per side until fish is flaky.

Warm up tortillas and fill with veggie mix, jalapeno pepper, fish pieces, avocado, and then garnish with lime.